Why You Need a Seasonal Routine

Our entire metabolic and biological make-up is changing with the changing of weather patterns. Do you know that using the seasons is one of the best ways to make lasting health changes? Find out why you need a seasonal routine inside. 

With the changing of weather comes the change of clothes, whether it’s from cold to warm to hot or the exact opposite. We tend to adjust what we wear with the changing of seasons. Not to mention our entire environment can flip-flop with the changing of weather patterns.

Whether the leaves start to fall in the cooling of fall or bud with the warming of spring a lot happens and responds to the changing of weather patterns. But did you know our body, those metabolic processes that are occurring on a daily basis change with the seasons as well?

Research is just starting to pop up about the profound process our body goes through during the different seasons – bringing up the question can we change our health by changing what we do and how we live in each season?

That’s what we’re answering today on the podcast. Why the season’s matter, what happens biologically and how we can work with it to see more significant results.

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If you listened to the podcast, then you know that living with the seasons, not just in what we wear but everything from our day-to-day to our diet and even exercise plan can change how we biologically respond.

Moving from a stress response to a thriving natural reaction meaning you can get bigger results with small, simple changes by working with your body instead of against it.

To give you a few examples of how this biological process works here are some things inside of us that change as the temperatures and environmental change.

• Circadian rhythm  – wake and sleep cycles
• Mood – what, how and when your body releases neurotransmitters
• Immune System – how much and how often it fires
• Change in Brain activation 
• Metabolism – a change in how insulin is activated in the body

This is just the tip of the iceberg on what they are finding. But how powerful these five things are and what exactly does that mean?

change with the seasons

We tend to be a people who do the same thing day in and day out. We are creatures of habit. While repetition is good, over time and through the changing of seasons it can do more harm to our body than good.

The two reasons for this are:

1. Metabolic Compensation
2. Stressed Induced Survival Mode

Where metabolic compensation technically means that your body will come to the environmental level you are providing it. Meaning if you cut calories, eventually, your body is going to compensate and need fewer calories, so it’s “effectiveness” disappears.

Stressed induced survival mode means you’re putting your body under more harm and danger, increasing the stress response in the body, like cortisol. This stress response pushes you into survival mode which looks a lot like conserve energy, conserve immunity, conserve fat.

The answer to both of these is to create seasonal rhythms.

create seasonal rhythms

These seasonal rhythms prevent metabolic compensations by continuously incorporating the change needed to prevent your body from getting “stuck.” And of course, changing with the seasons means you’re reducing the stress load rather than inducing it.

You see, living, eating and exercising seasonally isn’t just a good idea, it’s a necessity like having a warm coat in the frigid winter temperatures. Plus, it makes health so easy and natural. Just like what you wear you give it what it needs to thrive.

Here are my top five tips to create seasonal rhythms.

1. Live opposite of what the environment provides

What this means is that if it’s hot, firey, humid, calm and heavy, you eat and live in the light, crisp, cold, and dry foods, exercise regimens and lifestyle practices. On the other hand, if it’s cold, dry, light and unpredictable like winter, you’ll want to provide warmth, comfort, density, oily, and moist lifestyle measures.

Think summer:  raw foods, smoothies, salads, fresh produce, light grains, etc.

Whereas winter:  dense comfort food like sweet potatoes, carrots, root vegetables, apples, spices, oils, and fast and high protein.

2. Establish A Routine

A routine is just a good idea in general. But having a set routine or rhythm generally means you have a good handle on habits. It’s those things you do repetitively over time that add up. Establish a routine based on what you already do in a day and add in what you’d like to do. Think morning routine or evening routine and build off of that.

Once you have a routine, you can easily adjust it based on the seasons and the activities, lifestyle practices and foods you incorporate.

3. Be Flexible

Changing your diet and life with the seasons requires a little {or a lot} of flexibility. Being open to change and willing to change your day-to-day to fit with what your body and life need to sustain the season and not just survive but thrive.

Of course, it doesn’t need to be big changes and in most cases, it won’t. But the little things add up to great change over time. So step outside of what you know, be open to change and create a willingness for flexibility.

4. Listen To Your Biofeedback Signals

While all of our bodies change with the seasons, all of our bodies are still unique and different. This means we’ll all react differently and need different changes based on our body type. The only way to understand what works for you and your body is to listen to it.

That means taking into account your cravings, energy levels, sexual desires, mood, digestive system and more as a means to understand how balanced you are. If you notice constant bloating or more exhaustion then normal, maybe you’re living out of balance to the season?

Use these biofeedback markers to make the small changes to your every day and watch as your symptoms and cravings slowly start to go away.

5. Just do it

No really, this is just one of those things you have to try out for yourself. It may sound so simple, but it is just that. Like changing your wardrobe to winter, adding another layer seems normal. That’s my hope for health. That it won’t become another thing, you have to do ripping your focus off your hopes and dreams and onto your health.

Pick one or two things in your diet or lifestyle to transform for the seasons.

the bottom line

Know your body, listen to your body, get familiar with your environment and provide for your body what it needs. It should be just as easy as getting dressed in the morning. But our reality is doing the same diet, the same program, and living in the same way through all seasons is doing nothing but harming our bodies.

Like all things in nature we too live in seasons and our bodies change, which means our requirements change. Make sure you listen to the podcast to get all of the details.

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