What to Consider When Considering Happiness

Today’s lifestyle is mostly about sitting. We sit at our desks, our computers, our offices, our classrooms, we sit a lot. And we know that sitting is bad for us. Some companies give you a standing desk option, and while standing is better than sitting, nothing beats movement.
We are built to move.

There are many studies showing how important it is to be active; our health literally depends on it. It is not just our bodies; our minds depend on it, too. We depend on it, inside and out.

Be honest, when you hear workout, you’re thinking of the gym, aren’t you? Thinking on those heavy weights and how there is no hope for you because you’re not the gym type, more important, you don’t want to be the gym type. Well, good news, you don’t have to be. There is a lot of pushing to “hit the gym,” and we became so focused on wanting or not wanting to go to the gym that we forgot about all the other options, and there are many, many of them.
Like I’ve said, movement is what counts. So, what you need to do is decide what kind of movement is your kind of movement.

And there is plenty to choose from:

• Running
• Walking
• Pilates
• Yoga
• Hiking
• Swimming
• Cycling
• Dancing (yes, dancing is a great AND FUN workout)
• Strength training

These are some options, not all of them; there are so many ways to be active, and each one of them counts.

For me, it was yoga, it is yoga.
I’ve been a couch potato most of my life (and I still enjoy being one), but at some point, this just wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to be healthier, more energized, I wanted to feel better in my body. It’s a crazy thing, but as you get older, you become more and more aware of your body, both the good and the bad. And it becomes more about feeling better than looking better. Yes, of course, I would very much like to look like Eva Longoria, but she puts in the work. The work I’m not willing to put in (probably because I still like the couch potato part of my life 🙂 ). But I did want to make a change, I did want to put in enough work to feel better, and looking better is a wonderful bonus, of course. I guarantee any kind of movement will do this for you: you will feel better, you will look better, and you will function better.

We talked about spending time in nature, and if you enjoy that, it is a huge plus, because nature provides so many activities, from walking your dog, playing with your kids, enjoying some group activities, or sports such as volleyball or badminton.

There are also many sports you can enjoy, team sports like football, soccer, baseball, or if you prefer one or no teammates, you can choose tennis or maybe golf. There are options, I promise, you just need to look for them.

Think about what type of person you are, is your pace fast or slow, do you like a lot of people around you or not, do you prefer working with training equipment like weights and balls, or do you prefer using only your body, keeping is simple like doing pushups or running.
For example, I always liked stretching. I would feel so good after stretching, and I actually enjoyed doing it, and that led me to yoga. Of course, I found so much more than stretching in yoga, but this was my starting point. Also, thinking about taking an hour to work out was too much for me, even half an hour. This might sound crazy to some of you, but I know that some of you get where I’m coming from. When you’re a couch potato, you want to be still; movement is tiring for you, and if you don’t like exercising, well, every minute of it is too much. I might have mentioned this before, but there was an interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, and they were saying how each minute counts, no matter how much time you take to work out, it counts, how 30 seconds is better than nothing. And this was a great motivation for me, that no matter how much or how little I do, it counts. So, I said to myself I would start with stretching for five minutes each day. For me, it had to be each day, it still has to be, I need that flow because it is so easy for me to go back to that couch potato mode. But even if you do go back to your old ways, it doesn’t matter; just pick up where you left off. Don’t wait for Monday to come, don’t think you need to start over, just start, you don’t need to be perfect, you just need to put in the work.

I try to do yoga each day and I do it every morning, but summer comes, my pace is somewhat different, I like to go to the beach early while there are no crowds so sometimes, I skip doing yoga, but I don’t feel bad, I just pick it up the next day. Or whenever, but I pick it up, I don’t stop because I missed a few days. Also, swimming is great exercise, so I replace one movement with another, meaning if you go to the gym during winter but prefer walks in the spring, that is also great, no need to feel guilty for skipping the gym when the weather is perfect for a walk or doing some other activity. It is still an activity, and that’s what it is all about. 🙂

And you are never too young or too old to start, too heavy or too thin, super healthy or not healthy enough, no matter the stage of your life, you can always start and it will always do you good, just find what works for you, start easy, be persistent and you will get there, you will enjoy the results you get.
I mentioned Arnold’s newsletter before, but this is a great time to mention it again because he is a great motivator, and his words carry so much weight because he has accomplished so much. If you’re not into newsletters, he also has a podcast. Hear him out, you won’t be sorry.

Remember, we are all capable of change, no matter how big or small. When you change for the better, you feel better, you are happier, and this is exactly what we’re working on here, our happiness. 🙂

Exercise not only changes your body, it changes your mind, your attitude, and your mood.

– Unknown