Through the use of technology in the workplace, our homes, and our general daily life, the world has evolved a society that thrives on chaotic schedules and instant gratification.
We don’t often think of long-term rewards. In fact, our impulsive minds have been trained to desire a smaller reward up front than a better reward at the expense of extra time/effort. There’s no question as to why this occurs…look at the amount of people around you constantly glued to their screens, scrolling through endless pages of content just a click or press away. Everything is instant, and we’ve adapted to the “freedom” to overload our minds with subconsciously draining habits.
Quieting the mind, practicing the art of NOT thinking, and being able to focus on one thing at a time is no easy task…but remember good practices make good habits.
Whether it’s setting time aside each day for a healthy mental habit like meditation, reading, writing, yoga, etc., the art of concentration is a cornerstone of practicing mindfulness that can elicit stability and a calm state of mind.
Just like physical exercise promotes the health and longevity of our bodies, mental exercise does the same for our brain. We think more clearly, plan more effectively, and have a much easier time grasping the concepts of the most efficient or optimal ways to plan things out to reach our goals.
Eliminate distractions, avoid giving in to short-term rewards that rob us of enduring uncomfortable situations for what’s more beneficial long-term 🙏
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We often associate things like exercise and diet with physical improvement while mental-specific activities like reading keep our mind sharp. However, something I don’t see or hear enough of is how our food choices play into our mental state.
At one point, we all learned how to track calories/macros and how this affected our physique. Through this, we discovered how to manipulate food choices to allow us the ability to fit “fun” foods into our diet plan. While I’m a proponent of flexible dieting, there’s plenty of people that take these “fun” foods (or more of an IIFYM approach) to an extreme.
I believe it’s important to find a balance between both nutrient-dense and nutrient-void foods to allow you to truly enjoy your nutritional protocols…but if consistently leaning towards more nutrient-void foods begs the question; have you ever considered how food affects your mind?
Whether it’s the ability to focus for long periods, processing information, or just clear-headed decision making, your brain NEEDS nutrients just as much as your body.
While everyone runs on different wavelengths, and some can get away with a more “loose” sort of diet, it’s extremely important to pay attention to not only how our food choices make us feel or operate physically, but mentally as well.
Enjoy that donut, cereal, ice cream, or whatever treats you love indulging in, but don’t rob yourself of proper fuel just because it fits your macros.
A popular ingredient in cooking (especially in Asian and Indian cuisine) that I’ve been using quite a bit as of late…and one that’s been used for thousands of years for medicinal purposes, this spice provides an array of wonderful health benefits including:
Cardiovascular Health
It’s possible that regular intake of ginger can help lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of blood-clotting, and help maintain healthy blood glucose levels.
Cold & Flu Relief
A popular way to consume ginger (aside from cooking) is in tea form as its diaphoretic (raising internal temperature). A simple way to get the benefits from ginger tea is to slice 20-40g of fresh ginger (always better than store-bought powder) and steep it in a cup of hot water.
Digestion
The root (Rhizome) can be consumed fresh, powdered, as a dry spice, in oil form, or as juice. It’s part of the Zingiberaceae family, which means it also contains anti-oxidative/inflammatory attributes. The phenolic compounds in ginger are known to relieve GI irritation, stimulate bile/saliva production, and suppress gastric contractions as food/fluids move through the GI tract.
Inflammation
Data suggests ginger may exhibit anti-inflammatory effects through modulation of calcium levels through heat and pain sensitive receptors.
Nausea
Taking ginger for motion sickness may help to reduce feelings of nausea, though it doesn’t appear to prevent vomiting if terribly ill. Additionally, ginger is safe to use during pregnancy in relieving nausea, and can be taken in the form of lozenges or candy.
Pain Reduction
The University of GA held a 74-volunteer study and found that daily ginger supplementation actually reduced exercise-induced soreness by 25%. It’s also been found to reduce symptoms of dysmenorrhea.
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