Oxytocin is a hormone that makes us feel bonded and trusting, but also helps in the release of mood-boosting chemical messengers, dopamine and serotonin – and you can think your way to greater levels of both.
When researchers in Japan measured oxytocin in people practising the Arigato Zen form of meditation (which involves chanting the Japanese for ‘thank you’), they found it rose by 36% on average.
Another form of meditation called Loving Kindness meditation, where you wish wellness and happiness on people you like and even those you don’t, also raised levels.
Practising kindness on a regular basis produces direct physiological changes in the brain and body in these areas. The part of the brain that controls it just starts to grow.
Feed the good bugs in your gut, reduce inflammation and put your brain into ‘grow’ mode: all things that can help with depression and anxiety. Pick the food you enjoy eating most from each category below and fill up on more of them.
Leafy greens Spinach, kale, rocket and chard contain plenty of fibre and vitamin A, linked to the brains ability to grow. The vitamin C counteracts free-radical damage.
Aim for: chopped greens every day. Get more: blend kale into a smoothie.
Rainbow fruits and vegetables Nutrients in purple, red and orange foods reduce inflammation.
Aim for: a handful with each meal. Get more: roast, stir-fry or use as the basis for pasta sauces and stews.
Seafood Seafood helps you get the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that your brain needs to stimulate nerve-growth factors.
Aim for: two seafood meals each week. Get more: turn mild-tasting fish into tacos, or serve steamed mussels over pasta.
Nuts, beans and seeds Rich in brain nutrients including fibre, zinc and iron – important for your red blood cells.
Aim for: at least a small handful every day. Get more: add walnuts to a smoothie, or throw black beans into your favourite soups or stews.
Eggs and dairy Eggs contain protein, B vitamins, which help regulate brain chemicals, and choline, linked to fewer anxiety symptoms.
Aim for: five to seven eggs and three to five servings of dairy (ideally fermented) per week. Get more: whip up a vegetable frittata.
Meat With the rise of vegan and vegetarian lifestyles, many of us feel conflicted about eating meat. Still, it’s a potent source of iron, protein and B12.
Aim for: three servings per week (not required). Get the right stuff: grass-fed beef has fewer calories and better fats for your brain.
Rise and shine Training under the sun raises your vitamin D levels, giving you more than just a mood boost. It supports the immune system and is essential in the absorption of phosphorus and calcium. It aids bone health, helps weight loss and is a crucial ally in fending off illness.
Sweat it out By making your body work harder to keep cool, outdoor training can boost cardio fitness in as little as five days. There are two theories as to why this happens: that heat improves the bodies ability to deliver oxygen to the tissues that need it; and that it increases bloodflow, causing positive adaptation to our blood vessels.
Brighter minds Get up from your desk and go outside at lunchtime. Breathing in fresh air improves your ability to think clearly, as well as helping to alleviate stress and anxiety. Up the ante with a group or partner workout: exercising with others releases serotonin – AKA the feel-good hormone.
Glow up The combination of oxygen and sunshine acts as a kind of muscle Miracle-Gro. Breathing in fresh, outdoor air increases our blood oxygen levels, accelerating muscle repair. Plus, if your training routine feels stale, taking it outside can help you by firing up your motivation.
Better habits Making gains in the sun could also help those who struggle not to devour double helpings of their post-workout refuel. To regulate temperature, your body cuts back on digestion, reducing your appetite. We are likely to rehydrate more often, too, and choose foods that compliment our training.
The mental health charity Mind have recently conducted a survey to find out how the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown was affecting people’s mental health. Their findings show that new mental health problems have developed and existing mental health problems have worsened.
Worryingly, a staggering 60% of adults and 68% of young people said their mental health got worse during lockdown.
Results show that restrictions on seeing people, not being able to go outside and worries about the health of family and friends are the key factors driving poor mental health.
Some of the groups of people found more likely to report that their mental health has declined included women, people with eating disorders, and frontline workers.
It has been found that the most common (negative) coping strategies that people are using are over or under eating, alcohol and drug use and self-harming.
Positive ways of coping that many are using include connecting with family and friends, watching tv or films, spending time outside and doing household chores.
Some of the participants gave their advice on how to manage mental health during difficult periods of uncertainty. The most commonly focused five key points are:
Be kind to yourself – getting through each day is enough
Keep talking to others about how you’re feeling
Develop a new routine
Find activities that help to distract you
Limit how much news you engage with
While there is still so much more to achieve, Mind’s research is leading the way to enable people to help one another through this challenging time and it has highlighted the degree of which coronavirus has affected our mental health.
To find out how Mind are making use of these findings you can read the full report here.
Taking
time to cook more ambitiously or to cook a meal slowly is a luxury that can be
enjoyed on weekends, or to unwind during the week after a long, busy day.
Really
investing in the preparing and cooking of a meal is an opportunity to ground
yourself and truly be in the moment, taking care and paying attention to
details.
Washing
and cutting ingredients, tasting and adjusting the balance of flavours,
textures, and seasoning all require full attention. Cooking is one of the
easiest ways to practice mindfulness.
Take a
moment to think about your food – where it came from, how it was grown, what it
cost the earth to produce it – and appreciate what is given to you.
You may
think it’ll be motivational, and allow you to keep tabs on whether your
workouts and nutrition are working for you, but if fat loss is your goal, then
weighing yourself could be counter-intuitive.
The number
on the scales may plateau, and even rise. That’s because muscle is a much
denser tissue. If you compare a pound of fat and a pound of muscle, the size of
the latter is much smaller.
To
summarise, muscle weighs more than fat. So as you build muscle, you may
actually find you weigh more when stepping on the scales.
What you
should actually be considering is body fat percentage. Women between 20 and 40
years old should be aiming for between 21 and 33 per cent.
Alternatively,
you could take holistic approach to measuring progress.
How do your clothes fit?
What has your mood been like? Do you have more
energy?
Are you sleeping better?
It is all
too easy to get hung up on the numbers, bring your focus back to how you feel.
It’s no secret that stress is bad for your health. Long-term exposure to anxiety is linked to increased risk of heart attack, stroke and other conditions.
But new research shows negative emotions may alter your bodies immune response, leading to increased inflammation.
The results showed that those who experienced negative moods several times a day, for extended periods of time, tended to have higher levels of inflammation in their blood.
It is hoped that further research may lead to psychosocial interventions to break the cycle that can lead to chronic inflammation and disease.
Meanwhile, hit that yoga class or meditation session.
Research
suggests regular aerobic exercise can boost the size of the hippocampus, the
core of the brain’s learning and memory systems.
When you
exercise your body releases a lot of good things, including brain-derived
neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is good for the health of brain cells.
The idea
is that when you exercise you’re much more likely to cause the brain to make
new brain cells.
This is
backed up by a German study that showed how cycling while learning a foreign
language helped people remember new words better.
We all know how important exercise is, but it’s just as vital to listen to your body when you’re feeling sick. While pushing through a workout after a hard day can sometimes be a great idea, it’s not always the best idea to force your body into exercise.
Finding that perfect work-life balance isn’t easy. Here are some tips to help you take it down a gear or two…
Take regular breaks
Throughout the day you want to aim to take a break every 90 minutes. Get up and stretch, go and talk to someone, eat something, focus your eyes on something else.
Unwind from work
Establish an unwinding routine at the end of a working day. During the last half an hour, make a to-do list for the next day and clear your desk. Your mind and body will start to anticipate winding down.
Turn off the telly
If you’re mentally tired, sitting and watching tv is probably the least effective way to unwind. Get away from the screen and find somewhere you feel comfortable, happy and relaxed.
Change your commute
People who drive to and from work are the most stressed and least able to concentrate. Public transport has been found to be better for stress levels, because it provides time to socialise or read, although cycling or walking are better.
Book in socialising
Regularly timetable events such a cooking a meal or seeing friends, because if it’s in your diary it’s more likely to happen. Spending time with friends or doing things you enjoy can reduce stress hormones and help to distract you from work worries and pressures.
Ration technology
Switch off your phone after work or disable emails. The daily bombardment from texts, emails and social media causes ‘decision fatigue’. Limit yourself to checking emails three times a day, rather than as and when they come in.
