Is Happiness a Choice?

We all want to be happy, that goes without saying, but many of us feel like happiness is just out of our control. In fact, when talking about happiness, it's not uncommon to hear people say: “If I only had this I could be happy,” or, “If only that happened I could be happy.” But some, like The New York Times reporter John Leland, argue that happiness is a choice. Leland even wrote a book on the matter, entitled Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons From a Year Among the Oldest Old. From an interview with Kiplinger.com, here’s what he had to say about happiness as a choice.

“You come to understand that the quality of our lives isn’t based in the events of our lives. It’s really in the reaction to the events in our lives. That’s a really useful thing, to realize “I don’t have control over some of the events in my life, like the weather, but I actively have a say in how I respond to the weather.” The title of the book is Happiness Is a Choice You Make, but the key word isn’t happiness. It’s choice. It’s declaring that you won’t be defined or determined by the circumstances of your life. You have a say in this. That declaration is liberating. That liberation is happiness. Happiness isn’t just the thing you choose; it’s the act of choosing it that makes you happy.”

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Smart Weight Loss Tips for 2019

Many people jump into 2019 with the goal to lose some weight and get into better shape, but with countless diet plans out there the proper approach may be somewhat elusive. Of course, when it comes to losing weight the smart and healthy way, the proper approach may not be a diet at all. Here are three smart weight loss tips to get your 2019 started the right way.

Think lifestyle changes, not diet. A diet may get some results in the short term, but the body has its way of remembering and trying to get back to its original weight once that diet is over. Additionally, restrictive diets can often lead to nutrient deficiencies down the road if taken to an extreme or followed for too long. Lifestyle changes, on the other hand, like changing eating habits and generally eating better produce more sustainable results, even if they do happen just a bit more gradually.

Set reasonable expectations. You may not have that beach body a week into your new routine, and a significant difference in numbers on the scale may not happen in a matter of days. Setting reasonable expectations is the smartest way to ensure you stick to your new routine, and it’s far healthier than aiming for drastic change in a short amount of time.

Water is your friend. Water is not only essential to digestion, but it’s also a powerful weight loss tool, as quite often perceived hunger is really nothing more than dehydration. Sugary soft drinks and juices don’t count for proper hydration, replacing these drinks with water and ensuring you drink enough water throughout the day will make a significant difference not just in how you look, but in how you feel.

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The Key to a long Life May Just be Simplicity

The fountain of youth has been sought after for centuries, be it the strange customs and superstitions of times passed or the pills and potions of the modern era. Yet while some turn to ancient wisdom and others look towards technology, the key to longevity may be nothing more than simplicity itself.

Ask any medical professional and they’ll confirm that the old cliche is true, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So just what qualifies as preventive medicine? It’s no complicated procedure, is simply living a healthy life, one which involves:

• Getting enough sleep (7-8 hours per night is recommended.)

• Exercising regularly, both resistance training and cardiovascular exercise.

• Eating well, which implies a mostly plant based diet with meat, dairy, and grains on occasion.

• Regular social interaction.

•  Mindfulness.

Not convinced? Researchers have spent decades studying so called Blue Zones, which consist of places in the world where people live both the healthiest and longest lives. Often listed among these Blue Zones are communities like Okinawa in Japan, Ikaria in Greece, Sardinia in Italy, and Nicoya in Costa Rica, places where the ideals of preventative health have been ingrained in the culture for centuries. It’s not uncommon for inhabitants of these communities to live well past the age of 100. As it turns out, simplicity may be the key to a long life after all.

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