Flourish Health & Wellbeing eMagazine - Jan21 - Flipbook - Page 53
Body
The mind and body are a complex interconnected system that is so important to
your mental fitness.
The most obvious body-related factor is
exercise. By exercising regularly we can
improve our mood, reduce stress, increase
self-esteem, decrease cognitive decline and
reduce feelings of depression and
anxiousness.
There are more components to ‘body’
than just exercise, though. Good
nutrition, high quality sleep and low
intake of alcohol and other drugs are all
important for mental fitness.
Good nutrition doesn’t necessarily
mean cutting quantities of food, but
rather improving your diet. A
‘Mediterranean diet’, for example, has
been shown to have positive effects on
mental health. So stock up on loads of
nutritious fresh vegetables, lean meat
and fish, fruit and whole grains instead
of greasy takeaway food or prepackaged ready-meals.
Meanwhile, look to get a good night’s
sleep. Routinely sleeping less than six
or seven hours a night diminishes our
immune systems, increases our risk of
cancer, stroke and congestive heart
failure, while it contributes to all major
mental health conditions, including
depression and anxiety.
Cutting down alcohol, tobacco and any
other drugs (prescription or otherwise)
can help us sleep better, but here are
some other pointers if you want to
improve your sleep.
