Living Well
The 'Golden Triangle'
I wouldn’t go quite as far as Tom Cruise and say that all you need to beat depression is a pair of running shoes but it is hard to have good mental health without taking care of what is often referred to as ‘The Golden Triangle’.
The Golden Triangle
Sleep
Getting into a good sleep routine and aiming for at least 7 hours a night leads on to better things. With a decent night’s sleep behind us, it’s easier to lead with a positive outlook. It also gives us more energy which makes it less likely (if you’re anything like me – born hungry) to become a fridge raider and reach for high-calorie foods that comfort and provide short bursts of energy that end up doing more harm than good.
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The surprising links between what you eat and how well you sleep - BBC News
Exercise
More sleep = more energy = more likely to exercise.
Exercise feels good. It’s as simple as that. It releases endorphins which act as a natural antidepressant. There seems to be something of a cultural shift happening with exercise right now where people are more inclined to take it up for wellbeing and mental health reasons rather than because they want to conform to some cultural or societal standard of looking a certain way.
It's harder to make bad food choices when we have a regular exercise and sleep routine established. Try going for a run or a swim and then think about eating a microwave lasagne with chips and garlic bread, washed down with full fat coke and ice cream. You might struggle with that as the two behaviours are polar to each other. This is how diet and exercise can spur each other on: they support us in building a different relationship with ourselves.
Diet
The food we eat also directly affects how we feel physiologically and mentally. Not only does having a bad diet mean we are more likely to suffer from physical ailments, it can also contribute to, or be the product of a self-loathing state of mind. When we make the effort to eat good food we are affirming to ourselves that we are someone worth taking care of.
In addition to this there are even some interesting studies emerging that show how our diet can affect our gut health and the microbiome of our digestive flora which in turn has been shown to affect our mental health.
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The good news is that for many, cooking healthy food can be a very mindful and sensory practice to get into, taking our mind away from stressful jobs, financial concerns, family issues, or that time I enthusiastically waved hello at someone across the street before realising it wasn’t who I thought it was and now I probably just look a bit desperate and eager to make friends