Calling myself a health expert or even a healthy person would be a huge exaggeration. I am a truly ordinary woman seeking more energy and fitness every day. In my quest for good heath I have discovered the joys of actually being healthy.
The fitness bug hit me in my teenage and hasn't left ever since. I love the exuberance after a good exercise session and the lightness after a healthful meal. Photo Courtesy ldcross
These two - exercise and food, in no particular order - affect fitness and consequently, happiness.
In my earlier post I talked about positivity being the number one factor for happiness and going by that, I would say that good health is the second most important component. Its simple, really. If you take a little time out everyday to focus on some core requirements for health, I think you will find a vast improvement in your outlook on life.
A sick body, at least in my case, leads to a weak mind. I tend to get mercurial and muddled up when sick. Recently, I was down in the dumps after a horrible case of flu and I noticed that I was uncharacteristically moody and emotional. Conclusion - increasing your ability to fight diseases or avoiding them altogether can make each day fruitful and bright.
A few ways I try to stay fit and avoid getting cranky are:
- sleeping enough, which, unfortunately, for me means 8 hours :(
- eating healthy breakfast (means nothing too fatty or sugary)
- avoiding caffeine (sometimes I do give in though)
- eating salad along with carbohydrates in lunch
- munching a handful of nuts, mostly almonds each day
- exercise, even for 10 min, each day
- trying to be on feet as much as possible (not easy, as I am a born sloth)
- adding more turmeric (which is said have antioxidant properties) to my food
- eating proteins which often translates to eggs (I know, I know its bad for cholesterol but I just love them)
- and, drinking lots of water
I know, I am no expert at this, but I do try to be happy and so thought of sharing, what I consider, the no. 1 way to be happy.
I could think of many things that are very important for a person's well being. Energy, fitness, money, comfort, family, relationship and many more of these were jostling to get the numero uno status. But, somehow, I think it is optimism that shines the brightest. Moreover, perfectly healthy, rich, in love and educated people, often, complain of misery in their lives. I guess, they are missing this all important positive outlook to get happy.
Photo Courtesy Frazzled Jen Here is why I consider a positive outlook to be of prime importance for happiness:
- Makes the darkest day livable: Positivity is a trait I was definitely not born with. I would brood over the silliest comment and worry myself sick about the trifles of life. Until I discovered the joys of positive thinking. I learned it from my kid sister. I noticed that, no matter what, she would wait for something good to come out of even the worts scenarios. And you know what? It always did! She inspired me to look at everything positively and this new found hope has made many a failure easily bearable for me.
- Keeps you away from unnecessary worrying: I guess women are genetically programmed to worry. I am the type that can worry about a college exam even before joining classes. I worry about falling sick when I am perfectly healthy. I even imagine horrible future scenarios and worry about them. In short, I am a true blue paranoid. Anyway, after discovering optimism, I tend to see brighter things in future. So, I see myself as a fitter person and actually hope to have better life in the coming days.
- Helps you achieve your goals: This one is easy. If you believe you can do something, you almost surely will be able to. No rocket science for sure, but the 'believe' part can be tricky for many. So, instead of fearing that I might goof up and fail, I now believe that I can reach the target. Not surprisingly, I do.
- Keeps you healthy: By the laws of deduction, if you think positive thoughts, then you do positive things that lead to a positive life. This works out very well for the health department of your life. If you are optimistic, you will get healthier faster (not cheating from a research paper, felt this phenomenon myself) and will stay that way longer. Perhaps, this has something to do with believing in a healthier you and working towards it or maybe one of those 'good' hormones secrete when you are positive. Whatever, the reason, the final result is definitely great.
