Issue #63 ·
Dancing for Depression: What a 218-Study Review Found
🕺How dancing is very good for your health, some inspiration for snacks, fasting mimicking diets
Hello friends,
My family and I are spending a bit of time at the beach this week. One last trip while the weather here is still nice.
Soon it will be getting hot here!
This week in building health 👇
How Dancing Beats Depression
Ten Healthy Snacks under 100 Calories
A Powerful Snack for When You Feel Bloated
A Diet to Mimic Fasting (Without Fasting)
How Dancing Beats Depression
This sounds pretty obvious.
So I’m putting in here under the category of “There are many ways to work on your health”
Long time readers know I’m a big fan of:
Today I’m highlighting a recent study from Australia that checked out a range of activities that helped with mood disorder.
They tested walking, jogging, yoga, and strength training.
But the most successful exercise was dancing.
Dancing Works Across the Board
The study analyzed data from 218 separate studies involving over 14,000 participants. Its findings?
Dancing had the most significant impact in reducing depression symptoms, even more so than selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
The impact varied among demographics - women benefited from strength and cycling, while men found yoga and aerobic exercise helpful.
But overall, everyone consistently improved with one exercise: dancing.
Why Does Dancing Work So Well?
The researchers say:
“dancing can boost neurotransmitter activity in your brain, improving your self-esteem and mindfulness. It can also act as a form of somatic therapy, using bodily movement for emotional release.”
How I understand that?
It involves your whole body!
(By the way, this worked too even when you’re dancing alone)
Do you like to dance? Or are you shy on the dance floor? How would you mix this into your life?
My favorite health things for the week
// one
Ten Healthy Snacks under 100 Calories
7 minutes | Magnus Method
“I don’t know what to eat that’s healthy”
This is the most common thing I hear from clients.
Here’s a quick video to help you brainstorm and think about possibilities.
Even if you don’t copy these recipes exactly, it can give you some ideas for what you can do.
// two
A Powerful Snack for When You Feel Bloated
5 minutes | Natalie Rizzo M.S., R.D.
TL;DR: It’s a Pineapple Green Smoothie
Mix pineapples, leafy greens (like spinach) into a shake
You can add chia seeds or ginger to help with the digestion
In the end, it’s about getting way more fiber to help your body.
// three
A Diet to Mimic Fasting (Without Fasting)
8 minutes | Kim Schewitz
(This one is for more advanced readers)
It’s called a Fasting Mimicking Diet or FMD.
It works by doing a five-day-fast period which is:
high in unsaturated fats
low in protein
low in carbohydrates
Example:
Vegetable based soups
Nuts and Seeds
Avocados and Fruits
Black Tea or Coffee
This is just one study, but it’s still interesting to see that the benefits of fasting can come from other protocols too
Until next time
Thanks as usual for reading.
If you have any questions or would like to chat about health, feel free to reply this email! I’d love to talk
Have a Healthy Weekend