You may have already read in this article what the influence of your thoughts is on your hormones. Positive thoughts and emotions stimulate the production of neurotransmitters (substances that the brain uses for communication) such as dopamine and serotonin. There are four happiness hormones: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins. These hormones ensure that you experience a feeling of happiness. Not only do thoughts affect the production of these hormones, but a number of other things also influence this, we will tell you more!
Dopamine
Dopamine produces feelings of pleasure when it is released by the brain’s reward system. The release of dopamine usually provides a short-lived peak and it plays a role when we are very happy or excited. It also occurs after gambling (often negative) or after an extreme sport such as paragliding or bungee jumping (usually positive). One of the healthiest ways to boost dopamine production is by listening to music that you completely enjoy. Drinking a cup of coffee or specific nutrients that are rich in the substance “tyrosine” (such as avocados, legumes and nuts), antioxidants or certain vitamins also influence your dopamine level. In addition, exercise influences your dopamine levels and ensures adequate sleep to maintain your dopamine supply. Relaxation ensures balance in your hormone levels and ensures that you can recharge sufficiently. In my next article, I will elaborate on influencing your dopamine level!
Serotonin
Serotonin plays an important role in, among other things, our mood, our self-confidence, sleep, sexual activity, emotions and appetite. For example, people with gloominess have a shortage of this substance. Serotonin deficiency can also result in increased appetite. The production of serotonin is, among other things, promoted by sunlight. It is not a surprise that we often feel better or more energetic in the summer! Carbohydrate-rich foods and foods rich in the substance “tryptophan” (such as chickpeas, milk, chocolate and banana) can also influence serotonin. Opt for healthy carbohydrates and dark chocolate.
Oxytocin
This hormone is also called the “hug hormone”. Oxytocin makes us feel safe, relaxed and connected to others. It can also give you confidence, make you happy and reduce stress. Physical contact, from stroking to holding each other’s hands and from massage and sex to kissing, activates the production of oxytocin. Receiving a genuine compliment, eating dark chocolate or listening to great music can also boost your oxytocin. So hug, kiss and compliment as much as you can! Is there nobody around for a moment? Then meditation can also be a great way to make more oxytocin and therefore to feel better and happier.
Endorphine
Endorphine has analgesic properties. Endorphins are released during exercise and other physical exertions to relieve the pain of exertion. With an endorphin deficiency, you can feel a little down and feel like eating fat and sweet. But luckily there are also ways to boost your endorphin levels! It is in fact fully produced during exercise (longer than 12 minutes). In addition, sunlight has a positive effect on this, just like eating red peppers and having sex and physical contact. Meditation can also give you a boost!
Do you want to boost your happiness hormones? Eat, move, laugh, hug, meditate, listen to music, have sex, relax, sleep and dance and have a nice day! 🙂
NiceDay actions
Schedule the above activities regularly to give yourself the chance to increase your happiness hormones!
Many of you probably have set new goals and intentions for 2020. To be honest, I am not a fan of the whole “new year, new me” that always comes with New Year’s Eve. I try to renew myself throughout the year and actually set new goals every week. I am a huge fan of good intentions. But it doesn’t matter whether you start it in January, April or December.
However, the 1st of January can be a nice date for remembering things: I stopped smoking last year on this day, so I was able to celebrate my 1-year anniversary of non-smoker on January 1! Yeah!
Healthier living is often a good intention of people. More exercise and more healthy eating are often high on the list of goals to be achieved. 2019 was the year in which I started exercising and I would like to share in this blog how I approached that.
Bad memories of sports
As a teenage girl, I completely disliked sports. I had a gym teacher who was very unkind and made me feel bad about my body and sports performance. When my girlfriends and I went to get lunch, they always commented on my lunch and how unhealthy it was. During the gym class the comments always flew to my ears and all the exercises I did were never good enough. I can say that I certainly suffered a small trauma from this. For a long time, sport in my head was linked to something that I was incredibly bad at.
More and more fun
When I went to study a few years later, I moved from Belgium to the Netherlands. I went to live on my own and I went cycling a lot. Because of this I discovered how good exercise is for me: I started running with my roommate every now and then, went swimming regularly. I also took sometimes a group lesson with friends at the gym. I was definitely not a fanatic athlete and there were still weeks when I didn’t do anything, but I was increasingly aware of how good exercise and sport is for both your body and mind.
The power of movement
Last year I was invited by a friend to go bootcamp in the park. I was very nervous. I didn’t know anyone and my endurance wasn’t really great. It was – as expected – incredibly heavy, but it also went very well. It was a super fun group (of which not everyone was really fit), a nice coach and it was outside in the fresh air, which I really liked. The first weeks were incredibly tough, but after a month I started to get better. I started with once a week. After three months I already started exercising two to three times a week. I also found out more and more that exercising is one of the few moments where I can really put my mind to zero. I am not thinking about anything except the exercise I am going to perform at that time. In the meantime I regularly do other sports: I sometimes go swimming, spinning, walking and do yoga classes.
My message to you
The message that I want to give in my story above is: find a sport that suits you. Playing sports comes in so many forms. It does not matter what you do. I had many years of aversion to sport because of the negative association with the performance-oriented, competitive aspect that I could never meet in my head. However, performance should not be accomplished for gym teachers, but entirely for yourself!
Love,
Mara
Do you want to know how good intentions hold? Then read the article This is how your New Year’s resolutions will be successful.
In addition to yoga, running is one of the most effective sports to physically maintain the body. Just as with yoga, you do not have to be a trained runner immediately if you want to experience the benefits of running. Regularly a short morning run or running during your lunch break all contribute to the many health benefits that this sport provides.
This video shows the effect of running on the body:
Seven muscle groups
You use more than seven muscle groups during running. The video (with a robot voice-over) below shows that you use the muscles in the lower body during running, namely: hips, hamstrings, quadriceps (thigh muscle), glutus maximus (large buttock muscle) and the calves. The biceps (upper arm muscles) and part of the abdominal muscles have a supporting function during your run.
Benefits of yoga for running
These muscle groups and joints have to endure a lot when you are running, even if you are a trained runner. It is therefore always important to do a good warming up and cooling down, so that your body can recover well and remains injury-free. Yoga can be an enormous added value for every runner. Not only do yoga poses contribute to a faster recovery, it prevents injuries. In addition, by regularly practicing yoga the muscles and joints can function (even) better; so improving your personal record is within running distance.
In addition to practicing yoga, I am a runner and have listed a number of yoga poses that my runs benefit from:
Yoga For Runners – Back Special
This video is 9 minutes and show you 6 yoga poses that your back will benefit from:
https://youtu.be/UTu1tV8Ps04
Yoga For Runners – Hip Special
This video is 7 minutes and shows you 9 yoga poses that your hips will benefit from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46LctStOSsA&feature=youtu.be
Yoga For Runners – Leg Special (9 min)
Watch this video below and find out which yoga poses are good for your legs:
https://youtu.be/N2_WpIpfVzI
More information about yoga and running? Go to the blogs of Esther on her website.
Practicing sport can be though. Especially when you are not feeling quite well, it is sometimes hard to drag yourself to the gym. On top of that, it is dark and cold outside, heavy rainfalls and you were just planning to go to the gym today. Sometimes, everything stops you. You have no motivation to go outside and you prefer to stay in your bed. Yet, deep inside, you know that practicing sports is good for you. With this home workout you can practice a sport, without leaving the door. Can’t be better, right?
How do sports help against depression?
As you might know, after training you are usually bubbling with energy, you have a tidy mind and you feel a lot happier than before you started exercising. But why is that? And what exactly causes that effect?Whenever you start exercising, 3 important hormones in your body are released, namely:
- Endorphins,
- Dopamine,
- Serotonin.
These are so-called neurotransmitters. Substances that ensure that your nerve cells can communicate well with each other. Endorphins, also called the ‘feel good drug’, provide a feeling of euphoria and reduce pain. Dopamine provides motivation, reward and gives you a happy feeling. And last but not least, serotonin, also called the happiness hormone. This hormone regulates your appetite, sleep and state of mind.
The home workout
A good workout contains a combination of strength and fitness exercises. We understand that sometimes it can be difficult to start. That is why we are not going to make it a long training. With this beginners home workout, you will be done in 20 minutes!
Exercise 1: Jumping Jacks
We use this exercise as a warming-up. While performing this exercise, make sure that you are standing upright. Tighten your abdominal muscles, slightly bend your knees and jump apart with your legs. Swing your arms upwards at the same time, and repeat at a pace that is right for you. Do this for about 25 seconds to start with.
Exercise 2: High Knees
The second exercise has a double effect: it a extension for the warm-up and you immediately train your core (abdominal muscles) with it. While performing this exercise, ensure that your feet are at hip width apart. Lift your knees one by one towards your chest, as high as you can. Make sure you keep your abdominal muscles tight. Do the exercise at a speed that is comfortable for you. Start off with 20 seconds, for example.
Exercise 3: Lunges
With the third exercise, the lunges, you train both the large leg muscles and the small muscles, which provide balance. With this exercise you train both your legs and your buttocks. Start this exercise with your feet on shoulder width apart, and your abdominal muscles slightly tightened. Take a step of about half a meter with one leg. You are now standing apart with your legs. Now bend your knee, making sure that both legs are in an angle of about 90 degrees. Is it not? Then adjust your step!
When bending your knee, make sure that your front knee does not pass your toes. To begin with, do 10 repetitions per side (for example).
Exercise 4: Squats
After the lunges, we will tackle the legs and buttocks one more time: we’re gonna squat! While performing this exercise, pay close attention to your back. Keep your back straight at all times. Also make sure that your knees do never cross your toes.
Start with your feet at shoulder width, and let your feet point outwards a little. Now poke your knees, and make a movement as if you are going to sit on a chair. Keep looking straight ahead while performing this action. If you are having problems with keeping balance you could stretch your arms forwards. Pay close attention to the tension on your abdominal muscles and your back. Now move up again. Start with 10 repetitions and increase the amount of repetitions slowly.
Exercise 5: Bridge
The bridge is an exercise where you train many more muscle groups than you would initially think of. It is, however, a relatively simple exercise: you lie on your back on the floor, bend your knees and put your feet flat on the ground. Keep your feet on about hip width apart. Be careful that you don’t place your feet too close to your butt.
Try to tighten your entire body: both your back, legs, buttocks and your core. Push your feet into the ground and squeeze your buttocks together as you lift your buttocks. You now form ‘the bridge’. Try to hold this position for a few seconds, then return to the starting position. Start this exercise with 10 repetitions and build it up slowly as it suits you.
Exercise 6: Push-Ups
And to finish things off, we have the Push-Up as the last exercise. The Push-Up is one of the oldest and most famous exercises in the fitness world. It is a so-called compound exercise: your don’t just train your chest with it, but you also train your shoulders, triceps and abdominal muscles. An ideal afterburner!
When performing a Push-Up, your posture is extremely important. You can perform the Push-Up in different ways, but not every form is equally suitable; some forms can cause injuries.
Because a Push-Up is usually quite a heavy exercise, I advise you to start on your knees. Start in the plank position with stretched arms. Make sure your knees are on the floor (or not, if you feel strong enough to do so). Tighten your core, buttocks and back. Bend your arms and let your body come to the ground, but make sure you do not push your elbows all the way out. Try to keep your ams close to your body.
As soon as you almost hit the ground, stop. Breathe out and push yourself up. Congratulations, you’ve just done your first Push-Up! Perform this exercise to the maximum number of repetitions that you can perform.
Are you going to do this exercise? Let us know!
Exercising has a positive effect on your health. You feel more energetic and maintain your weight more easily. But, do you also ensure a sufficient food intake to improve your sports performance? Many people underestimate the effect of nutrition on their sports performance, health and weight. Did you know that if you’re exercising to achieve a certain weight or muscle mass, nutrition has a bigger effect than sports?
Drink sufficiently
Firstly, think of your water intake: if you’re doing sports, your body loses a lot of water. If you lose 2% of water weight, your sports performance may already decrease by 25%. Most athletes don’t need to drink sport drinks: only if you train longer than one hour, you may consider it. Rather drink water while exercising: 150 ml per 15 minutes, or for very heavy sport sessions: 500ml per 30 minutes. As an athlete, you can easily drink 2 to 2.5 liters of water daily.
Carbohydrates are good
In addition, it is useful to eat enough carbohydrates. Do not underestimate this: carbohydrates are necessary for the release of energy and for building muscle. A higher muscle mass means more fat burn, even during rest. Avoid carbohydrates from soft drinks, snacks, fruit juice and white bread. You get more energy from brown pasta, bread and rice, fruit, vegetables and beans or chickpeas. If you prefer to eat white rice or pasta before exercising, be sure to add enough vegetables to have the energy for your sports session.
Recover with food
In addition, your body also needs food after your workout. Most important are the proteins, from beans, chickpeas, meat, fish, vegetables, nuts, dairy and eggs. Many athletes overestimate the amount of protein they need. Try to eat 1 to 1.5 grams of proteins per kilogram of body weight. The most important period to eat enough proteins is in the 48 hours after a sports session. Try to divide your protein intake over your meals during that period. Especially in the evening a small meal with some proteins works beneficial for the recovery of your body.
NiceDay app
If you make small adjustments in your food intake and try to drink enough, you will notice that you have more fun in sports and improve! Note what your sports goals are in the diary of the NiceDay app, for example 5 kg of weight loss, running 10 km, touching your feet, et cetera. Also note how your sessions go and what you’ve achieved already. This gives you a nice overview of the progress you make.
If you’re looking for tips concerning better well-being, mentally and physically, movement is an important, but often underestimated aspect. People who often exercise, sometimes seem to be addicted to this. But sports cost energy, so how can people want to exercise more, if, on first sight, you’re likely more relaxed when you’re taking it easy?
Sports
Because sports cause your body to create more energy! This occurs at the level of cells, namely the mitochondria, which draws energy out of the nutrition you consume. Energy is not only used for movement, but also for keeping your brain alert, keeping your lungs active and regulating your body temperature. When you exercise more often, the amount and efficiency of mitochondria in your body increases. You will teach your body to produce more energy!
Take rest
The more energy needed for movement, the better your body learns to have enough energy for you well-being in periods of rest. This means, among other things, a lower heart rate, less headache, a lower tendency for yawning, and less snacking. In order to achieve the best effect, it is therefore important that you engage in movement where you will sweat a bit.
Chemicals
Apart from this energy process in your body, you also produce more body-like chemicals that make you feel more comfortable. More movement creates more dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of reward. Also, the decrease of cortisol, the stress hormone, reduces fat storage and fear. This effect already occurs with moderate intensive movement. A walk, bike ride, or walking the stairs are already sufficient to reach this effect!
Sleep
You are indeed more relaxed if you take it easy, but if you move regularly, your body will learn to relax faster. Even for your sleep rhythm it can do miracles. In today’s society, our bodies are sometimes confused by exposure to, for instance, light of electronics, and additives in foods. Move, make more body-like fabrics that reward you with a good feeling, and you will feel more energetic, but also more relaxed.
If you doubt to go out and exercise because you feel energy depleted, just don’t hesitate to exercise, and see how you feel afterwards!
NiceDay: Plan your sports sessions in your Daily Planner; a good walk in the park is, of course, also fine. Record in your diary how you feel before your effort, and after your effort, and look at the difference afterwards.
The weather has been beautiful and we hope that the summer stays warm and sunny. Sports in the summer can be quite a challenge, how do you keep it fun and healthy for yourself? I myself have a little bit of trouble with this, but I still want to continue to exercise, because exercising makes me feel better. Below 8 cooling down tips to put on t those running shoes.
Drink enough
Jup, open door, but oh so important. Drink plenty of water in advance, drink water while running and drink plenty of water after running. What is enough? This depends of course on your construction (weight, height, etc.),the temprature and how long you will be exercising. You should do the following: drink about half a liter of water in the two hours before you exercise. During the exercise you can choose to take a sip of water from time to time, take it easy, a slobbering belly is really annoying, but you can also get serious cramps. Than you can drink more.
Do not put on too many clothes
Wear light clothing and especially not too much. If you feel insecure in shorts, wear three-quarter pants or airy longer pants. Running is not a fashion show (this is a wise lesson from my mother). Put on a cap, so your head stays cooler. Wear a sweatband around your wrist, nice and retro, but very practical.
Listen to signals from your body
There it is again: take it easy and see what your body can handle. Do you feel dizzy, take that seriously, go for a walk for example. Your body needs time to get used to the heat, give it time. I personally find it a challenge in the first warm days, that’s why I give myself the time to get used to it.
Lubricate yourself
Another open door, but many forget to lubricate during exercise. You are outside and your skin is exposed to the sun: so lubricate yourself.
Do breathing exercises
Because of the heat, your heart rate may be slightly higher, so before you start running, do a 2-minute breathing exercise. You start your training in this way. You can also consciously listen to your body: how do you feel at this moment? Make sure during your training that your breathing is not too high, this can be annoying, especially in the heat. While walking, you can consciously keep an eye on your breathing so that your heart rate is not too high. Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. After the training you can sit down for another 5 minute breathing exercise. This way you give your body time to recover and your heartbeat will become a bit quieter again. So you immediately sweat out. A breathing exercise looks like this:
BREATH IN (through your nose)
BREATH OUT (through your nose)
Break
Repeat (2 to 5 minutes)
Try to take a breath, focus on this. Make sure it is a natural breath, so not very deep and the break does not have to be uncomfortable. Learn more about breathing here.
Take a cold shower
There is nothing nicer than a fresh shower after a workout. Start with a normal temperature and put the shower on the last moment very cold: keep breathing quietly. Your body cools off nicely and at the same time gets a frightening reaction. This creates energy. In addition, every day a cold shower is very good for the resistance. Later follows a more extensive blog about this!
Sweat
If you start practicing sports, it sometimes takes some getting used to suddenly sweating a lot. Sweating is not bad and just a sign that your body is draining your heat well. After all, sweating is not something to be ashamed of when exercising. From the heat you can become very languid, but by still going you will get some energy and sweat the languid feeling out of your body.
Walk at a cool moment
Finally: in the early morning or late evening it is often cooler, the sun is not so bright and it is also nice and quiet on the street. A good time for sports.
Do you have cooling tips yourself? Let us know below.
Young, old, male, female, everybody seems to do yoga nowadays. Yes, everybody! And it seems so easy when they do it. Unlike how you feel when you drag yourself to yoga class. We give you some tips to enjoy your next yoga class.
Do not compare yourself
Of course, the people around you are doing ‘super well’, but keep in mind that they also started somewhere. In yoga it is important to focus on yourself. You will see that when you focus, you will understand the postures better. This will make you feel (more) comfortable about yourself, which will make you perform better!
Breathe in, breathe out
Your yoga teacher probably told you about a hundred times already, however we will tell you once again: focus on your breathing! I know, how can you breathe when you are all tangled up?! But you can. Your focus should be on your breathing, since a proper breathing will make yoga easier for you. Do you notice that you are starting to feel distracted, then do an easier pose until you gain control again. There is nothing wrong with that, yoga is all about keeping your own pace.
Let tools help you
You might have seen someone grabbing a yogablock or yogabelt during class. These tools will help you perform postures you do not know yet. Look at it as an extension of yourself, to give yourself some trust in performing an posture. These tools will provide support, which will make it easier for you to relax. And that will give you a better feeling when you are back on your yogamat!
Have fun!
This might sound logical, but have fun during class! Of course you will notice that others are doing better, others can reach their toes while you cannot. But keep this in mind: you do this for yourself! Do not take it too seriously: the more you practice, the better you will be. The most important thing is that you start and enjoy it.
Good luck and let us know how your class went! Do you have any tips? Share them in the comments!
Yoga is not about touching your toes. It is what you learn on the way down.
Most of us know by now that regular exercise and practicing sports is part of a healthy lifestyle. However, participating in sports also has an influence on your mental health. Sport fanatics have been reporting for a long time that exercising is a great mood booster. Luckily for us, you don’t have to be a crazy sport fanatic to attain the positive influences on your mental health.
Sports and mood
Sports can boost your mood in different ways. First, there is the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes you feel good after your weekly run. A different way is that sports can work as a great distractor. This way it can support you during stressful periods. Sports can also boost your mood in a indirect way by improving your sleep. People who exercise fall asleep earlier and have a deeper sleep cycle. this in turn, leads to more energy and a better mood the next day.
Sports help you fight mental problems
As noted earlier, sports are great for their supportive function during periods of stress. Besides that, sports and exercising seem to be a protective factor against mental issues like depression or burn-out. Recent research showed that running therapy can be an effective treatment for people who suffer from a burn-out. A meta study by martinsen(2005) even showed that the effects of exercise therapy match those of antidepressants, for the treatment of light to moderate forms of depression.
Building confidence with sports
Besides the advantages mentioned above, sport also has a positive influence on your self-confidence and self-image. Research showed that people who regularly sport and exercise have a better self-image, even if they don’t lose any weight.
Sports also enhance your strength, a variety of skills like hand eye coordination and your endurance. This helps to make you feel better about yourself, increasing your confidence.
A final note is that team sports are a casual and fun way to socially interact with people. Participating in a team can also help to boost your confidence.
Having enough exercise reduces the risk on health complaints. It reduces the risk on mental complaints, like: depression and anxiety. Also, it improves your self esteem and promotes social contact. All very positive! However, it can be very hard to encourage yourself to work out. Maybe these tips will help you.
Well begun is half done
You have decided that you want to move more, next week or maybe next month. No.. that doesn’t work! For example, if you want to sport twice a week, start immediately. Go to the gym for just half an hour to start with. It is not necessary to stay for two hours. Start small, it will be fun!
Choose fixed moments
To create a new habit, it’s important to plan time for this habit in your daily routine. Find yourself some moments during a regular workweek. For example: twice a week after school or work. See what feels good for you and try to hold on to this. You will notice that after a few weeks this will start to feel good and it will make you want to exercise more often.
Enjoy the process
You probably have a goal in mind: lose weight or get stronger, all reasons to move more! A specific goal is always good, but you should also enjoy the process . Sport with your favourite music, exercise outside, try different things or sport together with others. Start easy, twice a week for 30 to 45 minutes is a good start!
Integrate moving in your daily activities
In order to achieve your goal, you do not necessarily have to go to the gym. Integrate movement as much as possible in your daily life. Take the stairs rather than the elevator, pick the bike more often, go for a nice evening walk or go for a walk after lunch.
Keep track of your progress
Every fitness influencer on Instagram posts before and after photos. In these pictures, their progress is clearly visible. You can do this too! Take photos of yourself when you start, and after a few weeks of exercise . Seeing the change stimulates you and keeps you on track.
Do you have any tips for someone who wants to move more?
