Feeling glum? Maybe it’s time to lift your energy and spirit. Fitness and body guru Andrea Orbeck (trainer for Victoria’s Secret models) has some advice for boosting your mood by harnessing your body’s natural resources:
1.) Watch the amount and type of carbs you consume. To avoid the carb coma and crash, prepare whole grain and whole wheat-based products. Avoid processed white bread, rice and pasta, going for whole wheat sources.
2.) Eat fat!! Omega-3s increase the brain’s grey matter associated with mood and behavior and controlling insulin levels. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in salmon, tuna, halibut, algae, and nut oils.
3.) Vitamin D. Vitamin D supplements help a person’s mood by raising levels of serotonin in the brain. Your body makes vitamin D when you are exposed to the sun (10 minutes should be plenty), and it is in foods such as oily fish, and food fortified with vitamin D, such as milk.
4.) Exercise. Endorphins (happy chemicals) increase up to five times during aerobic exercise greater than 30 minutes at moderate to intense levels. Start with a walk outdoors. After 3–4 minutes, run at an aggressive pace for 30 seconds to a minute. Repeat 5 times. Then stretch.