New Year, New Coat

I live a long way from my parents, so Christmas gifts tend to be in the form of gift cards. They are rather easy to ship. This year, one of the gift cards I received was from a men's wear retailer. So, with it I procured a new winter coat.

As a matter of full disclosure, after 33 years of living in Manitoba, I don't find winters in Ottawa all that long or cold. However, I was getting rather lazy and not dressing for the weather.

Not only does this coat look great, it's so warm. So now, being outside is so much better than it had been for a while. The other great advantage is it fits properly. Most of my winter clothes are from my Winnipeg days, when I was noticeably heavier.

The new coat is making it easier to convince myself to go out and face the elements. So far I've worn it as cold as -20C with only a shirt under it and it's been really comfy.

There are two secrets in my mind for beating the winter blues. First, you have to exercise. You have to get the blood flowing. You have to move. You have to keep the food travelling through you. You need that mental feeling like you are not turning into a blob. Secondly, you have to get outside and breathe fresh air, even when it's cold.

It's easy to hibernate. It's easy to say it's cold, snowy, and slippery. However, when you get out and enjoy it, not only do you feel good, you make some great memories. We don't really make any memories watching re-runs on Netflix. Don't get me wrong, there are times that I enjoy Netflix but I'll save those for the days that are really cold and stormy.

So, if you live somewhere where the snow accumulates over the winter, do your best to stay active and go outside. It will make the days fly by and you will enjoy them a lot more. In about 3 weeks the sun is going to start to feel a lot warmer, that always warms people's spirit and makes the days that much better.