Month: August 2011

Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Increase Serotonin Naturally



Serotonin is a compound that most persons have heard about and we all wan t to increase serotonin naturally. It’s what is known as a neurotransmitter, which is a compound that allows the brain to deliver chemical messages. Some other common brain neurotransmitters are acetylcholine and dopamine. If neurotransmitter levels are low, especially in the case of serotonin, it can cause a person to feel terrible. Complex emotions like attitude, mood, disposition toward contentment, mental focus, memory and others are all linked to neurotransmitters in the brain.

Serotonin Deficiency Symptoms

Increase Serotonin Naturally

Ben Mester Increase Serotonin Naturally

A deficiency in one or more neurotransmitters can cause the onset of depression, lack of motivation, memory loss, and lack of focus. So being sure that you’ve got a good supply of the building blocks the body needs to create these neurotransmitters is very important.

Serotonin and other neurotransmitters though are very complex compounds, and the body needs lots of different building blocks to be able to make them. Not only that, but a person’s lifestyle also affects the manufacturing and release of neurotransmitters. So if you are looking to boost your levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters naturally, you will most likely want to approach the situation from multiple angles.

How to Increase Serotonin Naturally

The main and most important contributor to Increase Serotonin Naturally is diet. Like I said before, neurotransmitters are complex compounds and the body requires lots of building blocks in order to build. So being sure that you’ve got a nice balance of veggies, proteins, fruit, and complex carbohydrates can help ensure that you are getting the correct building blocks. Also, be sure that you are getting a good supply of Omega 3 essential fatty acids into your diet. These are brain foods which boost overall brain function, and have been shown to be very deficient in most diets. The Standard American Diet is horribly deficient in a variety of essential nutrients. The foods we typically eat are usually void of nutritional elements.

Your lifestyle is also very impactful. With neurotransmitters, it’s important to not just keep adequate production levels, but also to have consistent release. The body may have an adequate supply of serotonin on hand, but might not be releasing a lot of it into the blood stream. There are specific habits and routines that you can try that could help encourage your body to both produce and release more serotonin.

Exercise and raising Serotonin Levels

Another way to increase serotonin naturally is exercise. But before you go complaining that you don’t have the time, money, or motivation to get into a habitual exercise routine, know that even taking a short sunset walk everyday can be enough to get more serotonin into your blood stream. And if you don’t have time or motivation for something as simple as that, then there’s really nothing more I can tell you.

Without at least a minimal level of exercise or activity, it’s difficult to get the body to produce and release enough serotonin to feel good. Aside from that, sleep too is very important. If you have lots of stress in your life or if you aren’t getting adequate sleep at night, it’s tough for your brain to maintain a healthy level of function. Sleep is very important in the realm of neurotransmitters. People who don’t sleep well are often groggy, fatigued, lacking mental clarity, and suffering from memory impairment.

Natural serotonin boosters can be very powerful at helping your body make and release serotonin. If you’re trying to find serotonin supplements or dopamine supplements, you must first know that the body cannot absorb them through pills. It must create them itself.

Now that you know how to increase Serotonin naturally it is up to you to get the diet and exercise right as well as sleeping and resting enough.


Related Blogs

  • Related Blogs on American Diet
Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

Are You Burned Out?



Burnout is the term used for a state of exhaustion; mentally, physically, and emotionally. Who gets burnout? It can be young mothers or busy volunteers who try to be everything to everyone with no time left over for themselves. It can be employees who are doing the work of many with no end in sight or an employer who has a lot of pressure to show results. It can be you. Take a look at these possible symptoms to see if you might be suffering from burnout:

Apathy in all areas of life.
Unsociable – unwillingness to socialize with others. Withdrawn.
Chronically fatigued or exhausted.
Poor sleep patterns or insomnia.
Weight gain or weight loss.
Possible depression.
Anger.
Low tolerance for others’ comments or behavior. Irritable and on edge. Overreact.
Physical symptoms – headaches, other aches and pains, constantly sick.
Forgotten how to have fun.
High level of criticism of self.
Self medicating with food, alcohol, or drugs.
Feelings of powerlessness and low self image.
Do things out of sense of commitment, but begrudgingly.
Mood swings.
Anxiety.

If you recognize many of these symptoms of burnout, don’t brush them aside. It’s time for you to take positive steps to stop the burnout. If you don’t, you may continue on with further physical or mental problems. There is no quick fix to relieve burnout, but there are steps you can take that will slowly guide you to a healthier, happier life.

First off, you need to explore what is causing your burnout and address the source. Options then are to get away from the stress, minimize the number of occurrences or the degree of stress, or learn how to change your attitude towards the stress. Think of some positive triggers that sound pleasing to you:

* Take a vacation to distance yourself from the stress and to relax.
* If your job is a bad fit or you’re to the point of feeling physically sick when you think about your job, you need to take positive action towards finding a new one. Don’t make excuses about the downturn of the economy, company layoffs, not qualified, etc., take action anyway.
* Start saying “no” to others who demand more of your time than you are willing to give. There should be no guilt because if you don’t take care of yourself first, there will eventually be nothing left for you to give.
* Learn to routinely treat yourself to relaxation, even if you don’t want to or feel too busy. Pick what works for you – a bubble bath, a good book, an all time favorite movie.
* Rediscover a passion. Once upon a time you liked to do ______________. Start doing it again, even in small doses.
* Seek help from a counselor, medical doctor, or mental health professional.

Burnout can happen when you’re overcommitted and overworked. If you’ve taken a look at the list of possible symptoms above and feel like you have burnout, take steps now to get back on track and love life again.


Related Blogs

  • Related Blogs on Anxiety
Categories
Weight Loss Exercise

What I learned from my Skateboad Injury



I have been wondering this week what to write as my motivation has been a bit down lately and I did not want to infect you with it. So I have decided to write a little message about why I have been down and what I have learned about my back problem over the last few weeks.

What I learned from my Skateboad InjuryEarly in August I went one night to the local skateboard park with my son. Jaiden is 7 and likes to scooter, skateboard, and ride his bike at the skatepark like most kids his age like to do. I have no experience on a skateboard and just like and guy I want to prove my youth and virility and I failed.

I fell and hurt my back

Well today, just over three weeks later I am finally about healed. I hurt my back really bad falling off that skateboard and knocked my pelvis out of place. This led to physio, pain killers, not much exercise for the last few weeks. I have had a lot of time to be thankful for the opportunities I have to exercise, do what I want for exercise, and live a healthy lifestyle most of the time. I hope this thankfulness sticks cause it makes me respect my situations and pushes me to make the most out of life.

This is what I have really learned out of this ordeal

1. Make the most of every day. I am secretly not that excited about going to the gym some days and not as excited as I could be on street hockey days. That will now change. Feeling the endorphin rush, the excitement of a personal record, and the comaraderie of team and even individual sports will drive me like never before.

2. I will respect my body. There are lots of times where I will just eat terrible and think that I can run or ride to burn it off. I am now expecting myself to use my body as a tool, a temple, and a respected piece of person equipment. I will feed it fuel, push it like a machine, and give it treats for good behavior

3. I will keep my core strong. We all know that our core from hip to chest and right around the torso is the most critical parts of our bodies for strength and for stability. The trouble is that in the quest to build a six pack using crunches and lef raises we may not even realize that the most important muscles of the core are the Transverse Abdominus, a muscle that wraps right around the inside of the abdomen (don’t worry I will do some videos on working these muscles).

I know that my skateboard accident was not a real health scare like many people run into through their lives but to m, a guy that tries to pride myself on my healthy lifestyle it was a real shock that a little fall could mess me up so badly. One of the biggest problems mentally was the feeling that I did not have any control over my own body. I had been limping around, walking like an old man, and having to rest myself and watch how I moved for more than two weeks and for me that feeling of helplessness was a real wakeup call.

I think you will see a lot more of these kinds of posts from me in the future as I try to pull us all toward a daily dose of pushing ourselves to be better than yesterday