A focus on Dopamine

  

I saw a random IG post about low motivation, struggling to focus, feeling tired and how that behavior is tied to low dopamine levels.  So I did a little of my own research because I've noticed that same type of behavior in myself.  Is it aging or is it low dopamine. 

Other symptoms of low dopamine and how I fare, 

• Anxiety or moodiness – yep, but I think that’s just my normal personality. 
• Depression or hopelessness – not too often, quite rare
• Forgetfulness – sometimes
• Difficulty concentrating – often easily distracted
• Sleep issues – yes
• Lack of motivation – at times
• Reduced sex drive - yes

Living in the Midwest, where sunlight is hard to find during this time of year, it makes sense that a lack of it would lower dopamine levels.  Even if the sun is shining on a winter day, if it's 10 degrees outside it's unlikely I'll be taking a walk.  

My brief non-scientific research found that as we age, we also show a reduction in dopamine. 

My brief non-scientific research also showed that low dopamine levels can lead to weight gain.

So let’s see what can raise dopamine levels.  

            
·       Eating protein and food high in tyrosine, folate and magnesium. 
·       Listening to music.
·       Meditation.
·       Sunlight!
·       Sleep

A big one - Regular Exercise!  

As I begin my journey to lose weight this year, I have a feeling that if I focus on raising my dopamine levels, I’ll naturally start to lose weight.  

My research on foods rich in dopamine came up with nothing except that some foods can help dopamine production.  And guess what's on the list?!  Chocolate!!!!  Ok, if I'm trying to lose weight I'll probably have to limit that, but it was an encouraging find. 

Today the weather is 40 degrees and rainy, but the sun came out so I'm about to take in some Vitamin D.  

Extra Extra Read All About It! Will anyone read this blog?

 I read on the internet today that about 77% of internet users reported that they still read blogs on a regular basis.  I researched this because I thought that maybe a re-start in blogging might be fun.   So here we are. 

So much has happened at Dutch Creek since my last post!  We've had a college graduation, both of my children have moved out and both got married within 9 months of each other.  

We've had two weddings.  A new grandbaby and a dog.  I recently started a new job and have had two work related trips to France in the last 6 months.  

I've got some reno plans for the house.  Nothing of grand scale but just some refreshing.  

This blog will be my placeholder.  A short and sweet update of my day to day, week to week activities.  It will be a place to hold memories that we can look back on year after year. 

I'm turning 62 this year and weight loss will be a big focus of my life and this blog.  I'm in need of losing a huge amount of weight.  Perhaps logging the process will help me stay on track.  I'm posting my starting picture from November 2024.  

My goal is to stay active.  I'm finding that the heavier I've become the more I just want to sit around so walking is going to be my go to activity.  Lower calorie meals (not always low fat or fat free), just eating more natural.  

And so with this quick post, we'll begin our revamped journey of the Dutch Creek blog. 

Gratitude Catch UP 1/17 and 1/24 Post 3

Things were pretty busy around here over the past couple of weeks.  I was soaking up some sun in Florida last Friday so I'm playing catch up today.

Leads me to my first list of things to be grateful during the week of 1/13.

1.  I got to fly to Florida in the middle of a cold winter week in Chicago and attend our annual sales meeting.  A few of us ladies who work together decided to stay the weekend.
2. By staying the weekend I avoided a huge flight delay and cancellation of flights due to a heavy snow storm moving through the Chicago area.
3. I got a sunburn during the winter!

This week has been a quiet week.  Nothing as exciting as last week but quiet can be good too!

1. My mother's birthday was this week.  She has been gone almost 16 years.  She would have been 78 years old this week.  I don't know what she would have been like at 78.  She was a tiny little thing but smoked which is probably what kept her so thin and yet what took her life.  She was a nervous person with a high level of anxiety. Would she have been afraid to be old? Would she have suffered in another way with arthritis or cancer?  We'll never know and in some way I'm grateful that she was relieved of any of that suffering.  Having COPD, not being able to breath and dying at 62 was probably enough suffering for anyone.  Maybe that was easier than what she may have had to deal with later.  We'll never know but I'm grateful that she lived long enough to enjoy my two children when they were young.  I'm grateful for the time we were given and that my two children got to have good memories of their grandmother.

2. Two years ago this week my brother passed away suddenly.  It's hard to find something to be grateful for but I am grateful for having him as a brother.  I'm grateful that he made me laugh so hard I cried sometimes.  I'm thankful for being able to talk in depth about some of the hard times growing up.  I hope wherever he is he knows that we all love him and miss him very much.  There's a big hole in our family that he filled and it will never close.  We'll always be a puzzle with a missing piece but we continue to try to fill the piece with our fond memories. 

3. A lighter note, I kept hearing a banging sound in my car during the week.  It sounded like something was loose and only happened now and then.  When I slowed down or sped up as if something metal shifted.  I got home the other night and found a silver platter I had left in the car from a party.  That was the metal sound I was hearing!  I'm thankful that there was nothing wrong with the car.

This weekend we're going snow tubing with the whole family.  I'm looking forward to a great time.  Creating laughter and memories and fingers crossed no broken bones or stitches!

Until next week!

Debbie
xoxo

Gratitude Friday Post 2

A bit late but not forgotten so far.  I tend to fall off the wagon very quickly on blog posts!

This was a quiet week which wasn't so bad. 

#1 - Thankful for an uneventful week all the way into the weekend.   My MIL took a little fall this past week but she was completely fine.  Other than that blip there was nothing out of the ordinary.  The hubs was on a hunting trip and was out of town all week so each night I was able to come home and do my own thing, watch what I wanted on TV.  I'm addicted to the Netflix series Schitt's Creek and have been binge watching for the last two weeks.  In summary I am thankful for the quiet week and weekend! 

#2 - I got my holiday storage room cleaned up!  I spent most of last weekend putting away Christmas stuff and had to completely re-do my storage room. I have everything neatly put way in it's place. It's a small room and I can actually walk in and move things around now.  In summary I'm thankful for the organization.

#3 - We were supposed to get a huge storm over the weekend but we didn't get much of anything.  While I love the way the snow looks on the trees, a lovely winter scene, I don't like to drive in it.  I suppose I'd be better off in a warmer climate!  In summary I'm thankful for the small snow storm that passed through and not the snowmaggedan they predicted!

Gratitude Friday Post 1

As part of my winning 2020 focus I'm going to chose three things each day for which I am grateful.  On Fridays I'll post my three most favorites.  This is recap of Jan 1 through today Jan 3. 

I'm grateful for:

#1 A healthy New Year.  My two 20 somethings went out for New Years Eve with a big group of friends. They all started the party at our house and then moved on to a local bar.  I'm thankful that they were able to walk there and back and not be on the roads.  I'm grateful that we were all together on New Years day, safe and sound.

#2 I'm grateful for the 3 day work week I had this week and that it is already Friday!

#3 I am grateful for the easy commute.   I have an hour long drive each morning and night.  It was a shorter commute and was much less congested.  No snow and now ice to contend with either.  A plus for the Northern Illinois roads in winter.

So that's my Three for Friday.  It wasn't too hard this week since it was only the first three days of the new year. 

2020 Word of the Year and steps to stay on track.

My word for 2020 is Winning. 

I chose this word not because I'm competing with anyone but instead I want to focus on a winning attitude.  Winning at life, victorious and successful. Winning the competition against myself.  I set the rules, I am my own judge! 

I start a lot of projects, I have great intentions and then I let other things get in the way.   Maybe it's a competition against procrastination? I tend to be very good at procrastinating.  2020 is not going to be a good year for procrastination. 

Each successful endeavor will be considered a win. 

Example: when I complete a project on my list.  It's a WIN! 
Did I drink 8 cups of water today?  WIN!

My plan for a winning attitude:

Focus on the positive with gratitude. 

• I'm going to list three things each day I'm grateful for and list my top 3 each Friday. 
• Adopting a No Complaining rule. 
• Praise more 
• Judge less

Focus on Health

• Eating better - not a diet - just better choices
• More exercise
• More sleep - I'm a night owl but have to get up early for work. This will be a challenge. 

Focus on financials. 

• Save more - spend less 
• Stay home more than going out

Focus on my home.  

• Finish the unfinished. 
• Don't start a project unless I plan to do it through completion.  Plan the project from start to finish. 

Everyone likes to win at something.  It's fun to win.  I am looking forward to a winning 2020!

Goodbye 2019

I didn’t blog much in 2019 but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have anything going on.  I just didn’t give myself enough time to post.  This post is more of a tool to mark time.  There are no pictures to post.  They’re all on my Instagram feed.  

I’m sad to admit that I’ve become an Instagram junkie and spend far too much time swiping through other people’s pages and pics.  I spend more time looking at posts of other people fixing up their homes and don’t spend enough time doing it myself.  I garner some great ideas but never seem to put them into action. 

I’ve decided to make my last post of 2019 a focus on everything positive.   

What am I thankful for from 2019?

• We’ve had a great time with our friends throughout the year.   We spend almost every Friday with our friends and sometimes it continues on Saturday and Sunday!  If nothing else can be said for 2019 it was most definitely a year filled with laughter.  
• We snowmobiled in the winter, went tubing and spent plenty of time on our boats.  We watched fireworks from the water, we kayaked and fished off of our dock.  It was magical. 
• We still have good health.  As we round our way up the hill into the winter of our 50’s I can be thankful that we have no major health issues.  A kidney stone here, a couple polyps removed but we haven't been slaves to doctor appointments.  Maybe it’s because of all the laughter and good times? 
• Our two children are healthy and employed and have partners who love them.    They have grasped the “adulting” lifestyle.  We have a great relationship, we all hang out together and truly enjoy one another's company. 
• I took an awesome trip to Paris for work but also combined it with a vacation.  I went with my daughter and we had an amazing time.  We fell in love with Paris.   We walked everywhere and ate and drank French wine, had champagne on the grounds of the Eiffel tower, we watched it light up at night and we even attended a cocktail party in the Eiffel tower.   An unexpected vacation for which I will always be thankful. 
• We installed a new pool and pool heater.   My children and their friends spent most of their summer weekends at our house.  We soaked in the pool, told fun stories, sang songs which also brought a lot of laughter and good times!
• Remodeled our little powder room.  Maybe some of the IG time paid off.   Still some finishing touches to be done but I'm loving it and will post some fun pics in 2020.
• I lost 20 lbs.   I will be continuing that trend in 2020 because I have a lot more than 20 lbs I need to lose.
• My word for 2019 was Accomplish.  I would say 2019 was somewhat a success.  I accomplished what I wanted to do.  I had plenty on the list but I’m not considering them a failure if they didn’t get done.  The year passed anyway and even though some things on the list didn’t make it to the finish line time moved on, the laughter still flowed and I’m ready for 2020!

Adieu 2019!