All posts by bodytherapybynikeena

Do you ever feel down, depressed, or just not yourself? Life brings unexpected twists, turns, and challenges that can cause us to feel this way. However, were you aware that the foods you eat also affect your moods? It’s true! Here are some examples:

• Complex carbohydrates (ex: sweet potatoes, beans, quinoa, rolled oats) can increase serotonin levels (feel good hormone) in your brain. In other words, these are mood boosting foods!
• Because fruits and veggies are high in antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, they can boost your happiness.
• Foods such as chicken, turkey, eggs, tofu, beef (limited amounts) have a positive impact on your concentration, motivation, and mood!

Foods with low nutritional value can deplete your energy and negatively impact your mood. These types of foods include:

• Foods based in flour such as breads, baked goods, as well as drinks and snacks packed with sugars (think sodas, packaged sweets, certain breakfast cereals, jelly beans, etc.)
• Candy
• Lemonades, sports drinks, many fruit drinks

In addition to foods that can boost or lower your mood, skipping meals also plays a factor in how you may feel. When we skip meals our blood sugar can become low which can cause irritability, weakness, and fatigue.

Here are some great articles with more information about how foods affect our moods.

Gut feelings: How Food Affects Your Mood https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/gut-feelings-how-food-affects-your-mood-2018120715548

Food & Your Mood: How Food Affects Mental Health https://www.aetna.com/health-guide/food-affects-mental-health.html

What is the Relationship Between Food and Mood? https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/external/2018/03/relationship-food-mood/

Often times we may lose sight of our fitness goals because we don’t enjoy the workouts. All workouts don’t fit everyone, and that’s okay! Below I am going to give you some times for how to make your workouts fun for you.

1. Find an activity you enjoy. While the gym is an amazing place to workout (and also the most common), it may not be for everyone. Amazing workouts can happen in many locations. If you prefer being outdoors try going for a walk or run outside. You can also get a great HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout outside. Other activities include boxing, swimming, playing a sport, yoga, pilates, Zumba, water aerobics, cycling, and many others!
2. Exercise with friends. Working out with friends, or a group, can help give you extra motivation, and the extra push you may need. Workout buddies help to keep us accountable. stay consistent, give us motivation to try new exercises, and it helps to keep workouts fun!
3. Set Goals. Setting goals help you stay on track, and they also give you motivation when you see them accomplished. Set small goals for yourself, write them down, and revisit them weekly. Achieving your goals shows consistency and dedication. These are two things that show you are going in the right direction!
4. Try New Activities. After a while workouts can seem too routine, and you’ll find yourself losing the excitement of exercising. This means it’s time to switch things up! Try that new exercise that has caught your attention (I’ve been eyeing aerial yoga myself)! Getting out of your comfort zone and doing something new can help you regain that zeal you once had to stay consistent on your health and fitness journey.
5. Reward yourself. Don’t expect perfection with your fitness goals. Work towards consistency. There will be days where you don’t want to workout, and/or your diet isn’t perfect, and that is perfectly fine! We all have those days. Be consistent. Consistency will help keep your stress down on this journey and it will also cause you to notice the small successes along the way. Reward yourself for those! Celebrate along the course and it will keep you going!

Now go enjoy your workouts!

Have you ever began your new year with a resolution to get in shape, and by March 1st you notice you have lost your workout motivation?

Guess what? You’re not alone!

Without making a plan of how you plan to achieve that goal, it’s easy to let your fitness aspirations fall to the wayside and return to old habits.

I’m going to give you some tips that will help keep you on track with your fitness goals!

1. Don’t compare yourself to other people. While scrolling Instagram, Facebook, etc. it can be discouraging to see other people who you feel are in better shape than you. It may make you feel like you have too far to go to accomplish your goals. Please keep in mind that we all start somewhere, and the person you’re comparing yourself to also had a starting point. No one wakes up in amazing shape without putting in the effort. Remember your journey is personal to you, and it isn’t fair to you to compare yourself to anyone else.
   
2. Workout with a buddy! This keeps you both accountable to each other. If you aren’t able to workout together in person, do a virtual workout together, and/or daily or weekly checkins.
   
3. Write down exactly what your goals are. Think of S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic/Relevant, Time-bound). Look at this list often (at least weekly) and visualize how you will achieve your goals and how the end result will look.
   
4. Figure out what type of workout you will enjoy. Some people love the gym, some don’t.
   Some people love walking outside, some don’t. Some people love to swim, while others don’t. Find what works for you, and what will bring excitement to your workouts.
   
5. Write down all of your milestones, and celebrate them! You can also write your setbacks, what caused them, and what you can do differently.
   
6. Remember your why. Don’t lose sight of why you chose to begin this journey. Revisit that decision often. You can do this!