Have you ever thought about matching exercise and your mood?

We all know that exercise is good for your body but did you know that it can also have a positive effect on your mood?  Deciding to exercise and then choosing a form of workout which suits your lifestyle is one of the easiest ways to biohack* your health.  I normally stick to a few favourite workouts (jogging, Bootcamp, HIIT and a rowing machine) and the time of day usually dictates which I choose.  When personal trainer Bryony Evans  mentioned to me that she advises her clients to take control of their health and fitness by choosing different types of exercise according to their mood, among other #lifehacks, I asked her to share some advice on different types of workouts to help with your mental health:

EXERCISE FOR YOUR MOOD

“Some of you may have noticed the benefits of undertaking an exercise programme on your mental health.  Physical activity is proven to have positive effects on depression, sleep, relaxation, anxiety problems, self-esteem and stress management.

We all have ‘bad’ and ‘good’ days, and these can be for many reasons.  I like to encourage in myself and others the belief that whilst you may not be able to control a lot of what is going on around you, you CAN take control of your health and fitness.

YOU can take yourself out for a jog or a brisk walk, YOU can avoid the biscuits and prepare a healthy meal, YOU can pop some music on and go through a strength or cardio routine for 20 minutes.

MOTIVATION

Sometimes you may find it really difficult to get the motivation to exercise and take care of yourself:

  • If you feel TIRED or UNWELL, go for a slower more gentle workout involving a walk, or stretches and gentle core strength.
  • When feeling STRESSED, go outdoors or stick some music on which uplifts you to take yourself OUT OF YOUR HEAD and into the moment.
  • If you feel ANGRY, you need some strength work…or some boxing gloves, give me a call 😉
  • When you feel good and motivated – GO WITH IT! Make the most of the rare free time and positive attitude and give yourself a great workout (be that a jog, a mini circuit in your living room, a YouTube workout… the possibilities are endless!)

BE THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF

I am here not only to make folks sweat but to try to help them be the best version of THEMSELVES, and that means Mind, Body and Spirit.  We will always find a workout to suit any mood (oh yes we will!)”

If you’re based near Tring in Hertfordshire and would like to work with Bryony, you can get in touch with her here.

*BIOHACKING

Biohacking is using all of the tools we now have at our disposal to improve our lives by taking control of our biology.  Check out this blog for some simple tips to help you #biohack: https://feelfabnaturally.com/simple-tips-to-help-you-biohack/

“Hacking” has long had a negative connotation. But as you probably know, we now use “hack” to define any type of creative optimising. For example, when you find a creative solution to an everyday problem you may call it a “life hack.” A tweak to how furniture is assembled from the manufacturer’s instructions is an “IKEA hack”—you get the drift. Hacking is creative problem solving to help improve one’s life, and biohacking turns the focus on our bodies and biology.

BIOHACKING AND NUTRIGENOMICS

Biohacking has actually been used for centuries. Human beings have aso-how-do-I-feel-fab?lways looked to maximise their performance, from the days of hunter-gatherers to modern Olympians. It’s not just about being bigger and faster, either. It’s about whatever is important to you and your body’s functioning. Science and technology are focusing intensely on biohacking to change lives.

This is why nutrigenomics is a fundamental part of biohacking a healthier life. Based on the study of the effects of nutrients and natural compounds on our genes, scientifically-backed products that support healthy ageing on a cellular level are now available to add to your biohacking toolbox.

Nutrigenomics products support the body’s natural cellular function by targeting the main biochemical effects of ageing, issues like oxidative stress, natural mitochondrial deterioration and more. By reactivating your body’s ability to do what it used to do – such as triggering your genes’ ability to produce their own antioxidants and your cells‘ ability to produce mitochondria –  we can now feel as fab as possible for as long as possible to get the most out of life.

BIOHACKING AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVATION

So why are antioxidants so important if you’re looking to keep feeling like you for as long as possible? When you cut open an apple and it goes brown, it has basically oxidised which has caused a rapid increase in its ageing process. As we age, we oxidise just like the apple because over time – from our 20s onwards – our bodies produce fewer of the antioxidants needed to neutralise the cellular damage caused by the free radicals around us. This means we have a high oxidative stress level so our cells don’t function quite as well as they did.  Typically our energy levels drop, our sleep patterns change and our inflammation levels rise as just three results of this process.

So what are our options to get more antioxidants into our bodies? How it works is that one antioxidant basically hands over an electron making one free radical happy so that it can continue on its merry way without causing damage.  The problem is that you can’t eat enough antioxidant rich fruit and veg or take enough antioxidant supplements or drinks to deal with the 300 sextillion or so (that’s 300 plus 18 zeros!) free radicals your body has to deal with every day. Up to recently, these were our only strategies to counter free radical damage but in reality they’re like throwing a glass of water on a bonfire and hoping it will put it out…

By naturally reactivating your own antioxidant production through biohacking you’ll support your cellular health from the inside out. The good news is that you can now trigger your body to produce its own antioxidants again.  Find out more about a natural product which is patented and clinically proven to lower your oxidative stress level by an average of 40% in just 30 days for the price of around half a cup of coffee a day: Protandim Nrf2.