The 'world's happiest exercise class' has been created to help combat winter SAD - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Life The ‘ world’ s happiest exercise class’ has been created to help combat winter SAD By You Magazine - September 11, 2018 It’s that time of the year again. The weather is getting colder, the days are getting shorter and alfresco dining is officially over for the year. Instead, we’re preparing for dark commutes to and from work and replacing our summer dresses with layers of knitwear (though we’re not too mad about the latter). But worst of all, it’s the peak season for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Getty Images For those who aren’t familiar with the term, SAD is a depressive disorder related to changes in seasons. It affects one in five people in the UK and as reported in Metro, its a condition triggered mainly by a lack of natural daylight in winter – though some individuals are affected by reserve SAD, which occurs in the summer season. ‘In winter SAD, reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin that may trigger depression and the change in season can disrupt the balance of the body’s level of melatonin, which plays a role in sleep patterns and mood,’ explains Isabel Leming, Senior Technician at mental health clinic Smart TMS. As well as mood swings, loss of appetite, anxiety and insomnia are also symptoms of SAD. So as the peak season for the disorder approaches, David Lloyd Club have launched a new initiative to help those of us suffering with it. Refereed to as the ‘world’s happiest exercise class’, the gym company has set up ‘Vitamin Me’ – the first mood-enhancing workout class designed specifically to tackle SAD. Getty Images The class is said to transport gym-goers back to those hazy heatwave days through a combination of light lamp therapy, familiar sights, sounds and smells of summer, and HIIT exercises that release good-mood endorphins – all within a 30 minute session. Participants are greeted with a sun loungers, the scent of sun cream and sounds of waves lapping through headphones upon arrival. They’ll then undergo 15 minutes of light lamp therapy after a quick stretch, before finishing the class with a 10-minute cardio session to release those crucial endorphins. ‘When we discovered that 41% of people suffered due to the change in weather and daylight hours, we wanted to introduce a class that helped combat those feelings and so the Vitamin Me class was developed,’ said Linden Henson from David Lloyd Club Hampton. If you’d like to sign up to a class, click here. RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Everything we know about The Crown season 5 Aldi s exercise equipment is on sale with up to 50% off The best Halloween events for 2022 across the UK Popular in Life The You magazine team reveal their New Year s resolutions December 31, 2021 Susannah Taylor The TLC tools your body will love January 23, 2022 How to stop living in fear February 6, 2022 Susannah Taylor My pick of the fittest leggings February 27, 2022 Women’ s Prize for Fiction 2022 winner announced June 17, 2022 These BBC dramas are returning for a second series June 30, 2022 Susannah Taylor gives the lowdown on nature s little helper – CBD April 17, 2022 The baby names that are banned across the world April 27, 2022 The Queen has released her own emojis May 26, 2022 Sally Brompton horoscopes 27th June-3rd July 2022 June 26, 2022 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. All Rights Reserved