April 1998

How to control food cravings
with exercise

If you have found yourself working out hard only to come home and clean the refrigerator - and I don't mean with a sponge - it may be time to take another look at your workouts.

Last month, we talked about how to use nutrition to balance the levels of serotonin and dopamine in your brain to control food cravings.

When your serotonin level is low, you will be more susceptible to crave carbohydrates and to drink alcohol, smoke, or indulge some other addiction. But serotonin is only part of the picture.

When your dopamine level is high, you are likely to feel anxious, aggressive, and have difficulty sleeping. Low dopamine can cause depression and exhaustion.

Ideally, you will want to have balanced levels of serotonin to combat depression and enough dopamine to feel alert enough to enjoy your life.

Exercise to Boost Low Serotonin

Engaging in high intensity exercise may only make you feel worse, both mentally and physically, if you haven't had the proper rest or nutrition. If you feel physically wiped out and are eating for energy or to stave off depression, you can rejuvenate your mind and body by:

• Walking in nature
• Stretching
• Practicing yoga or Tai Chi
• Trying low impact aerobics
• Lifting light weights with high reps

Exercises That Temporarily Lower Dopamine and Raise Serotonin

Because carbohydrates are natural tranquilizers, many of us turn to cakes, ice cream, and cookies when we feel anxious, only to feel worse afterwards. A better way to lower dopamine:

• Jogging, rowing, stairmaster
• High-exertion weight lifting
• Interval training

Listen To Your Body

Because anyone can alternate from a low serotonin, high-dopamine (depressed and anxious) to a low serotonin, low-dopamine (exhausted and wiped out) state, tune into your frame of mind as you plan your workout for the day.

Try yoga after an exhausting day at work to restore your mind and body. When you have anxiety to burn off, go for a run or lift heavy weights.

My business, Total Fitness, is about helping you achieve balance - not just flexibility, body composition, strength, and endurance - but also quality of life. Discipline doesn't mean inflexibility - it means treating yourself with love and intelligence.

According to my book, Healing Depression, exercise has been found to be as effective as group therapy for improving your mood. The idea of a dumb jock is a false stereotype. A person on a stationary bicycle has more brain activity than someone watching an educational video. Working out has been proven to improve your creativity.

How Shaklee Nutrition Can Help

Dietary intake of protein and carbohydrates can have a profound influence on brain serotonin levels. A typical diet provides about 1 to 1.5 grams of tryptophan, the amino acid precursor of serotonin. Usually, if you eat protein and carbohydrates together, this small amount of tryptophan has difficulty crossing the blood-brain barrier.

Best way to boost the levels of amino acids in your brain you need to feel calm, happy, and control cravings:

Take Shaklee Soy Energizing Protein with water, ice and/or juice first thing in the morning. Use it again in the afternoon if you feel yourself feeling exhausted or anxious. I like mixing mine with ice - a delicious and healthy alternative to ice cream!

Shaklee protein shakes contain a complete balance of all your essential amino acids. Unlike many other high protein foods, these shakes are quickly and easily assimilated by the body. For example, dairy products are not necessarily a great source of calcium or protein because about 30 percent of the population has difficulty digesting milk and cheese.

You would have to eat four eggs - about 280 calories - to get the same amount of protein in just two servings of Shaklee protein - for 220 calories, with only 2 grams of fat and 0 cholesterol.

If you would like something else for breakfast, wait at least 30 minutes to allow the amino acids in the protein to cross the blood-brain barrier. Then try a high-fiber, complex carbohydrate like oatmeal, which will enable your brain to boost your level of serotonin.

Taking the protein alone will balance your blood sugar for four hours afterwards. This is the key for anyone trying to lose weight or avoid food cravings.

Try the Shaklee protein alone or split your breakfast into two parts this way and watch your cravings disappear!

Yet Another Reason For Water

One author believes that low tryptophan, the amino acid precursor to serotonin, may be related to dehydration.

Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, M.D., author of Your Body's Many Cries for Water, says that your tryptophan level drops every time you get thirsty. Maybe that is why so many of us have difficulty distinguishing whether we are hungry or whether we really need something to drink!

Osteoporosis and Protein

According to The Nutrition Action Newsletter, each gram of protein raises calcium excretion by 1 to 1.5 mg. Shaklee protein shakes contain 50 percent of your Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of calcium.

Many Americans consume too much protein, along with too much sodium and caffeine, which also lead to the excretion of calcium, and too few vegetables, which affects the acid-alkaline ratio of your body. You need a minimum of 4 grams protein per every 10 pounds of body weight, and maybe 2 to 3 times that amount if you are under stress or working out regularly.

If you are concerned about osteoporosis, eat your veggies, exercise regularly, and take Shaklee Calcium-Magnesium.

Last year, several watch-dog groups sued companies that were selling Cal-mag tablets with illegal levels of lead. With Shaklee, you know you are getting the very best - the most bioavailable products at the best price.

For further information about Shaklee nutrition, Brain Gym, Touch for Health, and personal fitness training, feel free to contact me. Go to Ctherine Carrigan's Total Fitness home page.