BOOST YOUR FOCUS – KEMO MARRIOTT, HOLISTIC MOTIONS
Boost your focus with these nutrition tips.
We all need focus. Focus is what allows us to perform at our best. Imagine you’re motivating your team to push through the final stages of an M&A deal. The due diligence at this stage is important. If you and your team lose focus for just a second, you could miss something vital.
Miss one tiny detail and you could live to regret it months or even years down the line.
If you lose focus, you lose effectiveness. Losing focus can often be a result of the nutritional choices we make on a daily basis.
Food is Oversimplified
“Food is Fuel!” We’ve all heard this before. But, this really does not do food any justice. In fact, it is almost of an insult to the complexity of human physiology.
Food is information. It’s communication. It’s a set of instructions that you give your body to function.
We need to think of foods as the nutrients they contain:
- Micronutrients (Vitamins and Minerals)
- Phytonutrients (found in plants)
- Zoochemicals (found in animals)
Here are some of their roles:
- Some tell the body to boost our own natural antioxidant defense systems.
- Others help our antioxidant defense systems do their job.
- Some tell the body to make enzymes that devour cancer.
- Others attack cancer directly.
By simplifying food, we have become deficient in many of these and the effects they have on our body. By not paying attention to the detail, we’ve lost focus on what our body needs.
These deficiencies are preventing you from maximising your focus. Here are 5 foods to tackle them:
Eat Leafy Greens
Studies have shown that people who eat two or more daily servings of leafy greens, have the mental focus of people five years their junior. Imagine if you could have the mental sharpness you had 5 years ago.
Pro tip: Have a big salad for lunch; serve some sautéed spinach at dinner.
Start Your Day With Whole Grains
Studies show that eating a breakfast of whole grains helps sustain mental focus. Even better than a morning meal of refined carbohydrates (like white bread). Starting your day with whole grains has even shown to beat skipping breakfast.
Pro tip: Give these a try – whole-grain cereal with milk or eggs with whole-wheat toast.
Get Some (Good) Fat in You
Monounsaturated fats in avocados help support information-carrying nerves in the brain.
Pro tip: Try this simple recipe to kick-start your day: cut an avocado in half. Crack an egg into the avocado where the seed sits. Sprinkle some salt, pepper and cumin. Bake it in the oven and you’re good to go.
The All Important Omega-3s
Walnuts are full of omega-3 fatty acids. They provide the fuel to maintain concentration for hours. They’re the building blocks for sharpening the mind.
Pro tip: Keep a bag of walnuts handy at the office. The next time you feel like having a bag crisps try having a handful of walnuts instead. It’ll boost your focus and keep your hunger in check until you get home for dinner.
Energy Boosting Fish
Along with salmon, mackerel is another solid seafood option to keep you alert. It’s high in vitamin B12, a water-soluble vitamin that produces energy. In fact, a 3-ounce piece of mackerel contains up to 123% of the daily value of B12. This vitamin is your friend when it comes to focus.
Pro tip: Order yourself a roasted salmon or mackerel dish the next time you’re out for lunch.
These are just a few of the simple changes you can make to the food you eat to boost your energy and focus. Give one a try and see how your body reacts. The results might just surprise you.
Kemo Marriott
Founder of Holistic Motions
On 5th April 2016, Holistic Motions are opening enrolment to their Corporate Athlete Program. 5 Successful candidates will achieve their best state of health, productivity and body composition. As part of this Fresh Fitness Foods will proudly be supplying the delicious meals. As the program will be oversubscribed, we highly recommend you to get onto the VIP List.
