Happiness—How To Get More, And Why You Need To

April 18, 2013 by MikeTremba Leave a Comment

Here’s a great tip: Smile.

Feel better? You should; smiling releases endorphins that improve your mood, no matter how low you feel, or how forced the smile is.

On that same strain, if you force yourself to laugh for long enough, you’ll actually burst into genuine, uncontrollable laughter. And laughing reduces anxiety, tension and is even rumored to inhibit cancer cells from developing.

Now, we can’t all walk around laughing and smiling all the time (although, wouldn’t that be a wonderful world to live in?), but there are dozens of positive life changes we can make to maximize the happiness in our lives.

Don’t Trust Me Because I’m A Doctor

There are plenty of healthcare “professionals” out there with quick-fix diet plans that promise an immediate boost in self-esteem, energy and happiness, with no risk and a massive price tag.

You know who else will try to sell you on their product with this kind of rhetoric? A drug dealer.

You don’t need to put chemicals into your body to increase your well being. In fact, a great deal of diet shakes, pills and powders only serve to temporarily (if at all) enhance your mood, only to beat down a few hours later with a terrible crash.

Again, a lot like a drug.

Out With The Bad, In With The Good… Food!

The first thing you can do to immediately increase the happiness in your life is slice out unnecessary and harmful foodstuffs; that includes sugary energy drinks, coffee, and alcohol.

While cutting out the bad, make a simultaneous effort to introduce the good. Eat fresh fruit and vegetables; if you’re a carnivore, only purchase organic, free-range meat; cut back—or entirely avoid—unnatural sugar, and drink plenty of water.

What you put in your body determines how your mind functions. If you want to increase happiness, it’s imperative that you improve your dietary health.

Happiness Is Healthy

I don’t think there are too many people out there who would pass up on the opportunity to live a happier life. Life today is riddled with stress and disappointment, so a little extra boost is something everyone’s self-esteem could use. However, there are wrong ways to increase your emotional well-being Pumping foreign chemicals into your body is definitely one of them. Plus, it’s totally unnecessary; your body has everything it needs to boost itself up naturally.

Just like smiling and laughing can improve your health, studies have shown that happier lives tend to be longer ones—sure, the good may die young, but the happy live to ripe ages.

Not only is it an important social and emotional move to increase the happiness in your life; it’s crucial to your health.

Sculpting your body is as much an internal endeavor is it is external; In one particular lifestyle program, The Truth About Abs, reviews of lifelong diet and exercise plans will tell you that being healthy and happy does just as much to improve your outward appearance as it does your inward perception.

So, want to ramp up the stores of happiness in your vault? Do a few sets of sit-ups and a then head out on a run (as far as you’re able to go). You’ll get an immediate burst of positive energy, as well as the long-term payoff of a healthier body.

It’s As Easy As 1-2-3

It’s important to recap: When it comes down to it, three minor adjustments to your daily routine can add a world of happiness, even if you already inhabit a happy world. And if you’re frequently unhappy, stressed or overwhelmed, well… you need to make these changes, and incorporate them into your normal lifestyle habits.

Thinking back to what we just went over, I’d bet that simply:

Cutting chemicals, like coffee, processed foods and sugary treats out of your diet
Fitting an hour of physical activity into every day, and
Smiling…

…will have your well-being flipped into high gear no matter how helpless your emotional state may feel.

Happiness is one of the most important aspects of being alive;

It helps you realize and appreciate the things that make life worth living, and exudes energy that attracts people to your presence. The happier you are, the happier you will be.

About the author: Dr. Mike Tremba looks for ways to find happiness in everyday life. In addition, one of his other passions is helping others eat well, exercise, and lose weight as he’s done himself. His website at http://www.NaturalWeightLossTruth.com is one place where he gets to share that passion to the countless people he’s served. In addition, he loves spending time with his lovely wife Shari near the beaches of the Gulf Coast.

One Telephone Pole at a Time

February 28, 2013 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

It was painful to watch her try to walk; albeit not as painful for me as it was for her.

“Sit down,” I suggested, pulling up a chair, wanting to relieve her of her burden.

She stared at it, shakily supporting herself with her metal cane, the type with four rubber-capped legs that stands on its own. “Do you have a chair without arms?” She asked, referencing her size with a flick of her bulky arm. “It’s hard for me to fit in this type of chair.”

I scurried away and returned with the requested model, placing it behind her. She sluggishly lowered her heaviness on to the seat, all the while leaning weightily on the cane for support. After placing herself, she exhaled a strained sigh of exhaustion, took a moment to regain her composure, and said, “Hi, I’m Sheila. I need to lose weight. I can’t live like this anymore.”

I’m always interested in what triggers us to finally take action. After all, weight doesn’t come on overnight. We fight it for years, constructing excuses, living in denial; until eventually we cross a line that drives us from needing to do something to actually doing it. It’s at that nexus where I enter the scene.

“What brought you here today?” I asked.

“I can’t get my mail.”

“Tell me more,” I said, looking for clarification.

She exhaled again, attempting to catch her breath. “My mailbox is at the end of the driveway, which is up a hill.” She rested. “Well, it’s not really a hill, it’s more of an incline, but I can’t walk that far anymore. I needed someone to bring me the mail yesterday.” Another deep exhalation escaped her lips as she steadied herself on her cane, relying on it to steady herself while sitting. “That’s no way to live. I have to do something.”

That was how we met.

Unfortunately, after a few months, she got a new job and moved away. We lost contact.

Not long ago, she resurfaced, visiting family in town. I did not recognize her.

“You look fantastic!” I exclaimed, upon realizing who she was.

“I’m down 163 pounds – and I walk every day.” [Read more…]

Finding Competition Where None Exists

January 16, 2013 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

At what age do men stop with the “hyper macho” routine?

I mean, really; there comes a time when women are no longer impressed, other men don’t care, and the most plausible outcome is you’re going to hurt yourself doing something dumb.

Before you think I’m talking trash about someone else, I’ll come clean; the question is rhetoric; I’m referring to myself. What makes this mystery more opaque is I’m not even a “macho” kind of guy; I’m more the “sensitive, touch-feely” type. After all, I watch Glee, I own several pair of shoes, I accessorize, eat tofu, and, truth be known, I’ve been know to shed a tear or two during “chick flicks.” (But I’ll try and hide it.)

Recently, I joined a gym so I could take Zumba classes.

(By the nature of the fact that the driving force to enroll was to attend Zumba instead of weight lifting ought to tell you a little something about my “macho score” also.) While examining the schedule, I noticed a Yoga class that fits in my day. I’m feeling a bit soft around the middle and stiff along the edges so I consider attending. (Yoga? Yikes! Yet another telltale sign of non-machismo…)

Admittedly, I was a bit put off — and intrigued — by the title of the class: Yoga for Stiff People. I mean, from a marketing point of view, it’s perfect. It sets up an image and it tells you what to expect. However, from an I’m an-aging-guy-who-lives-in-denial-and-refuses-to-admit-that-I’m-getting-older perspective, I considered it too easygoing. After all, my veins are coursing with testosterone, you know? I need a “challenge.”

[Read more…]

My journey from the sofa to the gym

December 28, 2012 by Featured Author Leave a Comment

Exercise was not something I enjoyed.

Instead of standing up to file papers, I’d scoot over to the file cabinet in my rolling office chair. After work, I flopped on my sofa where I sat contentedly until bedtime. I was living a sedentary lifestyle to the max and loving every minute of it.

As Newton’s Law of Motion explains, a body at rest tends to stay at rest. Even though my office building had a gym – and I had a free membership – I just kept finding reasons to not work out: I was too busy to work out on my lunch break; too tired to work out early in the morning; too stressed out at the end of the day to stick around. Then my boss started a four-week fitness challenge. He offered cash prizes to the team with the most exercise hours logged. The coworkers in my department insisted on participating, and they really wanted me to join in. And, well, I can’t pass up an opportunity to win cash.

I didn’t look forward to working out, especially at work. All I could envision was getting sweaty in the middle of the day or looking foolish in front of my coworkers. When I walked into the employee fitness center, though, I couldn’t believe how clean and fresh it smelled, and how welcoming everyone was. I decided I’d try to keep an open mind, although I wasn’t optimistic that I could stick with any exercise program.

The challenge begins

On the first day of the challenge, we met in the gym during our lunch break. Thankfully, we started out easy. I warmed up with five minutes on the treadmill before hitting the elliptical for 15 minutes. My legs were killing me, but I didn’t want to let my team down.

Showering after working out is important to me, and I thought we wouldn’t have time to shower before returning to work. I was wrong. With the quick workout, I had plenty of time to shower. I even had time to eat the salad I had packed for lunch!

Every day, we kept up the same routine. After a week of regular workouts, I noticed I didn’t feel as sore afterwards. Each week, I felt my body progressively growing stronger as I tried out different machines. I actually started looking forward to our daily workouts.

Not so bad, after all

A few weeks into the fitness challenge, I noticed I felt a lot less stressed out. I was sleeping better, waking up refreshed in the morning and looking forward to work. I stopped making excuses for why I couldn’t work out, because I actually wanted to go to the gym! And I started rewarding myself when I achieved a goal, which helped me stay motivated.

Because I felt so much better physically and emotionally, I made working out a priority, even after the fitness challenge ended. And just to make sure I don’t fall back into my old bad habits, I bought a few pieces of exercise equipment so I can work out, even when I don’t really feel like leaving the house.

I can’t believe how important daily workouts have become to my life.

Just making myself show up that first day of the fitness challenge was the hardest part. After that, working out became a habit.

It’s easier than you think to get off the sofa and into the gym, and the physical and psychological benefits are amazing. Take that first step; you’ll be glad you did.

About the author: Danielle blogs on behalf of Sears and other brands she uses. She’s following her own advice and sticking to a regular exercise routine this holiday season. She’s happy about that and feels the best she has in years.

Five Fun Ways to Incorporate Exercise into Your Lifestyle

November 30, 2012 by Scott "Q" Marcus

Exercise is an important part of weight loss and a healthy lifestyle, but if the term “exercise” summons images of endless hours at the gym, think again! There are plenty of ways to make exercise a part of your life that are not only fun, they’ll actually make you look forward to getting those workouts in.

Try one of these five tips to make working out work for you:

1. Take a class.

There is a nearly endless list of classes out there to suit just about any interest – and a surprising number of them don’t meet anywhere near a gym. Depending on what’s available where you live, you can have fun and burn calories by taking outdoor classes, such as rock climbing, paddle boarding or even horseback riding. For a gym style workout class that is still outdoors, there are outdoor boot camp-style exercise classes, for instance.

However, if you do prefer to exercise in a more climate-controlled environment, there is an array of classes offered at your local gym, ranging from spinning to step aerobics, dance classes and beyond. Martial arts or self-defense classes are not only a fun exercise option, but also teach you important skills you can use to protect yourself.

2. Get competitive.

You don’t have to be in high school or on a professional sports team to enjoy the benefits of competitive sports. Signing up with local intramural teams is not only a great technique to have fun and exercise, it can also help you meet new people and let your competitive streak out.

Not into team sports? That’s okay, too. Training for races such as triathlons or foot races of varying lengths is also an effective way to stay motivated and enjoy your workouts. Even better, many races benefit local charities, so when you participate you’re not only improving your fitness, you’re helping out others as well.

3. Get a Fitness Buddy.

Part of the reason classes are both a fun and effective exercise option is because you’re not going it alone. When you get all your friends moving with you, it’s a lot easier to keep moving yourself.

If you don’t have any close friends available nearby, grab your closest classmate or roommate and make a deal to exercise together at least three times a week. Take turns picking activities, or make a list of quick exercise ideas and inspirations.

4. Count it out.

Pedometers are a fantastic way to keep track of how many steps you’re taking throughout the day. According to James O. Hill, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado at Denver, adding just 2000 extra steps a day to your usual activity level can keep the pounds off.

Watching your steps add up on a pedometer is fun, because you probably already walk more than you think. Seeing immediate results by watching the numbers increase as you go about your day is extremely motivating. Before long, you’ll be finding ways to add steps to your day to see how quickly you can reach your goal number.

5. Enlist a furry friend.

Fido needs exercise just as much as you do, after all. Walking your dog means walking yourself and that’s good for both of you. The benefits of dog walking go beyond simply adding steps to your day (aren’t you glad you have that pedometer with you now?). According to a recent article on WebMD, multiple studies have shown that pet ownership can help reduce depression and elevate mood, in addition to improving overall health and well-being. That alone is reason enough to take your four-legged friend for a stroll.

Don’t have a dog? Volunteer to walk a friend’s dog or even better, volunteer as a dog walker at your local animal shelter. Who knows? You may just find yourself a permanent companion.

Exercise Doesn’t Have to be a Chore

California weight loss programs can be an extremely effective way to lose those stubborn pounds, but it also helps to have a program that you love. With these five tips, you’re sure to find multiple ways to fit exercise into your life and enjoy it as well!

About the Author: Andi Walker is a contributing blogger and exercise enthusiast. When not blogging about wellness-related issues, Walker enjoys anything and everything outdoors, especially rock climbing.

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