A belated Happy New Year (and even more belated Happy Christmas).
I like Christmas. Not as much as when I was a kid, but it is still good to give (and receive!) presents, do the whole family thing, and enjoy the holidays of course. And there is my excuse for the late posting on my blog 
So, here’s to a good 2008! And with this in mind, here are three tips for alleviating the January Blues:
Tip 1: Food!
So, after the natural indulgences of Christmas, perhaps the last thing on your mind is food (more likely it is on your waistline). However, food is one of the great spiritual pleasures a person can enjoy; otherwise we wouldn’t have such an interest in recipes, cuisine, and celebrity chefs…
So, eating the right food is definitely key to feeling good, and the key meal is Breakfast. Skipping breakfast leads to low blood-sugar which will affect your energy and mood. Beyond that, eating breakfast ‘jump starts’ your metabolism, which means that eating a good breakfast will cause you to burn more calories for the rest of the day. If you’re going to make any New Year’s resolution at all, decide to eat a good Brekkie… I’d recommend Porridge, sweetened with a bit of honey. Lovely.
Tip 2: More Food!
Fatty acids & foliates. Research suggests that that Omega-3 acids, apart from helping possibly with the health of your heart and joints, also might block chemicals called cytokines that are known to cause low moods. The best source for long-chain fatty acids are long fish. Vegetarian options include flax seeds, leafy green vegetables, and walnuts (although the veggie options tend to be short-chain acids, which require conversion to long-chain in the body and so do less good).
Also remember the old adage: fish is food for the brain… These old sayings exist for a reason, no?
Aside from Omega-3 rich foods, some studies have shown that diets low in foliates (cabbage, broccoli and, if you can face them so soon after Christmas, sprouts!) can cause low mood and depression. Again, the phrase “Eat your greens!” springs to mind…
Tip 3. Exercise!
After all that food, exercise had to be included on this list, did it not?
Exercise doesn’t equal ‘the Gym’. It can do, but it doesn’t have to. Exercise means anything that gets your pulse going, gets you breathing a bit more deeply… Simply a brisk walk each day would do the trick. Salsa, a martial art, yoga, jogging, buy a rowing machine… All good for your heart, your waistline and research suggests your state of mind.
So a bowl of porridge for breakfast, walk to work instead of taking the car and look forward to fish, broccoli and new potatoes for your tea and you’ll find that January isn’t quite as gloomy as you may have first thought…
That’s all for now.
Warm regards,
Adrian
www.lastingchange.co.uk
