Thread: The Official Dreamviews Fit Club

I got sick yesterday from some food, but I ended up thinking that it was just regular sickness, so I ate the leftovers and got sick again Needless to say, I did nothing today.

How Food Affects Mood

By: Sue Gilbert

Scientists are proving that what's in the foods you eat can effect the chemical composition of your brain. The foods you eat can affect your mood, including your level of alertness and your perception of pain.

What is it about foods that yields this kind of power? It is foods ability to alter the production or release of neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that carry information from one nerve cell to another. Neurotransmitters are responsible for such important bits of information, like "I'm full" or, "AGG! I'm very anxious about this!"

The Theory

Just how does a food affect neurotransmitters? According to Dr. Richard Wurtman at MIT, who is involved in numerous studies on nutrition and the brain, the nutrients in foods are precursors to neurotransmitters, and depending on the amount of precursors present in the food you eat, the more or less of a certain neurotransmitter is produced. Although this process may seem fairly straightforward, it is complicated by the fact that foods most often are made up of more than one nutrient, and how those different nutrients interact will also impact the production and release of neurotransmitters.

The Practice

Despite the complexity, there are certain established bits of knowledge of how food affects your mood that you can put into practice.

* Boost your alertness with protein. Protein foods are broken down into their amino acid building blocks during digestion. One amino acid, called tyrosine, will increase the production of dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. These neurotransmitters are known for their ability to increase levels of alertness and energy. No one eats pure tyrosine, but eating foods high in protein will give you a slight mental boost. High protein foods include fish, poultry, meat, and eggs. If you can't eat those, try high protein foods that also contain significant amount of carbohydrates, such as legumes, cheese, milk, or tofu.
* For relaxation and anti-stress, eat carbohydrates. Eating carbohydrates will trigger the release of insulin into the blood stream. Insulin goes about clearing all the amino acids out of the blood, with the exception of tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid that normally gets crowded out by other amino acids in its attempt to cross the blood brain barrier, but when its competitors are out of the way, it enters the brain en mass. Once in the brain, the tryptophan is converted to serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that has the effect of reducing pain, decreasing appetite, and producing a sense of calm, and in too large a quantity, inducing sleep. Research has shown that dieters tend to become depressed about two weeks into a diet, about the time their serotonin levels have dropped due to decreased carbohydrate intake. Healthy carbohydrate foods to turn to for anti-stress include whole grain breads and crackers, whole grain pasta, rice, cereal, and fruits.

* For the most beneficial effect of either carbohydrate or protein, eat them separately. For example, the energy boosting effect of protein will be offset if you start out a lunch of fish (pure protein) with a roll (mostly carbohydrate). Make the protein the first food that you eat, and then, go lightly on the carbohydrate if it is mental alertness you are after.
* Caffeine can be an effective antidepressant. Despite its bad rap, caffeine can do some good. For mild cases of depression which do not need medical attention, a little caffeine can be an effective antidepressant. It has the added benefit of not needing to increase the dosage daily to get the same effect. Long term epidemiological evidence more than supports the safety of a cup or two of coffee a day. More than that however can begin to have counterproductive effects in some people.
* Likewise, folic acid is an important counter to depression. Folic acid deficiencies have been linked to depression in clinical studies. Folic acid deficiency causes serotonin levels in the brain to decrease. Psychiatric patients with depression have much higher rates of folic acid deficiency than the general public. As little as 200 micrograms was enough to relieve the depression -- that amount is easily obtained in a cup of cooked spinach or a glass of orange juice.



* Lack of selenium can cause bad moods. Individuals suffering from a lack of selenium have been shown to be more anxious, irritable, hostile, and depressed than their non-lacking counterparts. Correcting deficiencies normalizes mood, but getting more does not elevate mood further. It is speculated that selenium may have some unknown neural function, but as of yet, its mode of action is unknown. Be sure to get your daily dose by eating a Brazil nut, or tuna sandwich, sunflower seeds, whole grain cereals, or swordfish.
* Put eggs back in your diet to improve memory and concentration. One nutrient that many of us are apt to be low on, in our fervor to avoid high-cholesterol foods, is choline. Choline is a B complex vitamin that is concentrated in high cholesterol foods like eggs and liver. A lack of choline can cause impairment of memory and concentration. Choline is a precursor to the brain neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is linked to memory. People given drugs that block acetylcholine flunk memory tests. Low levels of acetylcholine have been linked to Alzheimer's disease and poor memory. What a good excuse to put eggs back on your diet plan!

Excellent post, Jeff!!
Thanks for sharing that.

Ninja Get better soon.

To everyone signing up here: Welcome to the club!

I've been running around like crazy for the last couple days to get ready for a 4 day trip to California.
I also helped hubby move a 50 pound box from his office to the house
My diet still sucks. In between the heat and my usual laziness when it comes to meals, I have a LOT to work on.

I bought a Big Mac meal at about 11 the morning. I ate half of the fries and that's it. It's too hot to even have an appetite lol. What I need is a HUGE cup of ice

I've been dreaming about fruit, so perhaps I need to pay attention to my subconscience and get some crispy goodness. Berries sound very good, but Cantelope sounds divine.

I think it's time to go to the store

My blood pressure has been sucking at 120/100 and a pulse of 118 and all I'm doing is packing and sweating bullets. It's still about 85 degrees in the RV

Good to see you back in here Zhaylin . Get that body into shape and that diet straightened out!

Just finished 15 minutes of Pilates on Wii fitness. Did lower body exercising tonight. Burned 26 calories.

I'm running out the door now for the airport
If I don't "see" you guys soon it's because I don't have internet access lol
(But one can hope)
I'll definitely get a lot of walking in!!

Be back on Sunday.

Got my $10 a month membership at Planet Fitness.

I'll be posting in here often.

Name: XeL
Current buddy: None
Want a buddy? No.
Cheat Day: Saturday
Physical Goals: Increase my stamina. Increase my overall strength. Gain some weighth.
Days you'll exercise: I don't exercise on a regular basis. I play soccer and bike every now and then.
Cardio Routine: Biking, Soccer, Walking
Weight Routine: None.
Current weight: 140
Why are you joining? I really need to increase my stamina. That's my main priority. I'm really skinny too, so some additional weighth wouldn't be too bad either. I need the motivation to start exercising more though.

Good to see this thread was finally bumped.

I haven't done any muscle work in exactly one month. I need to increase my push-up count by the end of August...

As far as running goes, I'm still at my 7 miles. My friends are telling me to sign up for this one half-marathon in September. I'm sure I can handle it, but I don't just want to "handle" it. I want to do well. I'd practice by going on my normal route twice (getting a mile over what a half marathon is), but I'm wondering how many times I should do that before the race. What other training can I do?

The only thing I'm worried about is screwing up my back. I swear there are two vertebrae back there that feel stuck together. I get back pain in general... What can I do?

Originally Posted by Abra

Good to see this thread was finally bumped.

I haven't done any muscle work in exactly one month. I need to increase my push-up count by the end of August...

As far as running goes, I'm still at my 7 miles. My friends are telling me to sign up for this one half-marathon in September. I'm sure I can handle it, but I don't just want to "handle" it. I want to do well. I'd practice by going on my normal route twice (getting a mile over what a half marathon is), but I'm wondering how many times I should do that before the race. What other training can I do?

The only thing I'm worried about is screwing up my back. I swear there are two vertebrae back there that feel stuck together. I get back pain in general... What can I do?

As for the backpain I have similar problems. I always go see a chiropractor as soon as I experience any sort of backpain that last for more than a week. My chiropractor also always provides me with exercises that are good for my back. I'm not sure what kind of back pain you are talking about though. Is it just aching or does it feel like you've pulled something?

Ran for 30 minutes today... 2.5 miles.
Gonna hit the bike later, probably 5 miles.

It's an aching, happens a lot when I lie down for sleep.

Anyway, just got back from running 13 miles, taking advantage of the perfect cool n' cloudy sky. Should've probably had more than just ice cream for dinner last night. Should've probably had breakfast. As soon as I got home, I shoved a peach and a handful of strawberries in my mouth, and then made a couple eggs. :3

http://www.doctoryourself.com/backache.html

This is the method i use Abra.

Sit in the middle of the bed, legs straight out in front of you. Then, from the hips up, pivot to the right as far as you reasonably can. Now lie back. You should be shaped like a boomerang, mate. And you will feel a profound “pulling” sensation in your lower back, hip and upper leg. Relax and stay in that position for five minutes by the clock. Repeat the process to the left.

That site is actually very handy.

If you have lower back pain try doing hipcircles. Do big ones and little ones.basically you stand still, feet at shoulder length or whatever is most comfortable and move your tail bone in a circle.

It's raining hard and I got sick tonight so no bike ride


But I'm hitting the gym at 10am again tomorrow.

W00t! Go Xox!

Name (Username suffices):KingCarnie

Want a buddy?: Sure

Physical Goals: I'm hoping to gain muscle, as well as become stronger. However, my main goal is to increase my endurance. I'm starting Varsity football at my High School this year, and I get tired very easily.

Days you'll exercise: Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays are the only times I can use the gym for weight lifting at the moment, cardio I'll do every day every day.

Cardio Routine: I'll be running at the track every day. A 200, 300, 400, 400, 300, and 200.

Weight Routine: Bench Press, Squats, Power Clean, and Deadlift. I'll also be doing auxiliary lifts; arms on Monday, legs on Wednesday, and Back and Abs on Thursday.

Current weight: 176

Why are you joining? Well, I don't really need much motivation to lift. When it comes to those cardio workouts though, it's extremely hard to push myself. I'm hoping that making it public whenever I fail to accomplish them will spur me on.

Welcome Karnie. We'll definitely stay on your ass if you fall off.

Is there anyway we can have fitness as a little section on it's own? The thread is too long that barely anyone visits anymore =(

Originally Posted by bonthan

Is there anyway we can have fitness as a little section on it's own? The thread is too long that barely anyone visits anymore =(

While I don't think that's likely to happen, you're more than welcome to voice your opinions HERE in our Meta forum.

I think that's a good idea... I'll propose it.

Job done, also 400th post in the thread!

Joined a gym yesterday.
10-20 minutes on treadmills/stairclimbers. Today I ran 7 mph for 5 minutes, then jogged for 5 minutes.
Worked on upper body strength for 30-40 minutes. Several different machines including but not limited to bench pressing, chin ups, pull ups, push ups, and other machines I don't know the name of.
20-30 minutes of leg training
Different resistance machines, etc.

Listen up, you will be impressed. Yesterday I biked 20 miles, then I played soccer for 1 hour and later in the night I walked for 3 hours! Man I had 15 pieces of Veggie sushi afterwards!

Originally Posted by XeL

Listen up, you will be impressed. Yesterday I biked 20 miles, then I played soccer for 1 hour and later in the night I walked for 3 hours! Man I had 15 pieces of Veggie sushi afterwards!

Sounds comparable to ninja9578's physical work ethic.