I think if you wrap up warm, then outdoor activities are fine, depends on what you count as exercise. Otherwise, yes I agree the limited daylight can get in the way.

I am of the opinion that below 70 F is cold. This is part of why I live in Texas. I have suffered through living other places during my life like Cleveland and Germany (back when it was called West Germany) and would prefer to only see snow in pictures.

I also can tell a huge difference when I get less sunlight. It can definitely have a negative effect. That said, I will bundle up in the winter here and go for a lunch time walk just to get some sun. Even people here think I have a low tolerance to cold when they see what I wear to go on these walks when it is 40-50 degrees. However, it seems lack of sun is more depressing than the cold, so I suffer through.

I woke up this morning ready to head to the gym at 3:30am. I went back to bed and then when my alarm went off, I turned it off. Totally get it.

My schedule is all off but for me it was nice to get up for school and have it be light out...much easier to wake my girls up. The last 2 weeks it has been pitch dark when we left with early dusk starting just as we got to school at 7...that stunk. Getting dark earlier at night is easier for me with kids...they are willing to go to bed earlier

I'm in az, and we don't switch! But I do feel you on the colder mornings. I switched my walk to the afternoon, when my daughter gets home from school so she can go with me. Built in bonding time! And my husband and I are shooting for the gym in the mornings. I just have to magically turn into more of a morning person to get there earlier. On non gym mornings, I'm hoping to incorporate yoga at home. I love the morning energy boost, but agree that everything is more difficult in the cold.

I live near the Rocky Mountains in Canada. All I can say is own the cold (and the dark).

We're in the middle of a heat wave right now, I think it hit 60F today, but we've had snow a few times already... It feels more normal when winter is dark. I equate cold with dark and summer with long days. I remember travelling to Costa Rica about 20 years ago and it was soooo weird how the sun set at 6pm and not 10pm, nevermind the fact that there was not twilight that lasts for hours. It seemed so wrong. LOL

We take a perverse pride in handling cold temperatures. It helps that our humidity is very low. Minus 20C? Pfft. We'll go sledding. Minus 30C in the dark? Pft. Wear a balaclava and headlamp.... That actually looks really cool afterwards because of all the frost that freezes onto your face and eyelashes. It's an "I am woman, hear me roar" sort of thing.

I do have to admit that the short days were a drag when I was teaching. I arrived at work in the dark, left in the dark, and had a classroom in the basement so my window was pretty tiny.

Getting out in the sun is nice to be able to do. I'll have to enjoy it while our heat wave lasts!

Off topic, does anyone else wish they would just leave it on daylight savings time and quit switching back and forth? It's the switching that I dislike.

ya the switching gets me. I'm exhausted today. I don't mind the cold.. it's not cold in ontario yet but it's so dark after work it's bumming me out for walking. I take the dog amd the critters come out so I won't go. I go on my lunch but I like to go back out at night. atleast when the snow comes it brighten things up a bit

I'm definitely more tired in the evenings, which doesn't make any sense when I should be getting extra sleep, but I'll just take it a little light for a few days until I get used to it!