happiness-related stories
Happiness May Hinder Weight Loss
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| Photo: jupiterimages |
Having a glass half-full attitude may be hampering your weight loss. Optimism is generally regarded as a good thing, but when it comes to dieting, research shows that having an overly happy-go-lucky outlook on life can negatively affect weight loss success.
A Japanese study published in the journal BioPsychoSocial Medicine found that people who are happy are less likely to successfully lose weight compared to those who have a slightly negative and cautious outlook. Researchers conducted psychological profiles of 101 obese men and women who participated in a six-month weight loss program. Those who started out the program with a slightly negative outlook showed more weight loss success than those who were more optimistic.
While the study didn't find that being happy means you're doomed to see the scale remain stagnant, it does point out that being too optimistic can have its downfall. Essentially, having a sanguine attitude can help control negative emotion, but it can also cause people to give in to temptation because they believe everything will work out.
Be Happy and Healthy
Exercising and eating right gives you a lot of short-term benefits, such as weight control and increased energy. But a healthy lifestyle has a long-term benefit as well -- a longer life. And now we know that optimism is important to your lifespan as well. Eight years into one recent study, female participants with a positive outlook were 14 percent more likely to be alive than their more-negative counterparts (participants were age 50 or older at the start of the study). The good news is that the same fitness and nutrition habits that can benefit your health can also benefit your outlook.
- Exercise. Not only does exercise relieve the stress that can contribute to a bad mood, exercise can also stimulate the release of brain chemicals that can leave you feeling more content and relaxed.
- Nutrition. Mood and food go hand-in-hand. When you choose nutritious, energy-promoting foods you'll feel more alert and ready to tackle your day.
In addition to a healthy lifestyle, take active steps to maintain a positive outlook. Try to balance your work, home and family responsibilities -- and be sure to leave time for having fun! Engage in regular stress-reducing activities; choose something that works for you, such as reading a book or getting a pedicure. Stop yourself from negative self-thoughts and do your best to be kind and non-judgmental of others.
Lily Allen - Happiness is Her Diet Pill
After a tumultuous few years, Lily seems to really have come into her own. And her weight reflects that, she says.
"The only reason I have lost weight is because I comfort eat when I'm not very happy," Allen said, "The last two years, even though I had a lot of success with my first record, I was ... getting so drunk. I was on tour with people I didn't know, and I was all around the world working really hard and was really confused and lonely."
But now, Lily says, life "feels good." And that's translated to fewer room service orders of greasy french fries for the singer, whose album It's Not Me, It's You is being released next week.
Bob Greene - Questions He Wants You To Ask Yourself
Celebs & Entertainment, Motivation
Did anyone catch yesterday's Oprah? The queen of Daytime (and pretty much everything else) was talking about her recent weight gain and how she was going to undo all of the extra pounds in the upcoming year. Of course, Oprah's own fitness and diet guru Bob Greene was on the show, and he challenged viewers to figure out the real reasons they're overweight -- love of food not included.
So, be honest with yourself and take some time to thoughtfully answer these questions:
A Great Body and Losing Weight - Would These Make You Happier?
A group of men and women (about 2,600 of them) were surveyed recently by the folks at Real Simple magazine. Happiness was the topic, and some interesting stuff turned up -- like this: Women secretly wish for separate bedrooms; men secretly wish for separate vacations, Who knew? Most revealing, though, are the 10 things both women and men reported would make them happier. They're a pretty happy bunch already -- 75 percent of women say they are happy while 71 percent of men claim happiness. Still, there's always room for improvement -- and a better body and losing weight sure would help matters.Check out the poll below (there's one for you guys and another for the gals) and tell us which of these 10 Real Simple things you'd take as happiness helpers. I'll be back to weigh in on the results -- can't wait to see how the body issues stack up.
Get happy with food and exercise
Fitness, Motivation, Nutrition & Supplements
Want to be happy? I mean, really happy? It's possible, says Gretchen Rubin, author of the soon-to-be-published book The Happiness Project and blogger for happiness-project.com.Rubin's got 10 strategies for getting happy and offers them in October's Real Simple magazine. I've got to tell you, three of her tips are right up our alley. Here they are.
- Start with the basics. Get enough sleep and don't go hungry. Science backs this up -- these two factors have a big impact on happiness.
- Don't treat the blues with a "treat." This means no candy, brownies, or otherwise junky pick-me-ups. The pleasure only lasts for a minute and then guilt sets in. No prescription for happiness, is it?
- Exercise to boost energy. Exercise is one the most dependable mood-boosters, says Rubin, who admits she's often too tired to go to the gym. Even a 10-minute walk can brighten her outlook. Might do the same for yours.
Jessica Simpson - Heavier but happy
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs, Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment
Who can forget Jessica Simpson in those tiny shorts as Daisy Duke? The petite starlet had an incredible body, but it took an incredible amount of work to achieve it. And, now that Jess is happy in her personal life, she's not quite as concerned about staying in perfect shape.Apparently, Jessica's main man, football pro Tony Romo, is encouraging her not to take life too seriously. She no longer is depriving herself from eating some treats once in a while just to fit into her size two jeans. She's comfortable with how she looks, and Tony likes her curves, so she's letting herself drink a couple of beers and eat some pizza while watching his games.
Instead of focusing on working out every day and following a strict diet, the singer is focusing on her country career and being happy. She still looks beautiful, and healthy, but I hope she remembers that those workouts aren't just for fitting in jeans -- overall health is important, too!
Uugh! You love to eat but hate to exercise
Father writer Ed Diener says he doesn't enjoy working out but found that if he listens to books on tape while exercising and stops his session just before the end of a chapter, he'll want to exercise the next day -- if only to get back to his book.
Health in general can increase feelings of well-being, say Diener and his son Robert Biswas-Diener. Plain and simple: Happier people are healthier people.
Brooke Shields has body issues, too
Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Motivation
It's hard to believe that the girl who claimed nothing came between her and her Calvins has anything to worry about body-wise, isn't it? But 20+ years and two kids later, Brooke Shields admits that she has insecurities... just like most of us do. The Lipstick Jungle actress dishes about fitness, confidence, and happiness in the October issue of Shape Magazine.Body image can affect your health both physically and emotionally. When you strive for an unrealistic goal -- a size your body isn't meant to be or to imitate some picture in a magazine -- you can set yourself up for disappointment. Letting your body image come from any external source is looking at yourself from the wrong perspective. Instead of focusing on any perceived flaws and aiming for unnatural goals, look to fitness and nutrition for one purpose and one purpose only. Health.
When you keep your body fit and strong and nourished with healthful foods, you'll feel the difference in your mood and your energy. Learn to love your body for all the amazing things it does.
Thin doesn't equal happy
Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation
I was driving home the other day and a radio show was discussing something called "supernova burnout." It's where business executives get wrapped up in thinking that if they just get to that top rung in the corporate ladder, they'll be happy. So they work and work and work -- forgoing all other aspects of their life -- but they're content in their misery, because they believe the payoff is coming. Then, when they finally make it to the top, they discover that happiness didn't get delivered with the fancy mahogany desk, brass nameplate on the door, and the bigger paycheck. The same holds true for weight loss. For many people, obesity is tightly wound with emotions. Many people eat when they're upset, which can cause extra weight gain. Others have insecurities that they feel are caused by their extra pounds. But weight and happiness are not the same things. Happiness, being comfortable in your own skin, and being confident in who you are needs to come from within. While it's important to achieve a healthy weight, anyone who feels that losing weight is going to solve all their problems is likely in for a disappointment.
Good Housekeeping has a great article about weight loss and happiness. The article makes a strong final point: If you're overweight, by all means do what you can to lose weight and improve your health. But don't weight for a certain number on the scale to try to be happy. Do whatever work it takes to accept who you are now, and live your life happily.
Does money make us happier?
Stress Reduction, Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment, Motivation
Money can't buy you happiness. That's how the saying goes, anyway. But has anyone ever subjected to this theory to any kind of scientific method? As a matter of fact, researchers from the University of Texas at Austin have, and their findings seem to support this popular tenet.According to the research, money does play a role in the initial stages of happiness -- to the point where basic needs are met. Beyond that point, however, the affect money has on happiness appears to be far less significant. So, if money doesn't bring joy into people's lives, what does? Family ties, say researchers. Surveys on this topic indicate that while happiness is less strongly tied to changes in income, there is a strong association to changes in the quality of family relationships over time.
However, just as you still might disagree with these findings, so do some economists. As stated in a recent WebMD article, polling data from rich and poor countries reveals that satisfaction is highest among people living in the richest countries. And, within those countries, people with higher incomes tended to be happier than those with less money. In the U.S., for example, 90% of people in households making at least $250,000 considered themselves "very happy," compared to just 42% of people in households with incomes below $30,000.
Boost your mood
Saturday morning, my son accidentally put a deep, four-inch scratch in my new car. Instead of being that cool, calm mom that I've always wanted to be, I flipped out a little bit. From that moment on, I was in a bad mood all weekend. I was a grump with a capital G. Thankfully, I shook my bad mood and I'm back to normal this morning. (Good thing, too, because this morning my son used an Allen wrench to knock about 30 dents into the molding on our staircase. I swear to goodness, destruction is my son's middle name).If you're anything like me, stress and other day-to-day occurrences play a big role in your mood. But there a lot of things you can do to help boost your mood:
- Be thankful. Spend some time thinking about the good things in your life. Maybe even write a list of all the people and things you have to be happy about.
- Try something new. Have you been wanting to take guitar lessons? Don't put it off until life is less hectic. Whether you want to join a sports team, learn to play an instrument, take cooking classes, or join a book club -- don't put it off. Trying something new can actually improve your mood and help you better deal with life's stressors.
Life Fit Chat with Laura Lewis: Awakening Joy To Find Happiness
Life Fit Chat with That's Fit Life Fit Expert Laura Lewis brings conversation provoking tidbits to your table, served up with a touch of spice! Byte-sized information that pack some punch, brought to you every Wednesday and Thursday!Joy and happiness--aren't they really one in the same? Actually, they are not. Joy is a state of being, while happiness is a mood. Our state of being is the consciousness that we live in. A mood is a fleeting emotion we experience ... it is a feeling.
Awakening our joy to find happiness is all about shifting our consciousness to a place of joy. When we live in joy, happiness is abundant in our lives even when life does not seem to be going our way. The basic principle of quantum physics states that what we intend to find always shows up. Applying quantum physics to our lives simply means creating intentions and then expecting those intentions to show up. If you want to live in joy, you must start with the intention of living in joy. So ... how do we do that?
Robert Holden, Ph.D., author of Happiness Now! Timeless Wisdom for Feeling Good Fast and director of the Happiness Project in the United Kingdom suggests the following:
- Writing what the word joy means to you
- Doing some form of physical movement -- such as yoga, dance, or walking -- a few times a week
- Making a "nourishment list" of activities you enjoy, checking off those you do regularly and circling the ones that could be done more often
- Checking in with your "joy buddy," a kind of running partner in the pursuit of happiness
Five traits of happy people
Stress Reduction, Diet & Weight Loss, Motivation
Happiness experts shared five commonalities of happy people in Gabrielle LeBlanc's article in March's O, The Oprah Magazine. If you want to invest in your happiness, focus on these traits:
- Eudaimonic well-being: Researchers now consider this type of happiness more fulfilling than the pleasure-centered hedonic happiness. From the Greek eu (good) and daimon (spirit or deity), eudaimonia centers around finding the golden self within -- seeking excellence based upon your own unique talents. Today's eudaimonic phrases include self-development, meaningful goals, engaged in purposeful pursuits.
- Design your life to bring in joy: Research shows if you replace even one hour of hated activity each day with something you like, your overall happiness will improve. Hmm ... I shouldn't have scoured that second bathroom yesterday and cleaned the guinea pig cage, I was a horrible grouch with the kids. Today is a new day!
- Avoid "if only" fantasies: So true, so true.
- Put best friends first: Spending time with close friends truly counts. My suggestion would be to make regular plans. Over the past few months we've fostered a friendship with another couple who love to play music as much as we do. We now trade-off hosting each other for dinner followed by an inspiring "garage band" jam session once a month. If we didn't consistently mark the calendar, I doubt it would happen nearly as often.
- Allow yourself to be happy: Release any guilt you have over seeking happiness. We all deserve to nurture personal happiness, no matter the state of the world or those around us.
Money can buy happiness
I'm a chip in the old stereotype about women and shopping. I loathe shopping with an absolute passion. I hate the crowds, I hate the time it takes weeding through tons of stuff just to find one thing, I hate spending too much money. I will just never understand the draw that so many people have to shopping for hours at a time. But this past Christmas (my first with my adopted son) I had so much fun buying presents for under the tree. Admittedly, I went a bit overboard... but I had such a wonderful time. (I still avoided the crowds, though; I did most of my shopping online.) A recent study shows that while hikes in income can moderately increase happiness, spending money on others really boosts your mood. Researchers approached the topic in a variety of ways. They surveyed more than 600 people and found that those who spend some money annually on gifts to others and/or donations to charity were generally happier. Additionally, employees who gave some bonus money away in a pro-social manner were also more satisfied.
