As winter is now quickly approaching, our mood, motivation and sex drive can diminish as quickly as the nights draw in. Whilst not all of us suffer with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), some of us may still struggle to get going in the winter months. So, what if I told you that the biggest weapons in your arsenal can be found in the kitchen?
The nights are getting darker and winter is well on it's way.
Our bodies are slowing as the days and nights get colder - the weather is turning for sure.
There is an insatiable struggle to remain focused and alert. Our jobs and lifestyles draw so much from us day to day that it becomes automatic to reach for sugar, caffeine and other stimulants in order to get through each day.
The high of an incredible summer has waned.
This is the time of year when the Winter blues kick in and S.A.D (Seasonal Affective Disorder) can be a real issue.
We lose focus and drive for many things, including exercise and work, even the sex drive takes a plummet.
I received an email the other day that offered me the solution to this very problem. AWESOME!
The email was from a reputable company, well known in the fitness industry, but there was something that immediately stood out to me on reading through it.
It was something that this industry is far too guilty of championing and is, on the most part, a huge waste of consumer money.
They started to introduce supplements in order to cure my S.A.D-ness. Bloody supplements?
Now don't get me wrong, I do my homework when it comes to this kind of thing and there are some really useful and necessary supplements on the market. But this was akin to drug dealing to solve an issue that the right food and good diet can just as easily, and healthily do.
To top it off the marketing for this supplement stated that food has an inadequate amount of the right vitamins and minerals to help with this problem.
In other words 'buy my really expensive product that MIGHT solve your problem because food is no good'.
I think a more positive way should be, 'Your diet could be lacking something. Maybe look at integrating some of the right foods to help!'.
So what I've done is come up with a list of foods that help to raise the two chemicals in your body that are purely there to keep you happy, alert and horny - Dopamine and Serotonin.
Now doesn't that sound a bit better than spending a small fortune on processed, chemical supplements?
Firstly here's a description of each to help you understand the need for this email.
Dopamine - read more HERE
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure centers. Dopamine also helps regulate movement and emotional responses, and it enables us not only to see rewards, but to take action to move toward them. Dopamine deficiency results in Parkinson's Disease, and people with low dopamine activity may be more prone to addiction. The presence of a certain kind of dopamine receptor is also associated with sensation-seeking.Â
Serotonin - read more HERE
Serotonin is sometimes known as the happy chemical, because it appears to play an important role in regulating mood, and low levels of serotonin in the brain have been associated with depression.
While there’s a link between low levels of serotonin and depression, it’s not clear whether low serotonin levels cause depression or whether depression causes a drop in serotonin levels.
As a neurotransmitter, serotonin sends messages between nerve cells in the brain. That makes serotonin an important molecule for influencing mental health and brain function.
So here is the list of helpful, happy foods;
Eggs
Salmon
Cheese
Milk
Yogurt
Beef
Chicken
Turkey
Bananas
Almonds
Walnuts
Dark Chocolate (YAY) 85%
Mackerel
One for the vegans - Tofu
Now if there's one thing I'm sure about, it's that pretty much everyone can include more of at least some of these into their diets.
Just imagine if we did, how much happier we could all be.
In Fitness & In Health
John 'In Pursuit Of Happyness' Withinshaw
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