May is Mental Health Awareness month and we’re giving you some of the best ways to RESET your routine and feel better - both physically and mentally - naturally! Check out the list below and see if you can find a new thing to try adding to your Ritual!
Snack Smarter
This phrase comes around a lot, especially when you’re talking about counting calories. But I’m not looking at calories here - I’m talking about body smarts. For example, did you know strawberries and blueberries have been shown to reduce the risk of a heart attack? Researchers found that in a study of women ranging in ages between 25 and 42 who ate three servings of the fruits a week, reduced the risk of heart attack by 34 percent compared to those who ate strawberries and blueberries once a month or less. Also, strawberries contain malic acid, which acts as a natural stain remover for teeth!
We’ve all seen articles about the health benefits of dark chocolate, but on top of all those benefits - did you know that dark chocolate can help sharpen your mind? A study conducted in England showed that those participating in the study that were given high levels of cocoa flavanol performed significantly better in math problems given to them than the control portion of the experiment. Researchers point to the flavanols, noting that they help improve blood flow to the brain. Also, that theory about chocolate taking the edge of stress? A study done by researchers in Switzerland showed that giving 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate to subjects who complained of extreme stress each day, proved to lower their stress hormones after two weeks.
What have you been snacking on lately?
Incorporate RESET Function CBG into your snack regimen which may support digestion for all those chips you may or may not have been snacking on.
Venture Outdoors
As summer is fast approaching and the days getting longer, there’s no better time than now to plan a camping trip or even just a hike through your favorite trail! Studies have shown that being around nature - trees, not just urban landscapes - can help improve cognitive function.
Japanese researchers found that an entire day spent in a forest can decrease adrenaline and cortisol concentrations up to a week, as well as boosting immune functions. Now, if you don’t have an entire day to dedicate to exploring the woods, other research has shown that simply an hour in a park can improve memory and attention span. So grab your best walking shoes and your dog’s leash and spend some time out in the sun!
The Vitamin D provided by that summer sunlight supports cardiovascular, bone, and immune system health. Plus, did you know that sunlight can activate areas in your eyes? When sunlight hits your retina, it sends the signal to the brain to release serotonin. Light therapy has become a very popular way to combat seasonal affective disorder at home with lights that mimic natural sunlight. So if you’re looking for that bit of sunlight in your life but live in an overcast area, investing in a sunlight lamp could be a good way to go!
Get Some Sleep
This might be an obvious one, but research has shown that thinking too hard for long periods of time or overloading yourself with information could affect your energy levels throughout the day, making you feel worse. The National Institutes of Mental Health suggested that taking a 60-minute long nap could reverse those effects, and also could help your memory! Getting regular sleep can also encourage better heart health and increase vaccine responses within your body. Not only will you feel more awake, but studies have shown that getting more than four hours of sleep per night leads to higher levels of optimism - which is never a bad thing!
If you want to learn more about the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep and ways to encourage better sleeping habits in our National Sleep Week blog post.
Is sleeping feeling too difficult right now? We know it can be tough sometimes-- try RESET Restore CBN to support better sleep and relaxation (it even won a Men’s Health Award!) so you can feel better naturally!
Start Your Day off Right
After a great night’s sleep, starting your morning off on the right foot could do wonders for how you feel on a day-to-day basis. Step one? Get out of bed and open those curtains. Sunlight is a natural signal for our body to wake up, which is why it’s so annoying to sleep with open windows. Our body’s circadian rhythm will take cues from the light we’re surrounded by and produces melatonin based on that, which is why you’re always urged to leave phones out of the bedroom - the blue light messes with your sleep.
The next step is a simple one, make your bed! Even the smallest tasks to check off your list can do amazing things to how you feel on a day-to-day basis. Making your bed requires enough energy to tell your brain that you have to wake up and be ready for the day. And try to stop hitting snooze! Research has shown that short bursts of sleep - like moments between your alarms - interrupt your REM cycle and could even cause higher blood pressure or stress responses.
After you make your bed, grab a serving of our RESET Function CBG to start your day off with its great bright citrus flavor, and give your body the boost it needs to get your day started.
Grab a Cup of Coffee or Tea
The highlight of most people’s mornings. Coffee is a great way to wake up quickly, but did you know the other health benefits that coffee has? A single cup of coffee contains Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Manganese, and Potassium among other extremely important nutrients that come directly from the bean. It’s also been shown in some studies that most people in the Western hemisphere get more antioxidants from coffee than fruits and vegetables.
Now if you’re not a coffee drinker, never fear, because tea still has up to 50mg of caffeine, and caffeine itself has been known to have some added bonuses. On top of giving you a boost of energy, caffeine stimulates the nervous system and increases adrenaline levels in your blood system. When going through the nervous system, it is telling fat cells to break down body fat to release into your bloodstream to be used as fuel. Which makes caffeine a natural way to improve your physical performance.
To add even more of a natural boost, drop a serving of our RESET Foundation Broadspectrum formula to your morning cup of coffee or tea for some added mood support to put an extra pep in your step!
Make Sure to Move
Exercise has been proven to have positive mental and physical results, making it one of the easiest ways to feel better naturally. And if your schedule is too tight to go to the gym every day - studies have shown that short bouts of exercise - up to 10 minutes - through everyday activities can have the same benefits as spending at least 30 minutes at the gym! Even taking a ten-minute walk on your lunch break or dancing in your living room to your favorite song can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, plus you don’t even have to battle someone at the gym for your favorite machine.
Remember that recovery (whether it’s a hardcore workout or you finally scrubbing your bathtub) is important! Recover better with Unflavored or Fresh Mint RESET Balance CBD for mind and body balance.
