Women suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) are being encouraged to don their women's fitness wear and partake in regular exercise.

Julie Brealy, health manager at the FitFarms camps in Exmoor and the Peak District, said that during the winter months there is a tendency for women to cut down on exercise and eat more unhealthy food.

She said it is important that SAD sufferers refrain from doing this and maintain the same level of fitness.

The SAD Association defines SAD as a type of winter depression that affects an estimated half a million people every winter.

It said SAD is caused by a biochemical imbalance in the brain due to the shortening of daylight hours and the lack of sunlight in winter.

A spokesperson from SAD.org.uk said: "Continued exercise gives people a feeling of wellbeing and achievement that can help to combat the condition."

He added: "It also has a secondary benefit in that daytime outdoor exercise exposes to people to sunlight, the lack of which is the root cause of SAD." ADNFCR-2569-ID-19386573-ADNFCR

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