Need a mind and mood reset?
Higher Nature Nutrition Team
Get out
If you want to lift flagging spirits, make today the day you get up and out doing something you love! Dancing, cycling, running or just a spot of walking – they all produce feel good endorphins and serotonin which makes us smile. Music can boost your mood too and help foster a sense of connection. So pop on a favourite tune. Exposure to trees, the sky and birdsong whether in towns, cities or the countryside, also lifts spirits and improves mental well-being.
Good mood depends on various neurotransmitters, like serotonin which makes us feel relaxed and happy, and dopamine which is associated with feeling alert, pleasure and motivated. Tyrosine found in dairy foods, nuts, seeds, meat, fish, and eggs is needed for making dopamine, whilst tryptophan found particularly in turkey and chicken, cheese, fish, meat, tofu, chia and sesame seeds is used to make 5-HTP, and then serotonin. Positive Outlook contains these and more - helping you find your smile.
Green Therapy
Other ways to feel good include exploring green therapy. There is nothing quite like a walk in a forest, wood or any green space. Nature and trees sooth both the body and soul. As they provided for our very survival, these feelings of safety and security are hardwired into our genes.
Forest bathing or Shinrin-yoku is the act of connecting with and feeling nature through our senses. This helps calm our minds and think with more clarity, revitalising and rejuvenating us. You can do this anywhere in pockets of nature, taking a slow amble, enjoying a picnic or just sitting quietly, allowing your senses to be open. We feel more gratitude, less anxiety, are better at problem solving and are more creative, but it also enhances our immune function, mood and lowers our blood pressure.
These effects are linked to both natural plant chemicals called phytonocides given off by plants and trees, but also harmless microbes in the soil in which they grow.
In our hectic lives feeling disconnected is on the rise, so take a walk in nature, be it an ancient forest or your local park to help find connection. Bring the outdoors in too with indoor plants. According to NASA the peace lily alongside gerberas and spider plants are natural air purifiers.
We often talk of plant-based diets and their health benefits but broaden your connection with plants for a more holistic green experience. Live life on the green side.
Exercise
Whilst regular exercise is essential for a mood boost don’t overdo is the message from research. Too little exercise but also too much can be detrimental to your mood. Researchers found that those who did 45 minute sessions suffered less from poor mental health than those who engaged in sessions of 90 minutes. All types of exercise were linked to improvements in mood though and whilst participating in a team sport proved pick of the crop. Aim for 45 minutes of exercise three to five times a week to keep you feeling great.
Foods
Top up on foods which help make you beam too such as fibre which positively alters the gut flora which in turn influences brain function, a concept known as the gut -brain axis, and oily fish, rich in omega 3 fats which the brain just loves. If you don’t love fish then add in an EPA and DHA rich one-a-day fish oil capsule like our Super Potency Fish Oil.
Vitamins
To keep you feeling good you need B vitamins. A constant supply of these vital vitamins are needed for making neurotransmitters. Include daily wholegrains and vegetables which provide the majority of B vitamins, whilst B12 is found in eggs, meat and fish. Adding in a B complex can be a convenient way to make sure you are getting enough if your diet is lacking.
Vitamin D is also key here with vitamin D receptors found all over the brain and in particular in areas linked to mood and depression. People with low mood and S.A.D (Seasonal Affective Disorder) have been found to have low vitamin D levels. Spending time outside in the summer months goes a long way to topping up, but supplementing with the active D3 form is a fantastic way to make sure your brain is not short. For many 500iu or 1000iu is enough especially in the summer months but opt for a higher strength 2000iu version during winter months or if you know you are low.
There are 3 minerals that are particularly brain friendly too: magnesium, calcium and zinc.
Magnesium helps you relax and sleep better. Restorative sleep is really vital to help the brain process after day, store or delete useful information, and start the next day refreshed. Calcium ensures that messages are sent from neurons and nerve endings. Zinc is the most abundant trace element in the brain and low levels are associated with low mood.
