eTCH ideas and solutions for young kiwis

Good mood and good food go hand in hand! At about this time of year many people are feeling like they need something to snap them out of the winter slump of weight gain, tiredness and lack of motivation. Well, this may be as easy as changing your diet. There are many factors that contribute to the winter blues including a drop in the feel good neurotransmitter serotonin. Good food choices can combat this by providing nutrients that boost your energy and brighten your day.

Folic acid: (200-500mcg /day) Increasing dietary intake of folic acid can increase serotonin levels in the brain. Eating more green leafy vegetables like Spinach or legumes like lentils will raise your folic acid intake.

Tryptophan: + complex carbohydrates. Tryptophan is a pre-cursor to serotonin and is an essential amino acid found in foods such as chicken, turkey, fish or legumes. When tryptophan rich foods are combined with complex carbohydrates like brown rice or wholegrain bread your body will produce more serotonin.

Capsaicin: If you aren’t earning your endorphins with exercise, a cheat’s way is to consume a meal with around 15g of fresh red or green chilli. Eating chilli peppers tricks your body into releasing endorphins, leaving you feeling great.

To combine folic acid, tryptophan, complex carbohydrates and capsaicin in one meal, try a spicy lentil chilli served on rice for a healthy meal to warm you up and boost your serotonin and endorphin levels in one go.

Felicity Daniels, BSc Human Nutrition and Psychology
Results Nutrition Centre
http://www.rnc.co.nz/

Self criticism, why do we do it and how do we stop it?

Self criticism is one of the worst forms of criticism there is. Who else is better at telling you how, fat, and ugly, stupid or incapable you are then YOU? Self criticism is something that lowers our self esteem by confirming beliefs that we hold within our subconscious minds. So how does it work? And how easy is it to change our thoughts patterns so that we can hold positive and encouraging dialogue with ourselves and ultimately change our beliefs? This article aims to answer these questions.

What is self criticism?

Self criticism is the negative internal dialogue that you hold with yourself within your mind. It is the voice that is constantly judging, comparing, abusing and being negative.

How does it work?

Each of us holds a personal belief system which is made up of our values and laws that we use to bounce ideas off to make personal decisions. It is the responsibility of our subconscious mind to communicate with our conscious mind to decide on our behaviour, thoughts and feelings.

When you believe something, your mind will actively search out information to support you, even when this belief is negative. This is done by your sub-conscious asking the conscious mind to ‘keep a look out’ for things that will determine the belief as true.

When these belief systems are negative, such as ‘I am fat and unlovable’ our minds become biased and begin to interpret neutral information into supporting evidence.
The more information we find to support these beliefs the more we reassure ourselves that we are right.

These negative beliefs are also termed limiting beliefs and are limiting because they are not true. They are simply just beliefs.

Where does it come from?

Self criticism can come from early childhood experiences deriving from issues of abandonment, neglect and abuse. However, it is not necessary to have been through childhood trauma to experience low self esteem and forms of self criticism. Some people are naturally harder on themselves such as high achievers and ‘Type A Personalities’. “Type A individuals can be described as impatient, excessively time-conscious, insecure about their status, highly competitive, hostile and aggressive, and incapable of relaxation” (en.wikipedia.org).

Who can change it?

Fortunately, the power of change to your life lives within your own hands. You have every tool you need to change your life. All you need is an open and willing mind and a bit of time and energy for dedication.

How do we change it?

The key is awareness. A lot of people get stuck in old habits and are totally unaware they are doing the things they do. If you can become aware of when you are verbally beating yourself up you can actively make the choice to stop.

Instead of saying ‘you’re fat and ugly’ try saying ‘you look nice today’. Even if you don’t believe it, your mind will begin to change. Every time it hears something nice about itself, it goes out to support the statement and eventually starts to build a series of self-evidence.

Think of your mind as a friend. You wouldn’t let your best friend judge and abuse you so don’t treat yourself in this way.

Have the relationship with yourself that you would like to have with others, kind, compassionate, considerate and understanding.

A simple Exercise

1. Start be writing down three things you would like to believe about yourself for example I am worthy of true love, I am a beautiful and creative person, I am happy and I deserve happiness.

2. Print this out and put it in places where you will read it often for example stick it on the mirror you get changed in front of, on the fridge, on the toilet door.

3. When you catch yourself being negative, say those three things to yourself five times until the negative dialogue disappears.

4. Do this every time you hear your self put you down until you no longer talk to yourself in a negative way.

Simple daily exercises can change the way you think. When you are being positive you force your perception of the world and your internal beliefs to be positive.

For help with this subject visit Janice Davies at www.attitudespecialist.co.nz

From the conventional Nifty Fifty to a Retro Styling Vino the metropolitan ‘mopede’ is making an impression on New Zealand’s city dwellers. The number of scooters registered in New Zealand has more than doubled over the past five years according to Land Transport New Zealand. Introduced to counteract with increased car emissions and petrol prices mopeds are easy on fuel economy, cheap to run and easy to maneuver.

The Quick Facts:

Mopeds are ideal for urban living and can save you up to $3500 a year on petrol (based on the 1800cc motor car) and $3000 a year on parking fees. Most major cities allow for the free parking of moped’s but make sure you check the rules and regulations of your local Council. The standard 50cc moped runs approximately 100km to 2 liters of petrol as apposed to the standard 1800cc motor car that runs approximately 100km to 8.2 liters.

What defines a ‘moped’?

A moped is a scooter with a capacity of 50cc or less, a maximum of 2KW and designed with a maximum speed of 50km/h. Moped’s must be registered with Land Transport New Zealand, you need a valid New Zealand Drivers License and does not require a Warrant of Fitness. Anything over 50cc needs to be registered as a motor cycle and requires a New Zealand Motorcycle License.

So what are the pros and cons of owning a Moped in New Zealand?

—–The Pros—–

Mopeds are more fuel efficient– The standard 50cc moped runs approximately 100km to 2 liters of petrol as apposed to the standard 1800cc motor car that runs approximately 100km to 8.2 liters of petrol.

Mopeds have low maintenance costs – No warrant of fitness is necessary, registration is $73.45 annually, it costs around $50 for a new tyre and batteries need replacing once every 2-3 years.

Mopeds are cheaper than cars – The standard 50cc is usually priced between $2200 and $2400 new or around $1600 second hand. Mopeds also enjoy free inner city parking (make sure you check the rules and regulations of your local Council) and do not require a warrant of fitness.

Environmentally friendly – less fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Road Rules and Regulations – Mopeds only require a standard New Zealand Drivers License, can travel in Bus Lanes and are easy to ride, maneuver and park.

——The Cons—–

Mopeds have limited road access –You cannot ride a moped on the motorway.

Mopeds are exposed – Riding a moped means having to ride in the whether, rain, hail or shine.

Motor Cars are faster – Mopeds have a limited speed of 50 kilometers.

Mopeds are hard to value – Mopeds do not require a VIN number and are identified officially by their chassis number and registration plates. Land Transport NZ never sees the moped and therefore without any proof people can register their moped as having any year of manufacture, colour and specification. Old mopeds are often registered and sold as newer mopeds.

If you own or are thinking of buying a moped in New Zealand make sure that you have a standard moped and not a scooter or a motorcycle. There are bikes available to the New Zealand market that looks like Mopeds but travel faster than the allowable speed due to identically fitted engines but with different gear ratios. These bikes should be registered as a Motorcycle as it is illegal to register a motorcycle as a moped.

For more information on Moped Rules and Regulations visit Land Transport New Zealand at www.landtransport.govt.nz