Almost as soon as the nights begin to shorten I begin to feel tired earlier, and by the time day-light savings ends and the cold weather has taken hold (well, it is Melbourne folks) I have almost entirely lost my mojo.

Farewell motivation – I shall see you again in the spring.

Hello early nights and comfort eating.

It is only in the last 2 years that I have actually been aware enough of my body to acknowledge that this is the case, although I am certain that this has probably been happening for far longer.  During these periods of winter blues, I am also more prone to feelings of stress and anxiety.

There is just something about the warm light of the summer sun on your skin that soothes your soul in a way that even the flickering flames of a winter fire can’t achieve.

With spring now only a few weeks away, I am keen to kick the S.A.D.S. in the seat of the pants and boost my mood, energy and motivation…which is why this week I am undertaking a challenge run by Spring Fitness.

The program incorporates physical activities that even busy mums can do at home, with good mood food recipes delivered daily to your inbox.  I’ll be honest, I usually look at those fitness program recipe plans as an exercise in punishing my tastebuds, decide that it’ll never happen, and then go back to happily eating my Tim Tams.  But, I was pleasantly surprised to see some of my fav food on there like bacon and eggs…yes, bacon people….drool, sweet potato wedges, and thai lime chicken. I’m in!

Now, there is no need to worry about me.  I am not going to start updating my Facebook page or Twitter stream and bore you with endless updates on how far I have run (or in my case..walked very fast)…I promise.  That just ain’t my bag, baby!  I would rather poke mysefl in the eye with a pedometer.

Whilst I would love to be ever so slightly slimmer and trimmer, for me this challenge is more about harnessing the positive effect that exercise can have on  mental health.

But don’t get me wrong, if turning my mummy-muffin into a mini-cupcake is a side-effect I won’t be complaining!

Whilst I am starting my mini –challenge today – you can join the challenge too.

SpringFitness 30 day challenge starts on the 1^st September.

It’s $30, 30 minutes, 30 days…although Mums Lounge readers can get $5 off by entering the coupon code MUMS.

And the bit that I love, is that the profits from this challenge go to mental health charities.  Spring 2012 supports Crisis Support Services.

Register here

Follow Spring Fitness on Facebook

Depression in Australia: Almost half of all Australians will experience a mental illness during their lifetime. Spring is your chance to make yourself and others feel good.