Blogs, They Are A Changin'

Maybe I missed the mark the first time. Maybe I have adult ADD. Whatever the reason, I've decided to change the style of this blog, already.

The idea for change started not long ago when I was talking with a friend about my diet (whole foods, nothing processed).

"So, what do you eat?" said my very dear, but highly skeptical friend.

"What do you eat?" I asked.

She couldn't believe that anyone could realistically eat a diet free of processed food and like it. I couldn't believe she thought I was eating tofu and lettuce for every meal.  

As I was thinking about our diet choices (which I believe to be connected to living a happier life), I realized that not long ago I, too was living in the land of Oreos & frozen pizza. It wasn't until I stumbled upon this website and let the creators virtually hold my hand & walk me through the process that I was able to make the switch in my diet.  

Then it hit me - maybe, just maybe - there are people out there who (like me, not long ago), need a little hand holding when it comes to this happiness stuff.  

So.  Wham-O.  An idea was born.  Just like that. 

Starting today, this blog will serve as your "How-To" guide to happiness.  I'll be posting healthy recipes, meditation tips, goal setting advice, and anything else that I believe will aid you on your happiness journey.

Hopefully, you'll find this change to be useful, but as always, if there is a particular topic that you would find more useful, let me know in the comments section.  

Thanks for bearing with me as I make this change! Stop back next week when I'm back with a "Healthy Eating for Happy Living" post!

The Most Important Thing To Do This Holiday Season

Ahhhh, December.  A time when colorful lights illuminate our neighborhoods, strangers greet one another with wishes of "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays," and our to-do lists become so unmanageable it sends stress levels through the roof.  Cookies to bake, lights to hang, the anxiety of wanting to get that "perfect" gift - just typing it is sending the cortisol surging through my body.  *shudder*

Its also a time we hear the message to slow down and remember why we celebrate in the first place.  A wonderful message, most would agree - but who has the time to slow down?  That list I typed was just the tip of the iceberg...

Unfortunately, when our days are so jam-packed with events, it's hard to be present in the here & now.  Our minds are constantly thinking ahead to the next thing on our never-ending list.  What to do? 

You guessed it - slow down anyway. Not always easy, but as a wise, old marketing slogan once told me:  Just Do It. Take some time to savor the holiday happenings around you, and surprise! your happiness will increase. Let me say that again:  enjoying the moment = more happiness.  Be mindful.  Aware. Relax a little.

Easier said than done?  Then plan to relax.  Actually put it on your list.  Use the time you have right now and take a red pen to your to-do list.  What items are big time-suckers that you can do without (do you really need to put up lights a la Clark Griswold or can you throw up a strand and call it good)?  Do you need to attend all of those holiday parties and bring fresh baked treats to each one (repeat after me: it's OK to say no)?  Where can you schedule some time to relax and unwind?

Speaking of unwinding, who doesn't like to unwind with a good book?

*WARNING - Shameless self-promotion ahead*

My new book, "How To Live Your Happiest Life" has just been released and is chock-full of nifty happiness tips, just for you.  Identifying priorities, goal-setting, the physical side of happiness - it's all here and can be downloaded in mere seconds thanks to the wonders of technology.  (And of course, it would make a wonderful Christmas gift.  The gift of happiness - what else could you ask for???).

So what are you waiting for?  Click here and take a sneak peek!  You'll be glad you did!

Are You Still Grateful?

So, November is almost half-over and a lot of folks are still doing the "post something I'm grateful for every day on Facebook" thing.  If that's you, are you running out of ideas yet?  I hope not!  There are so many things to be grateful for - take a look around you!  For those of you who are grateful for people, I decided to re-post something from my former blog 100 Days of Thank You.  I hope that by reading it you might be inspired to tell someone you are grateful for them instead of posting on Facebook.  Go ahead.  Take the extra step.  You might like it.  Enjoy!

Who to Thank

So far, I have thanked a variety of people/organizations.  Some were heartfelt...some were, uh...a little weak, but since I'm making the rules here, I say they still count.  Here are some examples of people I have thanked:
*  A very dear friend who has always been an inspiration to me (thanked via email).
*  The pastor at my church who I think does a phenomenal job (thanked via email).
*  The chick who cut my hair - she was so happy & fun the entire time - maybe it was the fumes from the hair dye, but I think she's maybe just a fun person (thanked IN PERSON...but I didn't go into much "thank you detail, since I didn't want to freak her out.  I do want her to cut my hair again).
* ConAgra foods.  O.K., this one is one of my more "weaker" thank yous, but I had what I felt to be an exceptionally delicious "Healthy Choice" meal for lunch the other day & thought they should know how much I liked it.  (Obviously, this was another emailed thank you.  If you are curious, I believe it was a lemon chicken meal with peppers & noodles.  Highly recommended).

The list goes on, but that is just a sampling of the people I have thanked.  Pretty much, anyone who makes my life a little better gets a thank you (slowly but surely).  I am finding it REALLY easy to send emails and not so easy to thank people in person.  I'm talking a true, heartfelt thank you -not just a  "thanks" when someone holds the door for you.  Perhaps I need to step it up a notch to make this challenge a little more of a challenge...stay tuned to see if I can find the courage to start thanking more people in person...

Tune in next week when we explore more ways to express gratitude!  Until then, here is a short clip to give you a little gratitude inspiration!  

Louie Schwartzberg's TEDtalk on "Gratitude"

This Is Your Brain On Gratitude

Ahhh, November, aka, the "Gratitude Month."  If you are like me, your news feed on Facebook has now been infiltrated with post after post of what your friends are grateful for. While sometimes predictable and other times close to bragging, this is actually a terrific practice - one that should continue past November 30th.  Expressing gratitude is good for us on so many levels, so to help celebrate the "Gratitude Month" I've decided to share an excerpt from my new book "How To Live Your Happiest Life" (out soon!).  I hope you enjoy!

"Hopefully, we are all being grateful from time to time, but are you spending enough time being thankful for what you have or are you taking it all for granted? How much time do you spend dwelling on what's wrong about a situation instead of what's right about it? As Stephen Covey said in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, "The way we see the problem is the problem." Shift your perspective and look at things from a different point of view and you may just see more things to be grateful for. 

Interestingly, a "grateful" brain actually looks different when scanned than a brain focusing on negative things. When we're focused on negative things (i.e., why did this tree fall on my house!) we become clumsier and less likely to think of a solution to our problem. We process information slower and get confused more easily.

Practicing gratitude daily can give us a greater sense of well-being, make us more likely to help others, and help us make more progress toward our goals. In a study, doctors who regularly practiced gratitude were better at making a correct diagnosis. Grateful people also are (surprise!) happier, more satisfied with life, exercise more and feel physically healthier (probably due to all that exercise).

It wasn’t long ago that I conducted a short experiment entitled “100 Days of Thank You.”  (You can read the brief blog here:  www.100DaysofThankYou.blogspot.com ).  Much like volunteering, gratitude can (but doesn't have to) involve others. I found that as I verbalized my feelings of gratitude toward others, I was also getting that familiar 'ol warm-fuzzy feeling. Again, being kind to others = being kind to yourself. But fear not, introverts! You don't have to actually tell people you are grateful for them. Simply keeping a journal of what you are grateful for is a big step in the right direction."

Next week, I will continue with the gratitude theme and we'll look at what you should be grateful for (just in case you were running out of Facebook posts!).  

Exercise: It's not so complicated, after all!

In this week's post, we continue looking at how having a healthy body can increase our overall happiness.  In the last few weeks I've been talking about how important nutrition is in maintaining our health (and I had plenty to say about it!).   Today, we'll take a look at the physical-fitness side of things.

There's no question about it - our bodies were made to move.  Unfortunately, judging by the general physique of the population, many of us aren't moving enough.  Are you moving enough?  Try this - keep track of how often you are sitting/lying down throughout any given day.  Do you commute?  Have a desk job?  Like to relax in front of the TV before bedtime?  There is nothing wrong with any of those things, but added together, they make for a pretty sedentary lifestyle.

What types of exercise are the best?  Ask ten people and you'll get ten different answers.  Some swear by running.  Others say lifting weights is key.  You'll find many yoga fanatics out there alongside those that just like to walk around their neighborhood.

Want to know the best kind of exercise?

The one you'll do.  That's kind of a "duh" answer, but it's true.  If you do not have major weight loss or body/shaping goals, then it doesn't really matter what you do, as long as you do.  

There are a plethora of "programs" to choose from (turn on the TV at 3 AM you are sure to find a muscle-bound, sweaty guy pushing his latest product on you), there are also YMCA's to join, online support, fitness magazines, etc.  Pick one and do it.  And if you don't like it & didn't stick with it - pick something else.

Yes, it's probably smart to have some form of cardio.  Yes, it's probably smart to have some weight-bearing activities.  Stretching is a good idea as well (plus, it just feels good).  Truth is, pretty much any physical activity you do will fall into one of those three categories.  Don't make this part so hard.

Often, we tend to overcomplicate things - perhaps we are looking for an easier answer (i.e., take this pill and you'll wear the pants size you're dreaming of).  The easy answer is this - move your body every day in a way you find enjoyable.

Simple.

Now get off the computer and go for a walk!

If You're Sick of Diets - READ THIS!

This week, we continue to look at how to keep our bodies physically healthy so that we may achieve maximum happiness.  Staying with the nutrition component of physical fitness, today we're going to take a look at what you should be feeding that body of yours.  

If you're like most Americans, at some point in your life you have probably tried to "diet."  These days, there are probably as many diets as there are people dieting: South Beach Diet, Atkins, Paleo, Biggest Loser, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig - the list goes on.  Each diet has its own cult following, websites filled with inspiring before and after pictures, and a list of rules that must be followed to achieve maximum results.  

Even if you are not currently on a diet, many people still like to try to eat healthy at least sometimes.  Unfortunately, with all of the diet/nutrition information we are being (over)fed on a daily basis (many of it contradicting yesterday's report) it can be confusing to know what's OK to eat and what's not.  

"Fat is bad!  Don't eat it!"  "Wait - no, fat is OK!  Eat it up!"  "Hold on - some fat is OK.  Here is today's list of OK fat..."  

No wonder obesity is such an epidemic - even  trying to eat well is so confusing its easier to just not care!  

Well friends, let me ease your minds.  It doesn't have to be so hard.  In fact, it can be downright easy.  I believe Michael Pollan puts it best in his book, "In Defense of Food," when he says:

"Eat real food.  Mostly plants.  Not too much."  

Let me break that down for you just a stitch - 

"Eat real food" - we're talking about ditching the processed stuff, here.  Who cares what the front of the box claims or even what the nutrition label has to say - we're just interested in the ingredients.  If you can't pronounce it, couldn't re-create it in your kitchen and your great-grandma wouldn't recognize it as food, don't eat it.  

"Mostly plants" - lettuce, peppers, apples, grapes, etc.  Things you could grow yourself if you had the time and talents.  Food that God put on this earth however many years ago.  Eat lots of that.  

"Not too much" -  Although this is one of Pollan's original 3 rules, don't get hung up on this one.  If you are following the first two rules, you aren't going to need to worry too much about it.  Fact of the matter is, your stomach will tell you when you are full of "real food" a lot quicker than if you are eating the more calorie-dense processed junk.  

That's it.  That's all you have to do and I am willing to bet you will start to shed some un-needed pounds, your blood sugar levels will be where they need to be, your cholesterol levels should be in an appropriate range and a host of other good things will start happening in your body. 

If I haven't made a believer out of you yet, I encourage you to read "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan or watch the brief 90-ish minute documentary, "Forks Over Knives."  (Click here to watch it free on hulu).  

Will it take work up front?  Yes, particularly if you're prone to fast food and convenience food.  There will be new recipes to try, new products to learn about at the grocery store, but its worth it.  I promise.  Your body will thank you, and really - isn't that the whole idea?  

For recipe inspiration go to 100 Days Of Real Food - its a great place to get started!

Eat to Be Happy!!

This week we continue our look at how to live a healthier life. Last week, I went into more detail on why we should want to be healthy - if you missed it, see below.   Living healthy will save you from  many health problems down the road (making you un-happy) - not to mention the fact that your body will feel so much better in the present moment, if it is a healthy one (making you happy).

Today's focus is on nutrition and it's an important one.  Now, don't get me wrong - our bodies were made to move and physical activity will most definitely be a future blog post.  However, you don't need to exercise for hours a day if you are eating the right foods.  Tosca Reno, author and fitness guru puts it into these terms: gaining a healthy body is done through 80% nutrition, 10% training, and 10% genetics.  That's a huge emphasis on what you're putting on your plate every day.

I am continually amazed when I hear people talk about going to the gym to "run off the ice cream" they just ate for supper.  Maybe you've thought something similar yourself.  Let me make this next point very clear  - **calories in DO NOT = calories out. **  Your body does different very different things with a Snickers than it does a carrot, so STOP thinking you can eat what you'd like because you are good about exercising.  Even if this method has "appeared" to work for you in the past, you would be wise to develop a different approach.  Unfortunately, at some point it will catch up with you (either in the form of appearance or disease).

I also am surprised when people talk of diet food tasting bland (or worse).  It is my experience that usually these people are those who go on fad diets where they only eat grapefruit for a week, or rely on pre-packaged meals and shakes to sustain themselves.  Those are also usually the people who are cranky when they're on "diets" because they are starving all of the time!

Remember - you are going to be eating for the rest of your life - you want the food to taste good!  It's OK if the food tastes good!  There are LOADS of healthy foods out there that do indeed taste delicious (in fact, you may find that once you quit eating junk food some of your taste buds are awakened and the healthy food is more flavorful).

As for being starving all of the time, if you are eating a healthy diet, you really don't need to count calories.  Counting calories is a relatively new concept and I can assure you people did a fine job of eating for many years before the nutrition facts were printed on our food.  Besides, it's pretty tricky to eat too much healthy food.  Have you ever seen someone un-button their pants after a meal and say, "Man, I should've stopped at that last fork-full of spinach."  Probably not.  So relax a little and enjoy the food you're putting in your mouth.

But what is considered healthy food?  With so many stories in the media contradicting each other, I admit it can be tricky to figure out sometimes.  Start here - trust your gut.  You probably have a pretty good idea of what is good for your body and what isn't.  And if you don't, well stay tuned for next week's post when I'll unveil the mystery that healthy food has become.

Until then, go munch on some celery.