This is How to Increase your Motivation to get you through COVID-19 Lockdown!
Written by Benjamin Semmens, Registered Nutritionist (BHSc)
Are you struggling with motivation and don’t know what to do about it? What’s the deal with bone broth… why is everyone drinking it? maybe you suffer from skin irritation or a skin condition and need help?
In this week’s edition of 3 question Friday our head nutritionist ben will teach you some easy ways to increase your motivation, whether you should be drinking bone broth or not, and the science behind hemp seed oil in improving skin conditions!
Congratulations to Paul, Rosie, and Craig who all won $20 gift vouchers just for asking Ben a question! You can send your questions to ben@13seeds.com.au
This week’s questions are:
- Paul explained “I’m currently in lockdown and need help with motivation!?”
- Rosie was curious “What’s the go with bone broth? Is it actually healthy?”
- Craig wanted to know “Can hemp seed oil help with skin conditions?”
1. I’m currently in lockdown and need help with motivation!?
The world is a crazy place right now! We are currently facing unprecedented circumstances and many of us are having to quarantine due to the COVID-19 virus.
Being isolated from our normal lives can have huge consequences, not only on your mental health and physical health, but also your motivation too!
Currently, many people are struggling with motivation while they get through lockdowns and quarantines. Feeling motivated can be even more difficult if you have a mental health condition such as depression or anxiety.
No need to worry though as motivation is a skill that can be learned by anyone!
What is motivation?
Motivation is the reason for acting or behaving in a particular way. Motivation can help to explain your behaviours, such as why you want to do something, how much you want something, what you will gain from something and can also explain your own personal expectations.
Why is motivation important?
Motivation is important because it helps to:
- Give you goals to work towards
- Helps you to solve problems
- Supports healthy habits
- Helps you to manage challenges and opportunities
How to get motivated!
There are some simple tools that you can use to help boost your motivation and improve your mood!
1. Set yourself a specific and achievable goal to work towards
2. Use a diary or calendar to figure out how to manage your time to be able to use your time effectively to work towards your goal
3. Large goals can be overwhelming. If it’s a large goal, then break it down into smaller, easier goals.
4. Tell your friends and family about your goals to encourage them to keep you motivated.
Ways to stay motivated!
1. Write down your daily goals and tick them off as you go (this boosts the reward system in your brain dopamine).
2. Positive self-talk - play catch with your feelings when you say something negative about yourself, and flip it to something positive (eg. I didn’t do xyz, instead think about all the things you did achieve!).
3. Try to find the fun in your work or activities you participate in to make them more engaging.
4. Find meaning by focusing on the value and purpose of a task and how it helps yourself and others.
5. Keep challenging yourself by creating new goals or by increasing the difficulty of your current goals.
6. Help other people out when you can as it can help to reduce stress as well as improve mood, self-esteem, and happiness!
7. Create a list of things you genuinely love to do or have always wanted to do and choose something on the list to do whenever you have time or are feeling uninspired or unmotivated.
8. Before starting a task, visualise a time that you felt proud and accomplished and focus on those feelings as you work to conquer the task.
Take-home message
If you’re struggling with motivation you’re not alone! Many people are struggling with COVID-19 restrictions. The good news is that motivation is skill that can be learned over time that everyone is capable of!
Start with small achievable goals and slowly work your way towards bigger goals. You’ll be surprised how much capable you are – you got this!
2. Rosie was curious “What’s the go with bone broth? is actually healthy?
Bone broth is all the rage these days with bone broth advocates suggesting that it can be used to improve skin health, hair health, digestive health, immune heath, joint health, fight inflammation and assist in weight loss.
However, is there any solid evidence to support these claims or is bone broth just the latest diet fad?
Bone broth is a stock that is prepared by simmering the bones and connective tissue of animals that has been used in food preparation since prehistoric times.
Bone broth is commonly used in soups, sauces, and gravies, however more recently people are consuming bone broth as a regular part of their diet as a way of improving their health.
The reason for these reported health claims are that bone broth contains an abundance of nutrients such as collagen, amino acids, and minerals that are extracted from the animal bones during the slow-cooking process.
Currently there is a lack of evidence to suggest that consuming amino acids and minerals from bone broth is more beneficial that consuming these nutrients from other foods in the diet.
Bone broth contains important amino acids for collagen production that include glycine, proline and lysine that are important for healthy skin, muscles, bones, and joints.
Bone broth also contain glutamine that has a role in supporting gut health.
However, one study suggests that bone broth does not contain these nutrients in larger amounts than any other animal protein sources (1).
When we consume collagen, our body then breaks down collagen into individual amino acids (building blocks of proteins).
These amino acids act like any other amino acids consumed in the diet, that are used for many bodily functions and may not be necessary used exclusively for healthy bones, joints, and skin.
The truth is you don’t really need to supplement with these nutrients as they can simply be consumed in the diet by eating protein rich foods and whole-foods that such as fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole-grains.
Furthermore, in February 2016 TIME magazine issued an article titled “Science Can't Explain Why Everyone is Drinking Bone Broth” where Dr. William H. stated that ““The idea that because bone broth or stock contains collagen it somehow translates to collagen in the human body is nonsensical,”
While, Percy, an associate professor and biomedical scientist at the University of South Dakota explained that “Collagen is actually a pretty poor source of amino acids,”
To further support this claim, a 2017 study published in the journal Food and Nutrition Research reported that bone broth was also a poor source of calcium and magnesium (2).
Take-home message
There is a lack of evidence to suggest that bone broth is superior to other foods in providing nutrients for skin, bone, muscle, and gut health.
While bone broth contains amino acids and essential minerals that may be beneficial for people who are deficient, there may be a null benefit to a healthy person who gets enough of these nutrients from a well-balanced diet.
In saying that, bone broth is delicious and there isn’t any real harm in consuming it. However, it may be best to lower your expectations around bone broth radically improving your health!
3. Craig: Can hemp seed oil help with skin conditions?
Hemp seed oil is rich in essential fatty acids that are required from the diet as they cannot be made by the body.
Hemp seed oil contains essential fatty acids such as alpha-linolenic (ALA), a type of omega 3 fatty acid and linoleic acid (LA), a type of omega 6 fatty acid.
Hemp seed oil also contains high amounts of another type of omega 3 fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) found in very few foods in this amount.
Essential fatty acids have an important role in regulating inflammation that may help to protect the skin and be beneficial for skin conditions (3).
1. Acne
Acne is an inflammatory skin condition. Hemp seed oil may help to reduce acne due to the anti-inflammatory properties of omega 3 fatty acids (4, 5).
Multiple studies have shown that omega 3 fatty acids can be beneficial in reducing acne (6, 7, 8, 9).
2. Dermatitis
Dermatitis is a condition where the skin becomes irritated. Omega 3 fatty acids may help to improve skin health by keeping moisture in and blocking skin irritants.
Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) can help to support skin barrier function in people who have dry skin and dermatitis (10).
A 2005 study of 20 people with atopic dermatitis found that hemp seed oil improved fatty acid levels in the body and improved symptoms of atopic dermatitis (11).
3. Psoriasis
Psoriasis is an inflammatory autoimmune condition that typically results in whitish-silver scales that develop in thick red patches on the skin.
A 2015 study found that omega 3 supplements can be beneficial in the treatment of psoriasis (12, 13).
4. Skin irritation and Skin barrier function
Omega 3 fatty acids may also help with skin sensitivity and improve skin barrier. A 12-week study completed in 2011 found that essential fatty acids significantly reduced skin irritation, skin roughness and scaly skin (14).
Take home message
Essential fatty acids found in large amounts in hemp seed can be beneficial for protecting the skin barrier and may be beneficial for skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, and dermatitis.
Hemp seed oil is a natural product and should be considered as a common part of the diet in supporting skin health. You can also find essential fatty acids in fatty fish (eg. sardines, salmon, mackerel) and algae.
If you have any questions or need support with your health, feel free to email our head nutritionist Ben at ben@13seeds.com.au
Disclaimer:
This article does not constitute medical advice and does not take into consideration your personal circumstances. Please see your medical professional before implementing the above
References:
- https://www.westmont.edu/sites/default/files/users/user1231/V19No4/Nick%20Flynn_final.pdf
- https://europepmc.org/article/med/28804437
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12480795/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24505395/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3780801/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2577647/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3543297/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24553997/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20338665/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22123240/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16019622/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4134971/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3133503/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21088453/
