'Get out of the house' to beat springtime lethargy

Winter has receded, spring and summer are in sight. The cold, dark season's reign of listlessness would be over were it not for springtime lethargy.

The first warm, sunny days beckon, but many people feel tired and sluggish. The hour's sleep lost when clocks are advanced to summer time lowers energy levels further. Springtime lethargy can be beaten, though, according to Juergen Steinacker, professor of sports and rehabilitative medicine at Germany's Ulm University Hospital.

"Many people become inactive during the winter," he says. "They exercise less because of the bad weather and are also exposed to less sunlight." They not only feel less productive as a result, they are less productive.