There Go the Leaves

As I walked the half a mile from the Dial-Roberson Stadium to my apartment I noticed one little thing had changed in the past day. No it wasn't a crack in the sidewalk or that the ducks were gone. It quickly became a dark and gloomy day when I looked to my left and saw a tree with a leaf turning a shade of yellow.

While fall has never been my favorite time of year. I will always prefer 90 degrees and sunny over 60 and leaves falling. People love this time of year. As spooky season, and the beginning of the holiday season comes near. You can see autumn lovers looking to the trees as the leaves change to reds, oranges, and yellows. For those of you who would consider this your favorite time of year. Here is a list of what might make it your favorite.

1. Staying inside all day as the temperatures drop and the cold rains roll through nothing wrong with a great day inside wrapped up in a blanket.

2. Doing anything involving apples, eating apples, picking apples, drinking apple cider, one way or another apples are a sure fire way to start your fall off right.

3.Doing anything with a pumpkin, going to a pumpkin patch, picking a pumpkin, carving a pumpkin all ideas to get you in the fall state of mind.

4. Anything involving leaves never has anything been more applauded for dying. Every year we celebrate the death of all the leaves around us. Whether we are jumping in them or just admiring them leaves have become a celebrated hero of the fall.

5. In many homes the start of fall is the undocumented permission to start having fireplace fires. In my home as soon as it drops below 70 degrees fires are permitted but that comes down to personal preference.

6. Sweater weather, every where you look it seems everyone has found new sweaters left and right. Somehow people don't have to repeat sweaters for weeks.

7. Another unwritten permission of fall, hot chocolate is now available in all shapes and sizes in all kinds of restaurants and cafes.

8. It is officially L.L. Bean season! To those of you who don't live on a college campus or in the presence of those who own these boots I have attached a link. If you go outside after the first inkling of fall weather I promise you half the people you will see will have these boots on. The crazy part is they are not worn before fall then boom it all happens at once. Besides the leaves changing L.L. Bean season might be the best way to tell when fall is coming.

The best for last.

9. Flannel, plaid, anything that makes you look like a lumberjack is officially fair game once the leaves change colors.

Now you may wonder why this list is only 9 things when most of the time I do top 10s. The answer for that is 9 is a scarier number than 10 and it is officially spooky season and this is how I get in the spirit.

Winter Days Make us SAD?

Everyone has their favorite season. For some it may be the sunny days of summer. Others could enjoy the blooming of spring. Many love the leaves of fall. I have even heard that some love the snow of winter. Personally I will always be a summer person as I feel there is no replacement for the feeling of the sun on your skin and heat in the air.

As I have attempted to adjust to the midwest and its seasonal changes. I looked into the impact that the seasons actually have on people's health. I was surprised to learn that each season actually has an impact on the human body.
Summer is actually known to have effects on people's decision making and thought process. Extreme lasting heat can cause mental well-being to deteriorate. Warm weather also has the ability to decrease air quality making it more difficult breath. Heat waves throughout the summer are actually the deadliest extreme weather known to man causing more death than hurricanes, lightning, tornados, earthquakes, and floods.

Fall  tends to have positive effects on people's minds and health. Memory is known to improve in the autumn months. Sleep becomes more prevalent. The leaves changing is not all positive though. People have documented an increase in anxiety in the months of October and November. Illnesses are also expected to begin to sprout up during the fall months.

Spring  an increase in temperature has a positive effect on people's attitudes. The body gets more vitamin D as the sun is in the sky longer. Energy is at a high as "spring fever" hits with people doing more and being outside more.

Winter makes people SAD seasonal affective disorder is most visible in the winter months. SAD comes with increased appetite, loss of interest, sense of hopelessness, social withdrawal. Winter also dries out the air in turn drying out eyes and skin. The cold months can trigger migraines. December, January, and February are also known to increase people's appetites as people are drawn to "comfort foods".

No matter your season. Each have their own effects on your health. Next time you think about the weather you enjoy dive deeper. Why?