That's Fit

Think the food-mood connection is a real one? I do. A handful of nuts always makes me feel happier than a bag full of chips. Maybe it's because I know nuts are better for me than chips and by eating them, I'm preventing a trail of guilt that would follow my chip indulgence. Or maybe it's something else altogether.

Seems certain vitamins and compounds can actually change brain chemistry in happy ways, like these.

• Omega-3 fatty acids: Eat them and combat depression.
• Folic acid: Higher levels of folic acid lead to lower levels of depression.
• Low-quality carbs (candy, cookies, cakes): Watch out -- they can boost the blues.
  
• High-quality carbs (oats, barley, lentils, beans, sweet potatoes): The can stabilize mood swings.
• Vitamin D: It alleviates seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
  
  

Ready for some feel-good starter foods? Try these: Beans, wild salmon, skim milk, and blackberries. And don't forget to eat every four to five hours -- it will keep you feeling satisfied and happy all day long.

Lisa Rinna obviously looks good. Shoot, her body looks phenomenal, regardless of how you feel about her plump lips or predilection for leopard print. And, while she certainly keeps that in mind as she plans her workouts, a hot body isn't necessarily her main goal -- rather, exercise helps her stay positive.

"That's why I work out so hard," says the hot mama, adding, "Because if you don't feel good about your body, you don't feel good about anything. I do whatever it takes so that I feel good -- not just how I look, but how I feel inside."

The way we look and the way we feel are often intertwined, at least in my experience. And if I had a body like Lisa Rinna, I think I'd be pretty darn happy! How about you?

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.

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.

Do you sometimes feel like marriage problems are inevitable? They might be -- recent studies show that marriage problems have been linked to a specific gene variation in males. The gene variation, involved in brain signaling, affected the ability to mate for life in rodents and experts believe that it may produce similar results in humans, based on findings that showed that men with the gene were more likely to be unhappy in their relationships.

Still, don't let these findings get you down. Marriage is hard but a little compassion, understanding and quality time goes a long way. Our Life Fit expert Laura Lewis has some valuable tips on how to make love last -- check them out!

I used to be vigilant about exercising every morning... and it felt great. I started my day out with energy and a sense of accomplishment. After adopting my son, however, my schedule has changed and my morning exercise has become sporadic at best. I've vowed to get back on the bandwagon when he returns to school next week, though. Our schedule will be changing naturally -- so it's a good time for me to get my morning self in gear again.

Divine Caroline offers some great inspiration with five reasons to start the day with a workout:

• Better performance at work.
  
• A metabolism boost throughout the day.
• A better night's sleep.
• Increased likelihood to stick with it.
• A happier outlook.

Check out the original article for details. Then, set that alarm clock a little bit earlier and get your move on in the am.

Volunteering at our local Humane Society and caring for a room full of rescued cats is keeping me and my little boys plenty busy and happy this summer. It may also be helping our hearts.

Researchers have found a correlation between cat ownership and a decreased risk of deadly heart disease. While we don't own our very own cat, we do engage in many of the tasks that cat owners practice. And so maybe, if we're lucky and keep at our community service project, we'll enjoy a 40% lower risk of one day dying from a cardiovascular condition.

Caring for cats can make you more energetic and happy, say researchers. I believe it. My seven-year-old is very content while petting, brushing, and loving the cats we visit. And while having any pet companion is good for both physical and emotional health, it seems cats do the trick better than dogs do. Maybe it's because there are more cats owned in the United States -- there are 90 million compared to 74.8 dogs. Makes sense. There are 90 some cats in our Humane Society cat room. There were about 10 dogs last time we visited. Clearly, there's more cat work to be done.

I don't recommend the sort of happy meal you'd find at McDonald's and other fast food joints. But I do suggest you try some of the happy foods Redbook magazine features in its June 2008 issue. For the whole run-down -- there are 15 of them in all -- head on over to this site. For a little taste, keep on reading this post.

First, let me tell you why these foods are considered "happy." It's because they do more than fuel the body -- they help fight stress, fatigue, even the blues. They make us feel good. They make us feel, well, happy. And here they are.

Oatmeal: Ever met a dieter who is angry and tense all the time? It's likely a lack of carbohydrates causing such irritation. We need carbs. Not doughnut carbs, but carbs rich in fiber so the body absorbs them slowly and allows serotonin to flow steadily. Oatmeal fits the bill. So do whole-wheat pasta and beans.

Today I bring to you the first day of our recent family vacation at the happiest healthiest place on earth, Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. To catch up with this feature, click here. As your online Fitzness Trainer, I'm eager to share with you the simple ways my family and I maintained and enjoyed our healthy lifestyle while on vacation. Disney has really made strides with their efforts to embrace healthy food and entertainment options. They've done a bang up job at it as well.

You'll see in this photo gallery that we started our day off at Typhoon Lagoon. Those energetic hours were followed by a ridiculously healthy dinner, scootering around our resort, and dancing our tushies off all night. It was both high-energy and a blast. Can you say "Quality Time"?

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.

• Fresh, locally grown veggies -- Fresh vegetables are key for a well-balanced diet. Get them local -- grow them in your back yard, even -- and ditch all pesticides too. Your body will thank you.
  
  

• May flowers -- Are there health benefits to flowers? You betcha. Flowers offer restoration and respite from mental stress. And they help us connect with the natural world. Want more? Visit this post.
  
  

• A dog's little wagging tail -- Dogs are feel-good pets who love us unconditionally. They can also help curb kids' allergies and can even assist on your next fitness hike.
  
  

• Picking up the mail and finding an old-fashioned letter -- Time to turn off your computer and get back to basics -- like reading a real letter, written on real paper. If one doesn't turn up in your mailbox, find an old note you've saved. Or better yet, write one and mail it to a loved you. You'll boost your recipient's spirits and your own too -- journaling and writing have definite soothing qualities.
  
  

• Iced coffee -- Nowadays, coffee is more health food than hazard food. It contains antioxidants and the power to rev your metabolism too.
  
  

What healthy habits make you happy?

All old people may not be happy, but surveys of Americans taken since 1972 say that more than half of black men and women over the age of 80 are very happy. Older white men and women follow close behind. Young people, on the other hand: Not even close.

Only one-third of 18-year-old white men and 28 percent of white women say they are very happy. Young black Americans are even less happy. And Baby Boomers -- born between 1946 and 1964 -- are the least likely to report being happy.

Between 1972 and 2004, happiness trends went like this:

• General levels of happiness did not grow over the years, even though America became a wealthier country.
  
  

• Differences in happiness by gender, race, and education level lessened as people aged.
  
  
• Happiness increased over time, rising to high levels when people were older -- even for folks facing health problems and the deaths of friends and family.

Why are old people so happy? Maybe because so many of them live social lives -- volunteering, attending religious activities, spending time with neighbors -- or maybe because they're able to successfully compare themselves to others and feel pretty fortunate with what they've got. Or maybe we all just assume old people can't be all that happy, when the reality is much different.

Do you wish to one day be old and happy? Check out this AOL Body resource for a few longevity tips.

Maggie recently wrote about a new adult twin study suggesting happiness has a strong genetic component. Now another study published this month reveals a global pattern of happiness -- and the news is not good for people in their forties. Mid-life crisis anyone?

Researchers surveyed 2 million people across 70 countries. Happiness tends to follow a U-shaped curve across the lifespan. For people mid-40s and younger, happiness trends downward as you age, but then people become happier as they get even older, filling out the rising stroke of the U-curve. Mid-life unhappiness is a global condition, and in this study the low-point fell around the tender age of 44.

You might chalk this up to the 44 year old with a stressful job, a mortgage and raising two kids. But researchers stated adjusting for kids, income, marital status and education didn't sway the U-curve. The data also were gathered over 30 years, so the U-curve can't be explained by particular generational factors. One happiness expert involved in previous research on the subject contends angst, disgust and anger may diminish as we get older and worry less about what others think. Another expert stated the mid-life drop in happiness in their respective study revolved around people's fading youth and the hard fact that dreams and aspirations may be left unfulfilled.

I find happiness research incredibly interesting. I just hope this U-shaped curve does not become self-fulfilling or the next three years will progressively worsen. I'm 40, but I'm bucking the trend -- I am the happiest I've ever been. I couldn't have said that during my confusing 20s.

A few weeks ago I interviewed the TLC Trading Spaces host Paige Davis for my Celebrity Fitzness Report. Paige was open, honest, and hysterical. We blabbed for an hour and Oh Boy! did she fill it all up! One of the standard questions I ask my Celeb Fitzness guests is what their favorite vacation spot is, and whether or not they work out while on vacation. Paige gave me the best response I'd ever had to that question. Read on to find out what it is. Maybe you too, can incorporate her training into your other holiday activities?

**Actual excerpt from Celebrity Fitzness Report.interview with Paige Davis.

Fitz: Where is your favorite place to vacation?

Paige: Vegas. And, I know it's totally gag-me, but I love Disney World too!

When I was about 35 pounds heavier, I used to think about my body all the time. I was constantly fretting over the parts I didn't like, wondering how I was going to change, stressing over food and agonizing over clothes. I was all-consumed. I spent so much time thinking about my body, that I kind of lost track of the more important things in life. I certainly must have been far less productive and thoughtful to others than I am now as well.

Throughout my fitness journey, which truly began when I started teaching group fitness classes at 15 years old....I have had many great and not-so-great moments with my body. I even enjoyed a few great years in my teens as a bulimic. Whoopee! (That was really the low point.) Having said that. Along the way, I've learned to enjoy a variety of challenging exercises and balance my fitness. I also learned to appreciate and enjoy produce more than Cheetos. I got a grip on eating right and now I never fret at all over what I put in my mouth. I simply make great choices most of the time.