Winter blues

So, the past few months, I hadn't been really working out as hard as possible. I've been in the middle of the winter blues and the offseason of racing. I especially have issues when it comes to winter. Depression hits every year, the lack of sun really hits me hard. I eat more than I should (I'm a comfort food eater), I tend to gain weight and generally just walk around miserable. Not fun for me and not fun for my family either. Cabin fever doesn't help either.

I have had an issue with depression for the past 7 years or so. From what I've read on CTE's, there's a good chance that that's what I have going on in my brain from years of professional wrestling. For those of you unfamiliar with CTE's, CTE stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and it's a progressive degenerative disease in the brain. Stems from repeated head trauma and concussions and is seen a lot in boxers and pro football players. Symptoms include loss of memory, dementia, depression etc. Depression and memory loss... I definitely have those two locked up.

I have found solid exercise is one of the few things that can help me snap out of my funks. Having a race goal to look forward to helps me increase my training and keeps me focused on working out and keeps my mood up

Now, spring is around the corner. Daylight savings time is a couple weeks away and the first race is two weeks from tomorrow. So, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. That said, I jumped up my training big time recently.

I went from running 3 times a week and swimming twice a week to now doing 3-4 runs, 4 swims and 3 bikes. Add to that some intense strength and conditioning training 2-3 times a week and I can tell you there is a difference. This week alone, I shed about 8 pounds from just the increase of work. My mood is much improved, my confidence is better and I'm eating better. I found a new level of running speed this week and swimming is getting a bit easier. My energy levels feel better, I'm not snapping at everyone and I'm able to kind of roll with things better.

In conclusion, I have found that my training and workouts are my best defense against my depression. I'm looking better, feeling better, and just doing better in general. Go outside, get some work done and enjoy life... It's better than feeling bad sitting indoors...