Du bewegst dich regelmäßig, ernährst dich bewusst und kommst deinen Figur- und Fitnesszielen trotzdem nicht näher? Dann lohnt sich für dich ein Blick auf die sonnige Seite des Lebens: Erfahre, warum Gewicht und Wohlbefinden nicht allein von Kalorien abhängen und welche Rolle Sonnenlicht und Vitamin D im modernen Lifestyle spielen.
If your energy levels and physique stagnate despite a fitness program and balanced diet, it's often related to your lifestyle . Weight and well-being aren't solely determined by calorie counting. Routines, daily rhythms, and your environment also influence your motivation and activity levels.
Perhaps you spend a lot of time indoors, for example at your desk in the office or working from home? Especially in winter, when the days are particularly short, your body may not be getting enough sunlight . This can affect your motivation, your exercise, and your routines. One reason for this is that an indoor lifestyle can influence your vitamin D levels .
The term vitamin D generally refers to a group of fat-soluble vitamins called calciferols. The most important forms include vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 . You probably know vitamin D3 as the sunshine vitamin. This is because the body can produce this vitamin itself in the skin with the help of sunlight, more precisely with UVB light.¹
Since the body can produce vitamin D itself, it is technically not a vitamin, but a hormone . And this hormone can play an important role in your lifestyle and be a building block for your well-being.
Vitamin D is closely linked to daylight and therefore also to your circadian rhythm and activity levels . If your vitamin D levels are low, for example, because it's winter or you spend a lot of time at your desk, this can particularly affect your motivation.
Do you often feel lethargic in winter and automatically more active on sunny days? This is because daylight has a primarily psychological effect: it shapes how structured and vibrant a day feels. On days with many hours of sunshine and strong sunlight, you are much more motivated to leave the house than on gray days.²
Vitamin D is an important indicator for the body: it is closely linked to sunlight and symbolically represents time spent outdoors . And this time directly influences your activity level, your mood, and your daily rhythm.
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More energy on sunny days means you automatically move more. A walk through a snowy winter forest is much more appealing in sunshine than in rain. In dreary weather, the desire to stay on the sofa often wins out. And that means less everyday movement . But even small activities shouldn't be underestimated, especially if you're watching your figure.
You're probably familiar with the classic fitness formula: energy in, energy out. However, the human body is much more complex than this equation. One component that plays a role in this context is called NEAT, which stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis .
NEAT includes various everyday movements that are not part of your training plan, for example:
The number of kilocalories burned through NEAT varies from person to person. However, initial studies show that the number can vary by up to 2,000 kilocalories per day – even with the same height and weight.
If you lack motivation and move less on gray days, this may negatively impact your NEAT score.
Lack of light in winter can not only lead to low energy and fatigue, but also change eating habits. Some people seek comfort food more often during the darker months. The problem is that when the days get shorter, cravings for carbohydrates often increase. These are called carb cravings , and they are anything but figure-friendly.
Not only can your eating habits change in winter, but also your routines and schedules . For example, the increased darkness in winter affects your circadian rhythm , also known as your body's internal clock. While your smartphone alarm signals that it's time to get up, the serotonin level, which promotes alertness, doesn't rise until later, when there is more daylight.
Private engagements such as going out in the evening or visiting Christmas markets can further exacerbate the discrepancy between biological time and social time. This is known as social jetlag.³ Not to mention the excessively sweet or fatty meals often associated with the many engagements around the New Year. Therefore, it is particularly important to pay attention to a conscious lifestyle during the winter months.
You now know how lifestyle and light are connected. Especially during periods with little sunlight, or whenever your motivation level noticeably drops, a quick lifestyle check-in can help uncover challenges and keep an eye on your vitamin D levels.
In practical terms, this means that in order to close a possible lifestyle gap, many people pay even more attention to their diet, exercise and vitamin D intake during periods of low sunlight or when there is no time for outdoor activities.
Vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 are an exciting duo and are often combined, as they complement each other in the body.
Vitamin K2, which is also a fat-soluble vitamin, is found in food, for example in fermented foods. In supplements, you'll primarily encounter the K2 form "MK-7 all-trans," which the body can readily absorb. This form is valued, among other things, for its high purity —a factor that many modern consumers with a holistic approach to their diet consider important.
The combination of vitamin D3 and K2 in a capsule or in a vitamin D supplement has the advantage for you that you can easily integrate the duo into your lifestyle routine , for example as part of your breakfast ritual.
Whenever you feel like you're stagnating in terms of energy, motivation, or your fitness goals during winter or stressful periods, it's worth taking a look at the bigger picture . Often, it's not individual calories, but rather a lack of daylight, less daily exercise, and irregular routines that make the difference.
That's precisely why it's worthwhile to adjust several lifestyle aspects simultaneously:
Maybe this year you'll finally take that ski course you've always dreamed of, or get a ski pass? The combination of exercise, fresh air, and sunshine will boost your longevity karma by several points. And if skiing is too expensive, our magazine is full of inspiring tips for superfoods that won't break the bank .
