So you probably already know this that when you are busy you seem to have time for everything, yet when you have loads of time you don’t seem to get anything done. Unsurprisingly that’s why it’s often said ‘when you need something done quickly, give it to a busy person’

Why are we talking about that on a health channel you ask?  Well there’s lots of evidence to suggest that the busier you are the healthier you will be in your physical and mental health so in today’s Health Fix we’re talking about HAVING PURPOSE, it’s effect on your levels of dopamine, and three additional tips for increasing your baseline level of dopamine to help with motivation and it’s effect your physical and mental health.

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I’m Rob, and this is The Health Fix! Just quickly before we get into it, do me a favour, so I can do you a favour – click that subscribe button and enable notifications so that you don’t miss out on future NO-nonsense to the point Health & Fitness Optimisation tips and tricks. OK, Let’s get started!

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Firstly, let’s define having purpose. For the purposes of this discussion, we are not talking about some deep philosophy or the meaning of life, but relating specifically to having a routine that involves working towards something with a medium to long-term goal.

You might be thinking ‘but I don’t have anything that interests me right now’. – And the thing is, that might be true, but it’s also likely not. Ideally there is an activity or target in a field of interest to you that you can pursue, but your ‘current purpose’ can also be made up of more arbitrary concepts, or habits to adopt. 

Your goal could be something related to a passion that you have in a particular topic, or could be a target within your work or career. It could be something more arbitrary or random, like achieving a level of ability with a new hobby or skill (even a seemingly useless skill if it’s interesting or entertaining for you), or it could be something specific relating towards your health and fitness. The goal should require consistent but doable levels of input and work, and that the timeframe is more in the manner of weeks and months rather than minutes and hours. Essentially, choosing something that is important and significant for YOU at this point in your life and working towards it.

Now, here’s the thing which is quite amazing. Studies have shown that people with a sense of purpose are more likely to succeed in attaining maintaining their physical and physiological health than those that have no purpose at all. At the same time, this sense of purpose, along with the routine and structure that it inevitably requires, goes along way to improving your mental health, reducing the likelihood of depression, and sharpening and maintaining your cognition throughout the various stages of life. 

So once you have decided on and stated your current goals, we now need to address the motivation and discipline element that will influence your adherence and consistency. One of the biggest currencies in that equation is the hormone or neurotransmitter – DOPAMINE.

So here’s 3 tips for increasing baseline dopamine that should help you with drive, motivation, and equally significantly, reducing procrastination.

1. Get sunlight in your eyes early in the morning. – Early daylight exposure causes the release of dopamine and when done consistently, you will generate more dopamine receptors helping you to reap the benefit of a new higher baseline. . If you’re up to it, take a 1-3 minute cold shower, as cold as you can safely tolerate, as well; this is known to increase baseline dopamine for hours dramatically.

1. Eat tyrosine rich foods – Tyrosine is an amino acid that serves as a precursor to dopamine, so consuming a diet rich in tyrosine can help support your body’s natural production of dopamine. The best sources of tyrosine are red meats and fermented hard cheeses.

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1. Avoid social media and video games –  Now this doesn’t mean that you can’t stay connected or enjoy a sporadic gaming session but rather, avoid making doom scrolling a routine. In the modern world, short form video content and quick attacks on your attention via provocative posts, are one of the effective ways to mess with your dopamine regulation. Use media intentionally and in limited amounts.

1. Here’s a bonus one for the brave – COLD PLUNGES! – Yes,adding cold showers or ice baths (for as little as 2 to 4 minutes) each day, will have a profound and lasting positive effect on your baseline dopamine, it’s effect on your motivation and drive – and thats without going into the many benefits for physical recovery and metabolic efficiency. For best results combine this activity immediately after your dose morning sunlight.

One last thing to note is that as activity elicits more activity (and it’s positive effects on dopamine), and having no sense of purpose has the opposite and negative effects (hence the reduced level of drive), using the tools I just mentioned to help you structure your day can be a good place to start, even if you are still figuring out the goals that are relevant to you at this current time.

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Thats it for this one – Once again, If you found this useful or interesting be sure to subscribe to the channel, and if you know someone that will benefit from this video, please share it! I want to help as many people on the planet regain their birthright to optimal health!

Thanks again for watching, and I’ll see – you – next – time! 👋🏼

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