Month: February 2019
Find Happiness in Moments that Matter
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony – Mahatma Gandhi
I think it’s fair to say that most of us want to be happy, but what does that mean? Happiness is a state of well-being where we feel satisfied that we are living a good life. Or put another way, we are living life in a way where we can make decisions based on our values and passions.
There has been a lot of research done on happiness and well-being and it was surprising to me to learn that only about half of our happiness is within our control. Not so surprisingly, money and things don’t buy happiness, but relationships and experiences have a greater impact.
So when we think about happiness this way, it’s the moments that matter. It’s living each day in congruence with our thoughts and actions and being comfortable enough with ourselves to do so. Distractions may come, either life will throw challenges at you or someone will do, say, or have something that might draw your attention. Let that moment pass and remember that your focus is not on ‘one day’ wants but rather today. Spend time and energy on what matters.
Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be – Abraham Lincoln
I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about what makes me happy, what is my passion, how can I make a difference. The short answer is I believe in wellness of mind, body and spirit and I am driven by helping others to eat, move, and live well. So after giving up the idea of Perfection, I launched Run Wild and Eat. It all started with my love of food though – sharing those experiences, either cooking for or sharing food ideas with friends and family.
Taking my passion for wellness a step further, I completed my yoga teaching certification training at Amazing Yoga at the beginning of February. It was truly an amazing experience. For one week, I spent my days with like-minded people, practicing and learning how to teach yoga to others. How exciting to share experiences and ideas, fears and gratitude with a diverse group of stranger friends (you know, those people you haven’t known long but due to a shared experience, have a connection to) who I’m proud to have as part of my community. It was very energizing. And the exclamation point on this experience was when my husband came home from being away most of this week and looked at me and told me I was really happy. I couldn’t even put that word on it, I just knew I felt ‘different’, but he nailed it. There is congruence between what I think, believe, say, and what I do.
A lot of this sounds much easier to say than to put into action. I can certainly attest to that from my own journey. But you have to start somewhere. If nothing else changes, focus on the experiences that matter and don’t get caught on auto-pilot taking the good for granted.
Collect moments that matter:
Connect with Yourself. Yes, this might sound a little selfish as a place to start. But you can’t be happy and showing up as your best self if you haven’t spent the time to look inward and feed your mind, body and soul. As the beginning of this post indicates, it is important to understand your values and passion. Spend time taking care of yourself and figuring out what matters most. This can be something as big as working on a new career or as small as making time to exercise or throw yourself a dance party. The important thing is to take moments for yourself.
Get Wild with Nature. We know that nature and the outdoors is inherently good, but it is actually really good for us. This doesn’t mean you have to spend the day out hiking in the woods (although that sounds like a great option if you’re up for it), but even a short walk during your lunch break if you can away from the city buildings, sitting in a park, or even feeding the birds. Go crazy and take your shoes off to feel the grass beneath your feet. No matter what you choose, getting wild with nature has been proven to have positive effects not only on our happiness, but our health too.
Spend time with Friends and Family
Schedule activities with friends and family. Social connections are a great way to boost your mood. “Happiness” researchers agree that Mealtime with friends and loved ones is a direct predictor of well being. Have at least one 2-3 hour dinner and/or drinks per week with this who make you smile and feel good. (From Tim Ferris’s 4 Hour Work Week). There are a lot of different types of events happening on a regular basis too so find what sounds fun.
What does Healthy Eating mean to you?
I heard a news report the other day that piqued my curiosity and lingered in my mind… 98% of people at least sometimes look for healthy options in grocery stores but less than 1/3 of people find them. WHAT? So of course I had to look to learn more about what this was referencing and what people are looking for as ‘healthy options’.
We hear people say it, and say it ourselves, often – “I want to be healthier” or “I’m going to start eating healthy” but do people know what they’re hoping for when they say that?
Let’s start with the definition of healthy as defined by the World Health Organization:
Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
That is a start – well-being sounds good and nobody wants to have a disease. Breastcancer.org describes healthy eating as:
Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods that give you the nutrients you need to maintain your health, feel good, and have energy. These nutrients include protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals.
That sounds good… eating healthy should feel good and give me the energy I need for my day. I went through my own food journey more than 10 years ago (more on that another time) and needing to a adopt gluten free diet. I can say it made me take adjust my view of food, but I am not living without… I enjoy all of the food I eat and it fuels my running, yoga, and all of life’s adventures!
So back to the question at hand, how do I find healthy options at the grocery store? A few guidelines:
Start with the Outer Perimeter – Fruits, vegetables, lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy (or non-dairy substitutes if you need them), nuts and grains. These foods give a lot of great color and flavor to any meal while offering a variety of vitamins, minerals and nutritional benefits. Experiment with something new or mix and match your favorites, you can’t go wrong. Frozen is always a good option too. I usually have some frozen veggies on hand for easy stir-fry or soup dinners when I haven’t made it to the store and frozen fruit is great for smoothies!
Look for minimally processed options – If you have or want to buy packaged items, look for those that are not packed with preservatives or sodium. Packaged foods do get confusing with the claims on the front of the package and long lists of ingredients. When I decide to buy anything packaged, I try to look to ensure that sodium and that the other ingredients are ones I recognize – generally, if it has ingredients that are not ones I would buy if I were making it from scratch, I try to steer clear.
Use substitutes to make meals healthier – There are a lot of options that can offer less calories or more nutritious meals. Whole grains, brown rice instead of white, sweet potato or squash instead of white potatoes… but more recently there’s been a rise in other types of substitutes such as riced cauliflower (or wide variety of riced vegetables), cauliflower pizza crust, lentil or chickpea pasta as well. Even back to the outer perimeter you can find spiralized vegetables (or vegetables that you can spiralize yourself for just as easy and sometimes more affordable option).
None of this means you need to eliminate your favorite comfort foods or treats! Especially when you can search Google or talk to friends and family who boast about everything from no carbs to slow carbs, paleo and keto… what are we to do?
A healthy lifestyle and eating well is all about balance and choices. I’m not giving up potatoes or cheese, but I definitely follow the guidelines above most of the time. It helps that I love farm markets and if you aren’t taking advantage of locally grown, fresh ingredients, then I highly recommend it.
Find your healthy options, freshen up the shopping cart and have some fun!
