I am wondering if anybody has good tips for getting through cold winters, in terms of energy levels and muscle recovery. I know that saunas are recommended, as well as mega-dosing vitamin D, but I’m curious if anyone has any other advice.
Regarding the sauna…is it true that it increases growth hormone??
And for the vitamin D…I’ve been taking four 1,000 IU softgels, along with my daily multivitamin hat has 1,000 IU (so 5,000 total IU of vitamin D daily). I use the NatureMade store-bought kind and have no idea if that’s a good brand or not, in terms of quality and bioavailability. I’ve also heard that higher doses of vitamin D is best paired with vitamin K??
Is it mostly a mental misery kind of question (I get it)?
EDIT: I guess I should assume Wisconsin from the user name. I don’t know! My winter isn’t as hard as yours. The vitamin D suggestion seems solid. People that like winter sports (skating, skiing, ice fishing, etc) seem to weather it well.
D:
Vitamin D3 is vitamin K2 suppressing, so taking some K2 would be helpful. Cant say I’ve personally done this, but that’s what the papers say.
Injectable will always have best bioavailability. This is a Biotest forum, so anticipate the biotest plugs. They’re a solid brand, just not the only one. Hard to gauge the quality of a brand unless they’re sharing HLPC results of what they’re selling… but nature made seems fine. NutriCost is a go-to for me, both from quality and cost point.
RE energy…
Just get good sleep and take in sunshine anytime you can. Sunlight in the eyes (not directly) first 10mins of the day is good to help wake you up, and put you to bed on time. Artificial blue light works in a pinch.
RE sauna…
It probably increases GH a small amount over a short period of time, but dont expect anything major. If it feels good, do it.
I can tolerate the cold. And it can get very cold in here. I often cycle to work year around, no matter if it’s 80F or -20F.
Dark is what gets me. Sometimes it’s weeks that there’s no real possibility to get any sunlight. Vit-D helps, but it’s not the same.
I haven’t found any other thing than just endure.
PS. I haven’t found sauna having any real impact on physical recovery (unless you don’t hydrate well), but the warmth is surely welcomed during winter.
I liked to spend a lot of time in wrestling rooms during the long northern winters. Warm, dark, terrible airflow. Something about the acrid smell of sweat and unwashed shoes. When I lived in the north I also had a home gym set up in my old man’s horse barn. Unbelievably cold as fuck but that place hit the spot. Never tried Vit D or anything back then though.
Having said all that I think I was depressed a lot but the wrestling room and squat rack got me through it. You get through because you have to.
I love this question @badgerbabe1223 – thanks for posting it as a thread!
People: This is a weird one, but I suspect being social (with people you like and who like you) has a huge effect on energy levels, immunity, and in an extremely indirect way, recovery. This one’s kind of a challenge though; if you’re like me, all you want to do is hibernate during the winter. But forcing yourself to be social has some big benefits.
Cold Exposure: It’ll make you feel energized like nothing else. Acute, intentional bouts of cold exposure like ice baths, cold showers, or heck even spending 10 minutes in your backyard in a bikini in single digit weather, will make the cold tolerable and even enjoyable at other times. (Granted, your winters are more brutal than ours, so take what I say with a grain of salt.)
Blue Light: I use the tanning booths at my gym only about 5 minutes at a time, and cover up my face, neck, and upper chest. Sometimes I let my eyes get a quick dose of the blue light. Is my dermatologist happy? No. Do I care? No.
Books on Kindle: This sounds completely unrelated but hear me out. If you have something enjoyable to read, you’ll be more likely to hit the sack earlier to read it, and less likely to look at your phone before bed. Also, if you have a Kindle that has warm light instead of blue light, you can read in the middle of the night and get lulled back to sleep pretty easily. It turns off after a couple minutes if you stop turning pages, and unlike regular books, you don’t have to have a lamp on to read.
So the Kindle is a game changer for better sleep, and better sleep is a game changer for energy/recovery.
Yup, from Wisconsin. And yes, it’s mostly a “mental misery” question, but I also know that sunlight and vitamin D plays an important role in recovery…which I don’t get here during this time!
Thank you for your response! I will look into Nutricost brand, as well as the brand that @T3hPwnisher referenced. Do you inject it, then, or take the pills?
I’ve never heard of artificial blue light. I’ve only ever heard that blue light coming from screens is bad for you…?
Putting that on the Christmas wish list lol. I typically always wake up at 7am - just the way my rhythm works (and when I have to get up for work), and I always let the natural daylight in first thing after getting out of bed. So I’m not sure if I’d need this but it’s always worth a try! Thanks!
I’ve also heard of red light therapy and am not sure where I might find this.
I totally understand what you’re saying about people. Being social during the day also helps me tire myself out in a way, so that when I go to bed, I can fall asleep fairly quickly. I do like to hibernate as well, so I’ll need to step outside of my comfort zone for sure.
I agree with you on the cold exposure! On my way to work in the morning, I drive with the windows open, because once I’m at work I don’t get the chance to go outside until 1 or 2 pm.
I’m a huge book reader…I don’t have a Kindle, so I read a lot of paperbacks. I can see where the Kindle would help in that I could use that night light setting, without needing to have a lamp on! I normally read before bed…my parents have a Kindle so I’ll have to try that when I visit them next. Thank you!