New year; new you; new year’s resolutions. It’s that time of year when we commit ourselves to all sorts of ambitious targets, around 80% of which have petered out by the end of February. That’s because the middle of winter is a really bad time to tackle new challenges.
Although humans don’t hibernate, our bodies do slow down when nights are long and the weather is colder. Less melatonin from sunlight leaves us sleepier, with a slower metabolism (sometimes leading to winter weight gain), less energy and lower mood. But modern world demands of busy jobs and family commitments tend not to slacken during the dark cold months, leaving us feeling stressed and lacking the zing required to tackle new exercise regimes or healthy diets.
Kimberly Dienes, a lecturer in clinical and health psychology at Swansea University, recommends saving your resolutions until the spring weather arrives. Her research shows that the feeling of stress and overwhelm decrease as the days lengthen and we emerge from our state of mild hibernation. Come March, you’ll have a far higher chance of success with some gentle spring resolutions. But she cautions against setting yourself up to fail by being too ambitious: our bodies still need time to recover from the winter dip. My new year’s resolution will be to leave it until spring …
