Lately I find I am talking more and more about this with clients, friends, family and business associates. Food affects the mood in so many different ways. The health of your body influences what you experience in your mind. There is no split. If you can engage your whole spirit in the pursuit of fitness and healthy eating (Challenge Friendly) – not just your intellect, not just your emotions – you will discover what it is to be you be a whole person.
Your body needs and wants good nutrition and exercise.
It needs it to recover from the stresses of everyday life. It needs it to maintain strong bones. It needs it to lower heart rate and it needs it so that you don’t have fatty acids around your arteries. Your head needs it: if you burn off more stress, you will think more clearly. All these things will make your body and mind feel “in sync” – what an amazing feeling.
Why do I think fitness and living Challenge Friendly should be such a priority in your life? Because life is a priority. When you decide to be fit and healthy, you’ve decided to take self-control. And self control leads to balance. When you listen to your body, you listen also to your head, your heart and your spirit. When you achieve a state of balance, you become aware that there is no mind/body split. You are a whole. Everything you do to achieve health and fitness has an effect on your mind, your emotions, and your inner peace.
When you’re running around frantically with too many deadlines, flustered, exasperated and stressed out, you’re not thinking as clearly as you would be if you were calm, relaxed, and in control. People who live healthier lives have the ability to do this; they also have the ability to concentrate and be goal-oriented. In the workplace, this often translates into business success. It’s a fact – studies have been done. Healthy people have lower stress levels and higher productivity; they are likely to become more accomplished at what they do, and thus make more money.
Enlightened businesses know that fit employees benefit the company. That’s why some employers pay for wellness programs. Some even have fitness facilities on-site. This is not just a perk. These companies know that any edge they can get in the competitive marketplace is worth it.
If you feel in control of your body, you will also feel in control of your mind. You will have higher self-esteem and self-awareness.
It’s a fact – food does affect mood. It affects the body’s metabolism, hormones and neurotransmitters (mood chemicals that are produced in the brain), and these in turn influence our emotions, concentration and energy.
Proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins in food work to keep our metabolism, hormones, and neurotransmitters in check, which also balances our moods. By contrast, consuming too much sugar, alcohol, and caffeine can cause low moods by bringing on an inflammatory response in the nervous system.
Health is a journey, not a destination – we must work on it daily!
