In this episode, I chat with Zack Rutledge about how food and exercise can impact your mental health. Zack is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist and a Certified Brain Health Trainer through the Functional Aging Institute. We also talk about his personal story dealing with depression, the gut-brain connection, how a synergistic approach can help with mental health issues, and so much more.
“You have to forgive yourself for eating junk food. You’re not going to feel great after you eat a pile of stuff so it’s not like you have to beat yourself up on top of it.” – Zack Rutledge
“There’s not one flavor of depression and there’s not one specific cause but the unifying factor in everyone’s depression is we can all climb out of it.” – Zack Rutledge
“If I can figure out any tool that can help boost my mental health even by just one point, I want to make sure I’m doing that.” – Melanie Lockert
What You Will Learn From This Episode
- The importance of understanding your feeling/emotions and doing the work
- How exercise affects your mental health – the cognitive boost and the formation of cannabinoids
- The impact of nutrition on your mental health – the mind-gut connection
- What to do to optimize nutrition and exercise as a tool for mental health issues
- How a synergistic approach can help in dealing with mental health issues
- How to be more compassionate with yourself in regards to your eating choices
- What a Brain Health Trainer does to help people
About Zack Rutledge:
Zack S. Rutledge is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, an ACE Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist, and a Certified Brain Health Trainer through the Functional Aging Institute. He has a black belt in karate and has practiced yoga for almost a decade. He holds an MA from American University in Washington, D.C., and starts his Licensed Professional Counseling grad program in January of 2022.
Resources:
Resources include affiliate links which support the website and podcast.
- The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and Our Overall Health by Emeran Mayer, M.D.
- Pickleball
- The Official Depression Relief Playbook: Real-Life Strategies From a Guy Who Has Lived It by Zack S. Rutledge
- The Effects of Acute Exercise on Mood, Cognition, Neurophysiology, and Neurochemical Pathways: A Review
Connect with Zack
Connect with Melanie
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