The New Year can mean a lot of great and promising things for us, but can also bring with it a whole new bout of pressures, worries, and trepidation. There is a lot of expectation on all of us to change who we are or become better at everything just because the calendar has a new digit on it. Overwhelmed? I know I am, and it’s been the New Year for less than 24 hours! However, fear not! EatFitFuel has sought out some interesting ways to stay on top of your mood and take this new year and new day with confidence.
- Banana Tea: Heard of it? Don’t worry, I hadn’t either. However, researchers in Taiwan sure have and they found that banana peel contains several ingredients that release serotonin, you know, the “happy” hormone. All it takes is boiling a banana peel for 15 minutes, letting it cool, and imbibing. Nom nom!
- Buy Some Flowers: A Rutgers University study has found that flowers are a great way of relieving depression, anxiety, and agitation. Also, after receiving flowers, we have a higher sense of enjoyment and satisfaction in our lives. Time to get floral!
- Finish Strong: Adding a 30-60 second sprint to the end of your walk, hike, or jog can largely enhance the mood boost you get from exercise. The University of Essex found that this small addition to a workout can double the amount of endorphins releases and increase the amount of noradrenaline, elevating your mood for 90 minutes after you finish your workout.
- Take Cod Liver Oil: Leave it to the Norwegians to know all about the benefits of cod. According to researchers there, a spoonful of cod liver oil a day can decrease your risk of depression by up to 30%. Highly due to the omega-3s, this is a multi-faceted health tip.
- Fake it ‘Til YouMake It: A recent study, right here in the USA, found that smiling makes us happy. I think we all knew that. But did you know that doesn’t just mean when we are in high spirits? This study concluded that smiling, even when we are not happy, can do wonders to elevate our mood. If we put on our “happy face” we are actually pushing ourselves into a better mood and we can all use that from time to time.
