Love it or hate it, winter is here in Alaska!
winter fun
These next few months can be a rough time for some and have no affect on others, it all depends. If you are a summer person and don't care much for the dark, cold winter months, staying on track and maintaining motivation can be difficult. Here are a few tips to help you out until break-up arrives:

GET OUTSIDE!
One of the best and perhaps most obvious ways of enjoying winter is to get outside and spend some time doing winter-ish activities. Sledding with the kids, snowboarding, skiing, ice skating and making snow angels are all things that burn calories. Plus, getting some fresh air and enjoying nature will help you beat the winter blues.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVITY!
Avoid negative people and situations at all costs and keep positive, supportive people around at all times. Having a strong circle of people who offer encouragement and who are all striving for a better life themselves will help you more than those who are jealous, judgmental and void of life goals.

DON'T LET ANYTHING STOP YOU
Yes, we all have obligations and responsibilities. It's called being an adult. BUT, that doesn't mean you have to give up your workouts or eat junky food because you are "too busy". Prioritize these things by scheduling in your workout each day, just like an appointment and prepare your meals the day before so you don't get stuck without anything to eat or worse, rolling through the McDonald's drive thru.

USE THIS TIME TO MAKE SERIOUS CHANGES
The winter months can drag on and on... and on. Waking up every morning to a cold, dark house can take it's toll without realizing. Soon you are in a funk and can't seem to figure out when or how it happened. Instead of hibernating and getting lost in the winter months, use this time to make substantial changes in your life. Most people find that they put on more weight, are less motivated and suffer from Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) during the winter, whereas the summer months are the exact opposite. The only problem there is that winter in Alaska lasts much longer than the summer! That's a lot of time devoted to getting nothing accomplished. Yes, it's much less enjoyable to spend time outside in near zero temps when there's no sun, but preparing for the winter ahead of time and vowing to prioritize life goals will help you make it through.

TAKE A VACATION
One of the best ways to shorten winter is to take a nice long vacation to a tropical climate. Having something to look forward to will also help ease stress and maintain motivation during the worst parts of winter. Your escape doesn't always have to be to a warm climate though, simply getting away to anywhere for a week or two helps tremendously.