August’s Theme- Mood, Movement, Mindfulness
The theme for August, which is Mood, Movement and Mindfulness! Quite a broad theme but all intrinsically linked!
The food we eat massively impacts our mood, I don’t know anyone who feels good after a day of eating processed beige junk food, high in sugars, bad fats, salt and totally devoid of fibre which means no food for our wee gut microbes! 90% of our happy hormone Serotonin is produced in the gut by our gut microbes and they can’t work efficiently without a food source, so a day of making bad food choices impacts how we feel the following day and beyond.
Similarly a day of sitting in the car, on the bus, at a desk, or slumped on the sofa, negatively impacts our brain health, increases inflammation and causes our lymph to stagnate, meaning toxins accumulate in the body. Movement is so important, especially as we age, exercise increases a chemical known as BDNF, brain derived neurotrophic factor, essentially Miracle Grow for our brain!! This protects the neurons in our brain, stimulates growth of new neurons and improves communication between synapses, meaning better cognitive function and memory and less risk of dementia and Alzheimers, surely something we all want.
Exercise should be fun, it's not about running miles everyday, or sweating it out at the gym, what is most important is to do something regularly that we can easily fit in to our daily routine, so we will be looking at all the fun ways to exercise! Jen Wilson, a movement expert will be joining us with some simple routines and I will be sharing my favourite ways to keep fit and get moving!
Mindfulness, it means being present in the moment, taking time to appreciate whatever it is we are doing. Eating at a table, using our best china, being fully present in conversation, not constantly checking our phones, practising gratitude and just slowing down and enjoying life, noticing nature, bees buzzing, birds singing, using all our senses and taking the time to slow down and breathe!
The way we breathe also affects how we feel, shallow breathing keeps us in stress mode, not good news for our health on any level! I will be sharing a few ways we can change our breathing to switch us to rest and restore mode! So lots to cover next month, let me reiterate that if we do the same as we always do then nothing will change!
Your health is in your hands, we all have the power to feel better and live well, which is what the Wellness Hub is all about!
Janice x
