Sunshine and Spring

It is a beautiful spring day here in northeast Ohio. My husband and I went out for a walk in the neighborhood. He likes to go fast, I like to go a little slower, and observe my surroundings. We went fairly fast today, because he had a limited amount of time before his next patient (he is a psychologist).

Still, I saw signs of spring! The most notable were a dandelion, and a cluster of purple crocuses (croci?) At our cabin, which is a little so south of here, I have been noticing signs of spring for a few weeks now: Tiny leaves on bushes, more and more birds chattering, and my daffodils are five inches tall. I saw the blue herons settling into their nesting ground in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park weeks ago.

I love spring. It isn't too hot (heat makes me nauseated), and it isn't too cold (cold makes me hurt). I am happy to see the spring, like usual, but we barely had any winter this year. It is likely that we will still see some more winter weather, but not a sustained stretch.

Many people, if not most, thrive on sunlight. Even if you are sensitive to the sun itself, the increasing daylight and warmer days can act as an antidepressant. There is even a form of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD (how appropriate is that?) that is caused by the shorter days and lack of sunlight. A major treatment of SAD is to sit by a lamp that emits light on a wavelength similar to that of the sun- it does not cause sunburn like a sunlamp could, but it tricks the brain into thinking that the person has been in the sun. The best cure, of course, is real sunshine.

This time of year always makes me happy. I tend to feel more optimistic, more energetic, more alive when spring starts peeking out. It is a time for making new plans, starting new projects. It is a great time to go to a zoo. The animals are more active when the weather is mild. On a trip to the zoo last spring I saw a peacock doing a mating dance and a pair of giraffes working on creating a new giraffe. Most species, including humans, are programed to be more energetic and active this time of year. Take a walk, explore the world around you. Go someplace where you can be with nature. Rejoice in the sunshine. As my grandmother would say, “Its good for what ails you”.   

Walk in the Sun

Yesterday was a gift for those of us in Northeast Ohio.  We had sunshine, and near 60 degrees F.  We have actually had several such days this year, an unusual number for winter in this part of the world.  I took a 40 minute walk outside, and came home with a smile on my face, and energy to spare.  What a great combination- walking and sunshine.  Our bodies need both.  
Sunshine promotes the production of vitamin D, which is sometimes referred to as a hormone, because of all the positive influences it has in our bodies.  Besides that, people tend to smile more on sunny days, and I sure noticed yesterday that people were friendlier and more social wherever I went.   I love the feel of the sun on my skin on days like this.  (Not so much in the middle of summer.) 
There have been hordes of research lately on how good walking is for the body.  It gives your heart, lungs, muscles, bones and most other parts of you a workout, and helps to improve your ability to function. It also feels good to move and to stretch.  Recent research has shown that exercise is good for people with Fibromyalgia.  It may hurt to move initially, but over time, exercise decreases pain and increases energy.  The key is to start near but not at your limit of what you can do comfortably, and to increase very slowly, perhaps adding on a little bit more each week of whatever you do to exercise.
I have become more active over the past year, doing water walking, Pilates, and on nice days, walking or hiking outside.  I have more energy than I have had in years, and fatigue hits me less often.  My pain has improved some, but not as noticeably.  I seem to get grumpy less often, too.
Sunshine and a walk is a combination I highly recommend.  Don't overdo either one, though.  There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.