5 Science-backed Health Hacks To Amplify Productivity For New Writers!
Waking up early to write is no longer a necessity
Every new writer finds themselves straddling the fine line between publishing good-quality posts while having enough time to rest, recuperate and take care of their health. Fortunately, the human body is surprisingly responsive to minor tweaks and even the little changes you make in your daily routine can go a long way in boosting productivity.
Pictured below, are the five components that you should take care of, to enjoy peak health whilst juggling day jobs with a writing side hustle.
The following post attempts to shed light on science-backed techniques that improve all these five tenets of health, increasing productivity manifold and helping you write daily with alarming ease, because let’s face it, writing is a tedious task, with all the research and pressure to make every post count!
1. Brain function
Dietary basics: omega-3-fatty acids; anti-inflammatory foods, vitamin-B complex sources
Omega-3-fatty acids: Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as omega-3-fatty acids make up 20% of brain volume. An exhaustive study carried out in 2020¹ revealed vastly lowered risks of dementia, depression, and heightened brain functioning linked with the ingestion of omega-3s. Some incredible sources include fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts, and eggs.
Here are some ways to add omega-3s to your diet:
-Take two scrambled eggs for breakfast (2 eggs equal to 180 mg of omega-3s)
-Add two tablespoons of ground flaxseeds to your breakfast oatmeal
-Soak chia seeds in water overnight, and have it on an empty stomach the next morning
-Snack on a fistful of walnuts as a mid-morning snack if fruits make you gassy
-Blitz in a cup of kale in your morning smoothie
-Add avocadoes to your salad lunch
-Prepare curries or stews with kidney beans and have it with rice for lunch
Anti-inflammatory foods: Anti-inflammatory foods are rich in antioxidants and flavonoids that break down damaging free radicals and improve brain health, helping you experience a heightened sense of cognition and alertness. A study has found that people who regularly consume berries on a daily basis are able to focus better and memorize stuff. ² Particularly, blueberries top the list of flavonoid-rich foods. In fact, this study shows that children who consume wild blueberries experienced elevated mood and short-term, and were able to function from a higher sense of alertness.³
Here are some ways to have anti-inflammatory foods in your diet:
- Whip up an anti-inflammatory breakfast smoothie. There are several options to choose from (link below)
-Include berries in your breakfast pancakes
-Reduce caffeine intake and sip green tea instead
-Include broccoli, tomatoes, bell peppers, and extra virgin olive oil in your lunch
-Have dark chocolate for your evening snack
-Add a pinch of turmeric to your bedtime milk
-Include whole spices like cloves, cardamom, and bay leaf in your dinner as they lower inflammatory markers
-Include lutein-rich foods such as spinach, kale, lettuce, and egg yolks. A study by Harvard Medical School has touted lutein as a powerful antioxidant linked with increased cognitive performance.⁴
Vitamin B-complex foods: Vitamin B-rich foods boost the production of brain chemicals like dopamine, GABA, and serotonin which increase your vitality and energy levels to approach tasks at hand. Having them every day guarantees you stay in a state of peak mental health to avoid procrastination. In particular, vitamin B12 is known to support the healthy functioning of the nervous system.
Here are some ways to have vitamin-B complex foods daily:
-Add eggs to your breakfast
-Add steamed spinach to your breakfast smoothie
-Whip up a salad lunch of boiled chickpeas topped with crushed walnuts and extra virgin olive oil for the ultimate brain food
-Have whole grains for lunch
-Include fish and meat in your dinner for optimal B-12 intake
-Take supplements for vitamin B-12
2. Hormone balance
From sleep to body weight, hormones impact everything. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the key to lasting productivity and focus lies in achieving hormonal balance. The good news is it’s easier than you think! Here are some easy-to-implement science-backed techniques:
-Get sunlight every day for fifteen minutes straight after waking up to stabilize adrenal hormones (e.g. cortisol, the stress hormone)
-Drink milk before bedtime to boost melatonin production and promote sleep hygiene
-Enhance satiety with leptin-inducing foods that are high in protein and unsaturated fats. The link to the complete article is given below:
-Sex hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone have powerful brain-boosting functions⁵,⁶
-Beat insulin resistance and manage blood sugar levels by intermittent fasting, snacking less, opting for high-fiber foods, and having a protein-packed breakfast
-Boost the production of feel-good chemicals such as dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin by increasing the intake of foods like green tea, green leafy vegetables, eggs, dark chocolate, and milk
3. Adrenal function
Overworked adrenals throw your body’s stress hormone (cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine) levels out of whack, leaving you with little energy to pursue the things you love, viz. Writing. Thankfully, there are several scientifically proven dietary hacks to get your adrenal function on track. Consider the following:
-Having adaptogens like turmeric and goji berries every day, and sipping on tea made by brewing basil leaves has been found to lower chronic exhaustion and enhance alertness in the mornings.⁷
-Ramping up protein intake from sources like peanut butter, eggs, meat, and cottage cheese helps boost the greater release of adrenal hormones to easily tackle the stress response elicited from managing several tasks within a tight schedule.⁸
-Including a three-day cortisol reduction diet plan can also help reduce stress. Link below:
-Taking calming herbs like ashwagandha or its supplements before bedtime greatly lowers cortisol levels, helping you wake up energized, fresh, and ready to step up your writing game.⁹
4. Mood elevation
Despite a rise in coffee import rates, caffeine remains synonymous with mood elevation. And there’s reason to believe so, with countless reports underlining how caffeine increases alertness by triggering dopamine release and giving you that much-needed jolt to wake you up from brain fog, and helping you enter into uninterrupted flow states.
However, more caffeine doesn’t imply greater mood elevation! In reality, the contrary is true. There are several rules to hack your coffee intake for maximum productivity, as discussed in this article.
The most underrated food for boosting productivity is protein, especially if you tend to wake up feeling groggy. It has been proven that swapping high-carb breakfasts for protein-rich foods is the ultimate hack to enhance tryptophan release in the brain which amplifies focus and negates post-meal crash in blood sugar levels, thereby preventing the infamous afternoon slump. Other ways to sneak in protein intake is having healthy snacks that induce alertness such as nuts, sugar-free granola bars, and boiled eggs, as opposed to grabbing cookies in-between meals.
5. Hydration
As we all know, the human brain is 70% water. Therefore, it’s not a surprise that water intake has a direct effect on focus and performance. In fact, even mild levels of dehydration can reduce mental alertness. ¹⁰ Another study has found that people who drank more water than others experienced 14% higher productivity levels.¹¹ Drinking eight glasses of water is recommended daily, however, it isn’t a viable option for many. Therefore, you can consider using a hydration calculator like this one to determine your water intake, which takes into consideration your age, gender, body stats, and level of physical activity.
Alternatively, you can consider the following techniques to hydrate that do not involve drinking gallons of water, such as:
-Having cucumber, watermelon, and tomatoes as these fruits contain high water content and a negative calorie quotient to boot
-Including oatmeal in your breakfast, as oats swell up many times their weight in liquid and induce a sense of satiety as well
-Taking full-fat cow milk as a nighttime drink, as milk contains up to 85% water and replenishes the balance of major electrolytes such as potassium and calcium in the body
-Take curd/yogurt with your afternoon meal or blend yogurt with your smoothie. Here’s a great four-step way to prepare a balanced smoothie for breakfast
-Including lettuce greens in your meal as these vegetables contain up to 94% water.
-Having soups and broth-based meals rich in vegetables including include bell peppers, tomatoes, leafy greens, onions, and garlic. They make for a filling and hydrating meal that helps you stay awake when you’re typing away on cold winter nights!
Conclusion
To summarize, having a diet rich in protein, healthy fats, and antioxidant-rich foods and maintaining hydration form the bedrock of biohacking your body toward attaining optimal productivity. If you constantly find yourself plagued by exhaustion and stress, consider giving these aforementioned dietary hacks a try; and eventually, you’ll be able to maintain peak energy levels and ace all your writing goals in no time!
Resources:
¹ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S241464472030004X
² http://healthland.time.com/2012/04/26/brain-food-berries-can-slow-cognitive-decline/
³ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30327868/
⁴ https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/foods-linked-to-better-brainpower1⁵ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4490102/
⁶ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4330791/
⁷https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3185238/
⁸ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6458484/#
⁹https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6979308/
¹⁰ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4207053/
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