Clobber energy thieves

You're a little short with your spouse and have been spending more time with the mac-and-cheese casserole than the treadmill. Winter can do that. Use these tips to cuff winter energy thieves and get your mojo back, long before spring hits:

Energy thief No. 1: Short, dark days

What happens: Short days can cause seasonal affective disorder: neurochemical changes in your brain from lack of sunlight. This results in depression in up to 6 percent of Americans. From late fall until spring, people with SAD become depressed, sleep too much, withdraw from friends and battle low energy and relentless carb cravings.

Turn it around: Light therapy, sitting in front of a special box that shines ultra-bright lights, has long been considered to be the best way to combat SAD. But a new University of Vermont study reveals that cognitive behavioral therapy may be better. CBT is a type of psychotherapy that helps people outsmart depression by teaching them to change their negative ways of thinking.

In fact, in this study, CBT alone was able to stomp out SAD with a success rate of 81 percent (compared with 49 percent for CBT plus light therapy and 32 percent for light therapy alone).

Energy thief No. 2: You can't get enough comfort.

What happens: When the mercury heads south, we crave calories, carbs (they help our brains make the calming neurotransmitter serotonin) and fat. In fact, a 2006 University of Massachusetts Medical School study found that once the days become shorter, we pack away an average of 86 extra calories a day and weigh more than at any other time of year. We snarf down more total and artery-clogging saturated fat.

Turn it around: Just cozy up to good-for-you carbs and healthy omega-3 and omega-9 fats that will satisfy your biology and your brain without packing on a layer of blubber.

Trade meatloaf and pot roast for whole grains such as whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, polenta, a veggie burger or salmon. Or warm up with a bean-based vegetable chili or Tuscan white bean soup. Since beans and whole grains are digested slowly, they'll keep you full longer so you'll eat less overall. If it seems there are slim pickings in the produce department, now is prime time to load up on nutrient-packed starches like sweet potatoes and winter squash (roasted or baked with drizzle of olive oil).

Finish your feast with seasonal winter fruits (apples, pears, oranges, and tangerines or even frozen berries) topped with a sprinkle of heart-healthy walnuts or almonds, and you'll get the carbs and fats your body craves but in a healthy way.

Energy thief No. 3: You stay in. On the couch.

What happens: We log less exercise in winter than any other time of year, with a paltry 45 percent of Americans keeping active.

Pretty ironic, since exercise can lift you out of winter doldrums by boosting energy, improving mood and helping you sleep better.

Turn it around: Start with your schedule. Make regular exercise appointments on your calendar the same way you'd set any other non-negotiable activity. But give yourself a little break: It doesn't have to be a hard-core trip to the gym. Taking the dog for an extra-long walk or doing crunches and lifting weights in front of the TV counts, too.

Still uninspired? Try the 10-minute rule. Make a deal with yourself to get moving for at least 10 minutes. Chances are, once you start, you'll keep going.

The YOU Docs, Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen, are authors of "YOU: On a Diet." Go to www.RealAge.com.

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