Nutrition and exercise 'just as important for mood as physical health'
Eating a nutritious diet and getting plenty of exercise is not just good for the physical health; it can also improve a person's mood during the winter months.That is according to nutritional therapist and yoga expert Charlotte Watts, who suggested that regular exposure to sunlight all year round is crucial to keep up serotonin levels.
The co-author of The De-Stress Diet, also written by Anna Magee, suggested the key is to move around outside whenever possible, even if this is a ten-minute walk at lunch time.
When it comes to food, she suggested: "Nutritionally, what is really important throughout all of this is that blood sugar is balanced, so you're not getting those highs and lows, which leave you reaching for more sugar.
"Regulating blood sugar is really important because when serotonin tends to be low, it tends to make us crave sugar," she added.
Previous research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has shown that short bouts of stair climbing throughout the day can have a noticeable impact on cardiovascular health in previously sedentary young women.
