Staying Active and Healthy During The Rainy Season
If you’ve been in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia or surrounding areas for the last two months, you know that the rainy season has taken a toll on the usual everyday lifestyle of sunshine, hot air, and long days. Ethiopia’s ‘winter months’ or rainy season as many call it, shows up almost like a save from the extremely brutal sunny days. With rain comes dark skies, heavy clouds, and most notable, a change in mood.
Here at The Grand Palace, mindfulness and a healthy lifestyle are two major pillars we try to get across to everyone who steps foot into the hotel – Employees, overnight guests, or day-to-day patrons. From our fresh, healthy meals to our highly rated KER Fitness Center and Day Spa, staying both physically and mentally well is extremely important to us! Our mission is to instill those same principles and ideals to everyone who we encounter.
Studies show that during the winter or rainy months (when there’s less hours of sunlight throughout the day) people experience more sad or depressed days, are less active, and tend to cook less meals at home. Being healthy, both physically and emotionally is important to a balanced lifestyle! Here are some tips from us at The Grand Palace that should help you get towards the end of the rainy season in one, happy, piece:
- Take the time to do something active for at least 30 minutes a day. Whether its a full body workout in the gym, running through Friendship Park, or even walking within your neighborhood after work, it’s a time to keep your mind clear and keep your body active!
- Try to eat healthy, warm meals. We tend to become less motivated to cook during the rainy season, and picking up something on the way home from work seems like an easier solution for many. Substituting two of your outdoor meals a week for something as simple as a veggie rice bowl or lentil soup can make all the difference.
- Checking in with your loved ones. When the weather is bright and sunny, we tend to take more time interacting with our loved ones that live outside of our home. Meeting up with friends and family on the weekends or even for dinner during the work week can be a hassle during the rain. Make sure to call or check in with them – even a 10-minute conversation could change their day, as well as yours.
- Take up a new hobby. A podcast, painting, reading a new series, or even binge-watching a new show on TV – doing something new for many people who can’t get out during the rain makes the time go faster. You never know, you may find something you actually enjoy doing for the long haul!
- Sleep! Crazy, we know, but sleep is one of the most important things we can do as humans to regulate our digestive system, brain, mood, and overall health. It gets cold and dark pretty early anyway, you might as well take advantage of the season and rest up for the new year!
For more information on maintaining wellness or to participate in healthy practices with us at The Grand Palace, please come visit us at any time! Stay dry, and stay healthy!