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I read an article last week that said that Mental health problems are one of the main causes of the overall disease burden worldwide. I was actually shocked by this but then why would I be surprised. If we are feeling depressed, anxious, tired and sluggish then we are not wanting to be active or find it hard to actually get motivated. This is when we then start to get ailments which then in turn can lead to other forms of illness for example cancer. Now I'm not saying you will get cancer if you are feeling low but it all adds up. So the best way to do this is to find a way that works for you and the more you do it, the more you will stick to it. I don't mean changing your life up completely but just making little changes here and there. Even I struggle with motivation sometimes but I know if I just get up and move my body for even 3 minutes, then that gets the serotonin levels (calming hormone) active and the cortisol levels (stress hormone) down so I start to feel better in a matter of minutes.
Another way to combat mental health problems is to eat good quality foods and the less processed as possible. Now over the past nearly 2 years, I have suffered with a knee injury and it was only about a month ago that I read an article about how sugar and processed foods really reap havoc with our immune system and how much more inflamed our bodies are. So I decided to test it out and not eat sugar or highly processed foods for a week (not that I do eat much of that anyway but I am partial to chocolate) and my knee pain went right down. I tore the meniscus in my knee while training for tough mudder in 2019. I then went back to eating a few processed foods and guess what, the knee pain came back. It seems odd but actually if you think about it, years ago we never had any processed foods and there was hardly any health issues, especially the amount we have now in the world. So what does that tell you.
Yes I know processed foods are easy and convenient especially with our busy lives we've created for ourselves but look at how its affecting your body and your mind. Try switching up little bits and then in time, it will become a lifestyle choice without you even knowing about it. Trust me, I am so partial to chocolate and a few cakes here and there. Its all about choices and having a balanced diet. Don't beat yourself up about it if you have something that's processed. That's ok. We're all human, it just knowing what's right and wrong for your body and your body only. Its ok.
Also for any kind of mental health problem or illness, taking time out to just relax and be by yourself either to meditate or just sit quietly with your thoughts, is actually amazing at calming you down, getting to know your thoughts and allowing yourself to be free.
So Movement, Nutrition and Meditation are all things you can do and put into place for it to become a habit you don't even need to think about and you will feel so much better for it. Trust me.
Let me know what you struggle with and I would love to help you out by giving you a FREE 1:1 call. Leave a comment below.
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Have a great day.
Lots of love xxx