Blog Post #2 – How Does Physical Activity and Nutrition Impact Individual Brain Chemistry?

I am looking forward to exploring this very applicable topic in the realm of personal health and well-being. This exploration is conducted with the goal of providing general answers to a topic touched on time and time again by every health conscious individual.

Research Step 1 – How does physical activity and nutrition affect body image? Is this the sole cause of issues such as body dysmorphia?

The fact that poor body image has become one of the most prevalent issues among youth and adults in recent years is increasingly alarming. However, the root cause is made out to be a variety of factors. This question aims to explore the role that two key players (fitness and nutrition) play in body image awareness. Does a “healthy” relationship with food and exercise always lead to some form of eating disorder or ongoing body dysmorphia? And how does social media play into this narrative, preaching a wide variety of ill-informed information?

Research Step 2 – How has society made getting adequate nutrition and physical activity less of a priority over the years? How does a sedentary lifestyle affect mental health?

The food industry is well known to market its way into creating physiologically disrupting food products available to the masses. Additionally, the all-too-common 9-5 corporate lifestyle is seen as the “standard” occupation and way of life nowadays. Therefore, this predicament is bound to cause negative health outcomes as proper nutrient consumption and ability to consistently be moving around is vital to longevity of health. What can the general population do to narrowly avoid the influx of chronic pain and disease that has sprung about since the birth of ultra-processed food products? In some way shape or form, this has created space for brain deterioration over time; a true marker of society’s failure to care for its people.

Research Step 3 – What is the most evolutionarily suitable diet for longevity of the brain? What does diet culture disinformation say about capitalism as a whole?

From keto to pescatarian, carnivore to vegan, and paleo to clean; diets never fail to run rampant in modern days. Nonetheless, is there a diet that creates sustainable health of the brain, and in what part is this due to the gut-brain axis? Perhaps the perfect diet persistently becomes no diet at all? Diet culture has manifested itself as a problematic aspect of society as a whole. It’s entire aim is to create the perfect storm of believable misinformation for the masses, intrinsically enforcing unhealthy and disordered eating patterns to impressionable audiences. Does this fact point to capitalism as the main driver of this behaviour and believability? How have fad-like diets positively contributed to the economy, but negatively inflicted poor mental health among its citizens?