Well-Being | Live Happy

Wake Up and Win: The Power of a Purposeful Morning

Mornings used to be the bane of my existence. I’d hit the snooze button a dozen times and when I finally dragged myself out of bed, I stumbled around in a fog of stress and anxiety. But then, it dawned on me—doing the same thing and expecting different results never works. So, I decided to switch things up by waking up a little earlier, brewing a fresh cup of coffee, and devoting 15 minutes to meditating or gentle stretching. I listened to the soothing sounds of a meditation app while feeling the plush blanket beneath my feet and wrapped up my ritual with sips or hot, rich coffee. My morning routine became a little slice of heaven—a moment of peace and calm to ground myself—that had ripple effects on my productivity, focus, and overall happiness that lasted throughout the rest of the day. Good Morning, Good Health Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, starting your day with a nourishing morning routine can have incredible health perks. Most people already know a nutritious breakfast can jump-start your metabolism, but do you know it can also regulate your blood sugar? Also, a lesser known fact is that hydrating first thing is just as important as a well-balanced meal and can promote good digestion and regularity. Gentle exercise can be just the thing to get your blood pumping and your brain firing on all cylinders. In fact, a study published in Science Daily found that people who did moderate exercise in the morning had better cognitive performance and productivity throughout the entire day. Incorporating these healthy habits into your morning routine may also lower your risk for chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Plus, you’ll kickstart your overall well-being and may discover you're a morning person after all! Morning Prescriptions Add some pizzazz to your morning routine with these non-traditional ideas from my prescription pad. To start your day off on the right foot, look no further than your reflection. Set a positive tone with a pep-talk in the mirror. Recite affirmations like "I am confident" or "I am worthy" to lift your self-esteem. Get your creative juices flowing with a little art or strum a sweet chord on an instrument. Love a good read? Peruse a book, an article, or newspaper. Pump up your enthusiasm with a motivational podcast or playlist. If you're a goal-setter, jot down your daily or weekly goals. Trying a simple skincare routine of washing, toning, and moisturizing can have you feeling refreshed and ready to face the day. Or, take a few minutes to do some deep breathing, journaling, or yoga to cultivate a sense of calm in order to tackle whatever the day brings. Your morning ritual can make or break your day, so try different routines until you discover what works best for you. Zen Over Screens Don’t let your phone or laptop hijack your morning vibes. Rushing to check messages as soon as you wake up can leave you feeling frazzled and anxious before you even get out of bed. Instead of immediately diving into a screen, use the time to connect with yourself and the world around you with one of my morning prescriptions. Your brain (and your inner peace) will be grateful! Start Your Day Like A Boss Don’t just take my word for it—many of the world's most accomplished individuals swear by a healthy morning routine. Vogue's formidable editor-in-chief Anna Wintour prioritizes hitting the tennis court every morning to get her blood circulating and her mind sharp. Arianna Huffington, the wellness guru and founder of the Huffington Post, begins her day with meditation, exercise, and a wholesome breakfast—all essential ingredients for maintaining focus and productivity. And also, former First Lady Michelle Obama rises early for a workout to prioritize her own well-being. These powerhouse bosses understand the amazing benefits of a healthy morning routine—and their success speaks for itself. Make Your Morning Routine Stick It takes time to turn good intentions into a lifestyle: about 66 days. So, while it's great to mix things up and try new ones, it’s also crucial to establish a morning routine that you can stick to daily. You can't try something once and expect to see results, right? By making healthy habits a regular part of your morning ritual, you can track how far you've come and fine-tune your routine for even better benefits. Whether it’s making your bed, drinking water, meditating, or anything that sets you up for a successful day, commit to it every day! Transform Your Life, One Morning at a Time Don't settle for an average day by mindlessly rolling out of bed and letting the day happen to you. A healthy morning routine can transform your entire day, and even your entire life. Embrace your morning ritual as a daily act of self-love to fuel your passions and ignite your spirit. Dr. Bernadette Anderson MD, MPH is not your ordinary family physician—she’s a wellness curator, author, and founder of Life in Harmony LLC, an innovative, intentional, action-oriented approach to well-being based on the principles of lifestyle medicine. With over 20 years of experience in health and wellness, Dr. Bernadette is a highly respected authority in her field. Her latest book, Fulfilled. 52 Prescriptions for Healing, Health, and Happiness is set for release in June 2023. She has also been feature in GoodRx, Essence, USA Today, Fatherly, and The Grio. Be sure to follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Well-Being

The Pebbles Can Pummel You

Determining whether a person is clinically depressed is not an arbitrary decision. Psychiatrists follow strict guidelines specified by the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and look for at least five of the following nine symptoms lasting at least two weeks: Feels depressed most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by subjective report (e.g., feels sad, empty, hopeless) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful) Feels markedly diminished levels of interest or pleasure when engaging in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by subjective account or observation) Significant weight loss when not dieting, or weight gain or decrease, or increase in appetite Sleep disturbance Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down) Fatigue or loss of energy Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide I include these criteria not only because I want readers to know that depression can manifest in many ways but also to underscore the importance of seeking professional help if they apply to you or a loved one. Over the years I have diagnosed, hospitalized, and treated many patients with the full range of the symptoms described above. But there are also many who qualify for an “almost diagnosis”—not mentally ill by clinical standards but lacking positive mental health. When I first opened my private practice, most of the new patients I took on were at an inflection point. They sought help to assess a life-changing decision or to understand a relationship, or they were in the midst of a significant transition, often following a loss. The chronic issues in their daily lives did not take center stage. Today more and more patients come to see me because of the ups and downs in their daily lives. They are feeling worn out and worn down by the daily grind. Women seem to feel it the most. Almost half of the women surveyed said they frequently experience daily stress, and more than 40 percent said they feel as if they don’t have enough time. Their lives are nonstop, with a to-do list that seems bottomless. Often a lack of vitality only amplifies their stress. Patients often just give up and sigh, “I guess that’s just life.” The hassles of day-to-day living— the annoying, anxiety-provoking, and frustrating experiences that are embedded into everyday life— are a significant source of stress. Seemingly minor occurrences—an argument with a child or partner, an unexpected work deadline, arriving late for an appointment, missing a train, or dealing with a malfunctioning computer—all contribute. One study’s results indicated that watching the news and losing your cell phone are among the top ten daily events that stress people out. Even a long line at your local coffee shop or not having hot water for your morning shower can be enough to put you in a terrible mood. We know it’s absurd to allow something minor to ruin a minute let alone a day. We try to dismiss these daily irritations as irrelevant or as the “first- world problems” they are. We tell ourselves that they don’t matter in the long run. But they do. Many assume that major life events like divorce, the death of a spouse, and the loss of a job are the most virulent causes of stress, but a University of California, Berkeley study confirmed that so-called microstressors are the ones we need to watch out for: “[T]hese kinds of stressors have been taken for granted and considered to be less important than more dramatic stressors. Clinical and research data indicate that these ‘micro- stressors’ acting cumulatively, and in the relative absence of compensatory positive experience, can be potent sources of stress.” The impact of challenges that occur during everyday living on both a person’s physical and mental health cannot be underestimated and are, in fact, better predictors of health than major life events. This excerpt is from Everyday Vitality by Samantha Boardman, published by Penguin Life, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2021 by Samantha Boardman. Dr. Samantha Boardman is a Positive Psychiatrist with a private practice in Manhattan. She is a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Assistant Attending Psychiatrist at Weill Cornell Medical College. She received her B.A. from Harvard University and a Medical Degree from Cornell University Medical College, where she was awarded the Oskar Diethelm Prize for Excellence in Psychiatry.

Live Happy Revolution of New Year Resolution

Well-Being

Revolution of the New Year’s Resolution: A Real Soul Evolution

Good habits to practice to help keep your health and wellness goals on track. It’s early January. It’s dreary, misty, and cold outside. Members of my tribe slowly check in with me to say Happy New Year and inform me that they are doing a dry January or that they got up extra early this morning to get their workout in. Or that they are going to lose that extra weight they have been intending to take off. I cheer them on, support them, uplift them, but I cannot help but think to myself, what about after January? According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, nearly 50% of Americans intend on making a New Year’s resolution but only 60% keep those resolutions after the first month and only 8% keep those resolutions for the year. Despite the intention to make positive changes to our lives every new year, such as losing weight, drinking less and getting more sleep, the success rate of achieving those goals is low. Intending. What exactly is an intention? Dictionary.com defines it as “an act or instance of determining mentally upon some action or result.” So how do we change an act or an instance of determination into many, repetitive acts of intention. Enter the word we all know—resolution. Dictionary.com defines a resolution as “a formal expression of opinion or intention made,” and “the act of resolving or determining upon an action [or] course of action…” Even more telling is Dictionary.com’s “other words for resolution: resolve, determination, perseverance, tenacity; strength, fortitude.” These are the words you will need to carry you through to the end of 2022, not just till the end of January. It’s great to intend the night before to wake up early by setting your alarm, telling your friend you will do so, and getting to sleep a bit earlier. And it’s great when you actually do it. But how do you power yourself to make it a habit. What will give you the staying power to see your project through to the end, to stay the course, is resolution. Here are six good habits you can practice during the year to keep your health and wellness goals on track. Resolve Embedded in the word intent is the implicit I will try, or I want: the desire. But embedded in the word resolve is the solve—the Resolving and Re-soling of the problem or the project you intend to accomplish or achieve. Determination The word has a finality about it, and within it contains the word “terminal”—reminiscent of the last bus stop, the terminal. Resolution is what gets you to the last bus stop, the end goal. But of course, the journey is not about the end, it is the about the journey itself, the tale of how you got yourself to the gym after work when you were tired and hungry. Perseverance To persevere is to keep going even when you don’t want to or when you feel like you can’t. It is what peels you off the cozy, comfy couch. It is what pushes you past what you think is the bottom of your tank, only to find there is more. According to the VIA Institute on Character, perseverance is the strength most associated with life engagement and achievement, which both adds to your happiness and well-being. Tenacity Tenacity is holding on. It is what makes you put down the chocolate bar and pick up the apple instead. Apples are high in sugar, pectin, and fiber, and power you through workouts. Chocolate feels good for a minute while it melts on your tongue into silky softness, but then comes the sugar crash and hunger cravings. And no way to power yourself through anything. Tenacity is accepting the weak moments but staying the course because you respect yourself too much. Because you will be happier later. Strength Strength, like anything, has everything to do with practice. Even more than the physical muscle, you need to flex the mental muscle that takes your intention of making a healthy food choice, over and over, until you do it without much thought because it has become embedded into your psyche. Fortitude It takes bravery to admit your failures and to get back up and try it again. Fortitude is not perfection. Fortitude is knowing you may have lost the battle, but you will win the war. Even though your intention may have failed you when you overstepped the boundary of the one square of chocolate a day (one square becomes one row which becomes, gasp! the whole bar…), it is resolution which allows you to rein in your raw desires and stay the path. Practice Makes Perfect Healthy habits are no different from any other habits–they require commitment, practice, grit, and most of all, the boring daily grind repetition that is required to transmogrify your intent–your will–into your resolution–your real soul evolution.

Lifestyle shot of a woman cooking breakfast food on the stove.

Well-Being

5 Sustainable New Year Intentions That Stick

Reach your health goals in 2023 by practicing these lifestyle changes Nothing is more synonymous with the new year than coming up with resolutions. Every new year we get motivated and set about making goals to better ourselves. Many resolutions revolve around our health and taking care of our bodies, but will we be doing these “healthy” practices six months from now? Most likely we won’t since only four percent of people actually stick to their New Year’s resolutions. Why is this? The goals and practices that we set for ourselves in January simply aren’t sustainable. If you want to be able to keep your resolutions, the key is to set goals that you’ll be able to maintain. Here are five ways to help you transform your health in 2023 with sustainable lifestyle practices. 1. Eat a higher-protein breakfast Many resolutions tend to revolve around more healthful eating. However, it can be incredibly challenging to change one’s diet overnight. Cutting out processed fat, sugar and otherwise unhealthy food can be beneficial, but going cold turkey and maintaining a new, strict diet could be setting yourself up for failure. Instead, start by altering your diet with a higher protein breakfast. A study published in the International Journal of Obesity showed that eating a high-protein breakfast, can help control glucose levels, thereby providing a more healthful lifestyle. High protein breakfasts include foods such as eggs, turkey bacon, string cheese, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, chicken sausage or protein shakes (be careful of hidden sugars here) coupled with one serving of whole grain carbohydrates. 2. Physical activity Working out is a common New Year’s resolution, the trouble is that people try to go from zero to 60 the first week of January. It simply doesn’t work that way and can lead to fatigue and even injury. It’s best to ease into physical activity. The American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults get 150 minutes (30 minutes, five days a week) of aerobic activity. Try to go for a 30-minute walk after dinner a few days a week and work up to five days. Or, if you can’t walk for 30 minutes straight, start by breaking it out into three 10-minute walks or two 15-minute walks. The idea is to simply get started, but in a more sustainable way. Additionally, a recent study found that physical inactivity is associated with higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes, so getting in some moderate exercise could be crucial during this time. 3. Optimize sleep Sleep is when your body rests and repairs itself. By including sleep on your resolutions list, you can feel good about squeezing in some extra hours or even a nap. The CDC recommends that adults ages 18-60 get seven or more hours of sleep per night. Not only that, but if one of your resolutions is weight loss, a study showed that people sleeping 8.5 hours a night compared to 5.5 hours lost 55 percent more body fat while consuming the exact same diet. Plus, lack of sleep or burnout may increase risk of COVID-19 infection, so getting those extra ZZZs can be imperative to your health. 4. Optimize vitamin D Vitamin D is a vital nutrient that helps your body maintain healthy bones, is an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant and protects muscle and brain activity. Taking a vitamin D supplement is a completely sustainable resolution that can have a tremendous impact on your health. Not only that, but a study showed that vitamin D deficiency was associated with a six-fold increase in severe disease from COVID-19 and 15-fold risk of death, so this is a healthful, timely and easy resolution. 5. Reduce exposure to synthetic chemicals Obesogens are synthetic chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system and may lead to weight gain and obesity as well as hinder your body’s natural immune response. They are being let loose at astonishing rates into our environment, with 10 million new chemicals released each year, which is more than 1,000 per hour. The five obesogens most commonly found in the home are Bisphenol-A (BPA), Phthalates, Atrazine, Organotins and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA). Reducing exposure to these chemicals is as simple as paying attention to the types of products you use or bring into your home, making it an easy resolution to keep. If you’re not sure of your current exposure level, you can ask your healthcare provider for an Array 11 test. The Array 11 test measures a large range of environmental chemical toxins that are found in your system. This will let you know what type of exposure you’ve already had, and then as you make adjustments, follow-up tests make it easy to monitor progress of exposure reduction. These lifestyle changes can make your resolutions stick As you start making your New Year’s resolutions, remember that sustainable resolutions are best. It’s tempting to set ambitious goals, but that’s a sure way to get resolution burnout and set yourself up for failure. There are some easy things you can do to transform your health and lifestyle in 2023 without setting the bar astronomically high. Making simple adjustments like eating a high-protein breakfast and getting enough sleep are easy to do and easy to maintain. Try incorporating the five resolutions above for a new year that will effectively and simply transform your health. Dr. Chad Larson, NMD, DC, CCN, CSCS, Advisor and Consultant on Clinical Consulting Team for Cyrex Laboratories. Dr. Larson holds a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine degree from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Southern California University of Health Sciences. He is a Certified Clinical Nutritionist and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

Well-Being

Rediscover Your Joy with Live Happy’s Latest Issue

Who doesn’t want to stay forever young? Live Happy’s new issue cover story “Happy for Life” explains how building positive habits like eating right, staying active, sleeping well and training your brain to be mindful and calm are the keys to a long and joyful life. Yet even more important? Having close, meaningful relationships. “People who live a long time have a lot of positive emotion,” says George Vaillant of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. “And that means being part of a community. It’s hard to have positive emotion on a deserted island; you need other people.” Well-being researcher and Blue Zones author Dan Buettner backs that up. “Making sure you have happy friends affects how long you live, because that’s contagious. And focusing on your immediate social network is more important than either diet or exercise programs when it comes to living a long, happy, healthy life. Happiness adds about eight years to your life expectancy; it’s almost as good for you as quitting smoking.” Live Happy’s issue No. 26 is on newsstands this week. A larger format “bookazine”—it’s both a book and a magazine!—includes five chapters of well-being tips and resources, plus pullout posters and postcards. In this issue, we share scientifically proven methods to boost your happiness so you can increase your health. Readers will learn to practice: Gratitude to refocus the brain to start looking for what’s good in life. Compassion to counter the habit of dwelling on personal needs and challenges. Savoring to increase appreciation for what’s right in the moment. Optimism to lower stress response, which leads to better overall health and happiness. Mindfulness to stay present and limit anxiety from worrying about the future. Giving Back to boost well-being for all involved and to strengthen community bonds. “This issue is unlike any we’ve ever done before,” says Deborah K. Heisz, Live Happy’s CEO, co-founder and editorial director. “It shares the key lessons of positive psychology research—as well as the latest tips, ‘how-tos’ and emerging science—in our largest, most comprehensive issue yet. The ‘bookazine’ format includes chapters relevant to every part of your life including happiness, health, resilience and happiness at work, school and at home.” Also in this issue: Stronger Every Day: Maria Shriver’s four guideposts to positivity from her new book, I’ve Been Thinking…Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life. Plus can’t-miss interviews with TV celebs Annie Potts, Mario Lopez and Denise Austin. Finding Joy Again: Three powerful stories of how to recover from loss and live happier now. With five steps from Rick Hanson, Ph.D., to start the healing process. Putting the ‘Om’ in Home: Author Rebecca West shares how rethinking home design can deliver joy and comfort. Plus seven keys to healthy family relationships from licensed psychotherapist Stacy Kaiser. The issue is available at store.livehappy.com or at major retailers throughout North America including Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Chapters Bookstores (Canada), Indigo Books, Safeway, Raley’s Supermarkets, SavOn Foods, Walmart and Hy-Vee Foods.

Illustration with book and quote bubbles

Well-Being

15 Happy Quotes to Get You Through Today

What does real happiness look like and how do we get there? Explore science-based answers and tools in the book, Live Happy: Ten Practices for Choosing Joy by Deborah K. Heisz and the editors of Live Happy magazine. It includes practical tips, wisdom and stories of everyday happiness. Enjoy the following quotes from the book to get you through today. “Every job is so much bigger than the task you do; remembering that, every day, changes the way you approach it.” —Mary Miller, Jancoa CEO Sometimes there are things in life you just have to own and move forward from. They don’t have to define or own you; they’re just a small part of you. Once you realize that, you can look forward to the possibilities of a new day.” —Hoda Kotb “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” —Lao Tzu “Love of spouse can easily be replaced by love of work. We love the work we do, and it can be all-consuming, so we have to make sure that we take time for each other.” —Shawn Achor As happiness grows, person by person, so does the hope for joy—and peace—in the world.” —Jeff Olson, Live Happy founder “Relationships matter because people don’t show up to work because they have to—but because they want to be with their friends, their tribe. And they matter because people tend to go above and beyond when they share mutual respect and trust.” —Jenn Lim “People who have a sense of meaning in life also report feeling more happy, more satisfied with their lives, less depressed and anxious, and more satisfied with their jobs.” —Michael Steger, Ph.D. “The goal is to put something in the world that feels meaningful.” —Alastair Moock “I feel blessed that learning about the emerging work of brilliant positive psychologists is part of my daily work—and that I’m able to fulfill a key part of my life’s purpose by sharing exciting research and uplifting stories with you.” —Deborah K. Heisz, Live Happy CEO, co-founder and editorial director Creating is the act of paying attention to our experiences and connecting the dots, so we can learn more about ourselves and the world around us.” —Brené Brown, Ph.D. “Gratitude is many things to many people. It is wondering; it is appreciation; it is looking at the bright side of a setback; it is fathoming abundance; it is thanking someone in your life; it is thanking God; it is ‘counting blessings.’” —Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D. “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” —Henry David Thoreau “You’d think mindfulness would be so easy—just hang out with yourself all day. But it’s the great challenge of our lives, and everything else flows from it.” —Gretchen Rubin There’s a version of happiness that is a oneness with what is. It’s a quality of peace. If our egos are going to chase anything, that would be the lovely thing to chase.” —Alanis Morissette “You know, all that really matters is that the people you love are happy and healthy. Everything else is just sprinkles on the sundae.” —Paul Walker

Well-Being

7 Ways to Find Happiness in 2018

The new year is an opportunity for a fresh start andan opportunity for reflection on what we can do to make 2018 a truly great year. Regardless of our life circumstance, what we all really want for ourselves and our families is to be happy. Weoften think external conditions like making more money,losing weight or finding the “right” mate will lead us to happiness. But researchers in the field of positive psychology have shown that happiness is an internal choice built on practice. In other words, sustainable happiness is achievable by practicing data-based tools that change our mindset and, over time, develop new neural pathways. We have control over what we choose to do and think. According to top positive psychologist and researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky and others, approximately 50 percent of variance in happiness is determined by genes and 10 percent is determined by circumstances;automatically, we have the power to influence 40 percent. Most significantly, happiness presupposes success, not the other way around. According toKaren Guggenheim, CEO of WOHASU, producer of the World Happiness Summit,“This new mindset can have positive consequences in every facet of our lives. Science tells us that we become more capable to problem solve in a state of happiness than under stress, and that we also elevate our levels of resiliency when things don’t happen as we expected and we then need to enlist our coping skills.Being happier even makes our work product better.” For a better 2018, WOHASU suggests these seven keys to happinessto improve your new year. 1. Gratitude Take some time out of your day to notice the world around you and appreciate the people you’re grateful for. Send your parents a text or write a list of all the good things in your life. 2. Ambition Set challenging—but still achievable—goals to work toward and be open to learning new things. Try volunteering your time, energy and skills to contribute to something bigger. 3. Resilience Find the strength to bounce back and push through the obstacles that life throws your way and keep a positive mindset. For Karen Guggenheim, the loss of her husband and the father of her children turned her world upside down. However, she found a way to push through: “Once I realized that I had to live, I made the very conscious choice that I was going to live happy. Be an active participant in your life, and whenever possible choose to disrupt in a positive way.” 4.Physical well-being Make sure you take care of your body; practice healthy eating habits, exercise and incorporate physical activities regularly to boost your physical and mental health. Keep moving! 5. Acceptance Be comfortable with who you are and accepting of other people and ideas around you. According toMegan McDonough, CEO of Wholebeing Institute,“We can only make a choice when we see more than one option. Practice perspective.” 6. Mindfulness Practicing mindfulness daily allows you to focus on the present and what’s happening in the moment. “Increased focus on present moment prevents us from spending all our time in the past, ruminating and regretting, or in the future, inventing hypothetical anxiety-provoking scenarios,” according to an article inTheBerkeley Science Review. 7. Giving Whether it’s a stranger or a longtime friend, never hesitate to do something kind for someone else. Caring and doing for others helps strengthen relationships and build stronger connections with those around us. World-renowned researchers and experts on the science of happiness, United Nations Advisors, life coaches, business and civic leaders, and many more will share actionable tools on increasing happiness atthe experiential2018 World Happiness Summit, from March 16–18in Miami. Visit the websiteto learn more about WOHASU’s proven platform to help people learn how to create happier lives. Learn about speakers, live events and how happiness can impact your life. The World Happiness Summit is the first large-scale global event uniting individuals and leading happiness and well-being experts in athree-day experiential forum about advancing human happiness through science-based tools and daily practices.

Well-Being

Become Your Own Health Hero

Growing up in India, Partha Nandi was like any 6-year-old boy until he woke up one day and didn’t want to do anything. He had pain in his ankle and stopped playing his favorite game, cricket. Doctors were stumped. It wasn’t until his parents found a caring specialist that everything changed. Partha was diagnosed with rheumatic fever and hospitalized for 10 days. Partha’s parents had taken decisive action and his doctor saved him from a potentially life-threatening illness. These events helped Partha find his life’s purpose: He wanted to be a health hero for others like his parents and doctor were for him. Today Dr. Nandi is living that purpose. With a larger-than-life personality, Dr. Nandi is a practicing gastroenterologist and internal medicine physician with a television show, Ask Dr. Nandi, which airs internationally. We talked with Dr. Nandi about his first book, Ask Dr. Nandi, and his mission to inspire people to take charge of their health. Live Happy: How do you define a health hero? It means becoming a hero of your story. What if you made your health the most important part of your life? When you have your health, you have everything. Why do you think people take their health for granted? Often what is going on inside your body doesn’t give you symptoms. All of us know we feel terrible due to a head cold. But when things happen that don’t give us symptoms, like hypertension, we don’t see disaster coming until it is critical. Maybe you have a headache, maybe stress is causing cortisol levels to increase at a microscopic level so your cells are becoming damaged. The health hero learns the best route and pivots away from the extremely stressful life. In your book, you focus on finding your purpose. If you have purpose in your life, you can increase your life span by five years. Science shows us this is true. You have to work at finding your purpose, but everyone has the capacity. Finding your purpose has more efficacy than thousands of the medical procedures people have. Listen to our podcast with Dr.Nandi: Your tips combine Western and Eastern medicine. I was raised in India where people pray and practice yoga every day. We use acupuncture and meditation. In my opinion, why not combine all the technologies and advancements with what has worked for thousands of years? How is spirituality connected to health? Spirituality is a cultivation of the mind, having a sense of purpose and belonging. Today there is so much social isolation. A lack of spirituality in our culture is overtaking us. When you have spirituality, your need for pain medication or blood pressure medication goes down because stress hormones are in check. Spirituality is meditation, prayer, a walk in nature, the tranquility that comes from a beautiful view. Some forms of exercise give you peace, such as yoga and tai chi. Find something that works for you. You say people should identify their ‘Why?’ for exercise. It’s not magic. When you have a purpose or a goal—to be the best parent, the best gardener, the best rocket scientist—then your activities are purposeful. You don’t have to make yourself lift a thousand pounds or run a thousand miles. If you love gardening, then that activity becomes a purposeful movement and you don’t have to work at it. Mind and body are connected. You don’t seem to be a fan of diets. The word ‘diet’ should simply disappear and be replaced with the word ‘failure.’ I started a failure today. There isn’t a single diet in history that has ever worked. I call myself the un-diet doctor because it’s always lifestyle change that works. Plant-based eating can be delicious. Follow the 80/20 rule, where you make the healthy choice most of the time. You don’t have to act like it’s kryptonite to eat cake. Have the cake but don’t have it every day. Eat until you are two-thirds full. What do you say to people who think they are too busy to exercise? Give me five minutes and I will change your mind. Everyone has something they could give up for exercise. Here is one trick: Park far away from the gym and warm up by walking to the door. Don’t think to yourself, ‘Oh, I worked out so I’m done.’ Movement should be fluid—a part of your life. Is there any doubt why heart disease is the No. 1 killer today? People say, ‘What should we do?’ We should get up and move! What’s the one thing you want readers to take away from your book? Make simple changes that yield big results, transforming you and your family. Read more: 10 Must-Read Books for Happy, Healthy Eating Read more: Give Yourself a Mindfulness Makeover Sandra Bilbray is a contributing editor to Live Happyand Founder and CEO of themediaconcierge.net.

Well-Being

Make This Holiday Season Better Than Perfect

The most wonderful time of the year isn’t all that wonderful for many. Heightened stress, depression and anxiety can be as constant as the holiday songs belting out in stores. Why does sadness prevail for so many during the holidays? For about 10 million Americans, the cause is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of clinical depression that occurs in late fall/early winter and lasts through spring. For many more, however, the distress is subclinical, meaning it interferes with life but doesn’t prevent you from functioning. Kick the all-or-nothing mentality In my practice as a therapist (and, admittedly, in my own life), much holiday woe can be traced back to a common denominator: perfectionism. Perfectionism is not just having a tidy junk drawer. It is an all-or-nothing mentality. For a perfectionist, something is either perfect or a failure, as it should be or terrible, like everyone else or miserable. You may not think of yourself as a perfectionist, but it’s possible that perfectionism gets in the way of your holiday cheer. Pay attention to language. How often do you say (even internally) the word “should” when thinking about the holidays? For example, “I should buy everyone expensive gifts,” or “My family should offer to help out more.” The word “should” is a red flag that you are placing rigid expectations on yourself and others. This stringent, perfectionist thinking can cause a lot of distress when things don’t go as you think they “should.” Same stress, only stronger. While you may not get along that well with your family during the rest of the year, your negative exchanges during the holidays can cause the greatest disappointment. The same goes for loneliness. You might not typically go out much, but the lack of get-togethers during the holidays carries more of a sting. Or maybe your credit card debt is as big as Santa’s belly, but during the holidays you’re more upset because you can’t buy your loved ones everything they want. The holidays bring heightened—perhaps unrealistic—expectations of conviviality, and when those expectations aren’t met, our unhappiness is magnified. Sacrificing health When it comes to health and wellness, do you engage in all-or-nothing thinking, such as, “I had one cookie, so I might as well eat the rest of the plate” or “I have no time to go to the gym, so no exercise for me until January”? Another reason people tend to get the blues during the holidays has to do with health and lifestyle. ’Tis the season for late nights, libations and lots of sugary calories. Unfortunately, lack of sleep, alcohol and sugary processed foods are linked to depressed mood. Make it “Better Than Perfect” You put all your energy into making that one day amazing, spending hours planning, preparing and feeling excited. Then the day comes…and goes. A happiness hangover can take over when the event you anticipated for so long is now in the past. Again, an all-or-nothing mindset. So, what can you do to overcome this all-or-nothing approach? Be better than perfect. Better than perfect means dropping the rigid expectations and judgments. Instead, keep your attention on what is important to you. Here are four steps to do just that: 1) Focus on the positive While it may be easy to point out what is wrong (“Did cousin Krista really say that!?”), it can still make you feel lousy. Try turning it around by focusing on what you appreciate about people and experiences over the holidays. Yes, Krista really does forget to filter what she says, but she did bring her delicious fudge. Gratitude is a quick and easy way to boost your happiness. Read more: 8 Easy Practices to Enhance Gratitude 2) Create better than perfect health Get your sleep and take time to exercise and meditate. It doesn’t have to be perfect. If you can’t get to the gym for a workout, try doing 30 jumping jacks. Does the thought of sitting and meditating for 20 minutes seem impossible? Try taking five deep breaths. It is better than perfect. 3) Give meaningfully When it comes to giving gifts, there’s no need to spend a ton of money or obsess over the details. Consider something meaningful, such as making a photo album or personalized calendar rather than splurging on an expensive present. Read more: 17 Ways to Give Back According to Your Strengths 4) Out with the old and in with the new Just because you’ve always done something a certain way doesn’t mean you need to continue. Drop unwanted holiday burdens and start new traditions important to you. Maybe you’d like to start volunteering as a family. Perhaps you’ve decided to stop sending out holiday cards because they cause you too much stress. Maybe you’d like to institute a new tradition of hosting a potluck meal rather than doing it all yourself. Learn from the past: Make the changes necessary to create a truly happy holiday for you and your loved ones. Make it a better than perfect celebration. Elizabeth Lombardo, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and bestselling author of Better Than Perfect: 7 Strategies to Crush Your Inner Critic and Create a Life You Love. She had made many TV and speaking appearances, and is a coach and sought-after consultant. How much does perfectionism interfere with your life? Find out at BetterThanPerfectQuiz.com.

Well-Being

Pound it Out

Five years ago, when a car rammed into the vehicle that Sarah Knobloch was riding in, it dramatically changed—nearly ended—the then-15-year-old’s life. “She was in a coma, and the doctors told us to start thinking about organ donation,” recalls her mother, Caroline Knobloch. “We weren’t ready for that.” Doctors weren’t sure how long she would survive or, if she did, how well she would recover. The accident left her with severe brain and spinal cord injuries, and the coma lasted 20 days. In addition to Sarah’s unwavering positive attitude, her mother credits her recovery to two things: music and movement. “Early on, the doctors said we could bring music into her hospital room,” Caroline says. “One of my friends is a music teacher who downloaded a bunch of classical music for us to play in her room. We always had music playing.” As Sarah remained hospitalized and slowly began to recover, music and exercise were mainstays of her daily program. “I like rap and hip-hop, so that’s what works best for me,” says Sarah, who, despite spending seven months in the Atlanta hospital, completed high school on time and is now studying to be an occupational therapy assistant. “The music helps me remember good times, and for someone with memory loss, that’s been really important.” Read more: Find Happiness in Your Headphones Researchers have found that music is effective for both physical and emotional healing because it engages all three areas of the brain: reptilian (body functions), limbic (memories and emotions) and the neocortex (language and consciousness). They’ve also learned that outcomes are better when hospitals use “patient preferred” music—even rap and metal can promote healing if it resonates with the patient. “I like listening to all styles of music,” Sarah says, “but listening to what I used to listen to has helped me the most.” Healing with a beat Earlier this year, Sarah learned about Pound, a program that uses specially weighted drumsticks to create a choreographed cardio workout. She implemented the workout into her regimen and says it has helped her retrain her brain for better balance and body movements. For Pound co-founder Kirsten Potenza, that’s pretty much the point. Although many seek it out for its fat-blasting, high-energy routines, Kirsten says a lot of science went into creating the drum-centric workout. Sure, it’s stress relieving to be able to beat bright green drumsticks on a yoga mat while listening to upbeat music, but the idea behind Pound goes beyond that. “There are a lot of studies showing the brain-boosting effects of drumming,” she says. “It improves focus, boosts the immune system, lowers chronic pain and improves decision-making skills. And, when you do it in a group, it’s even more powerful.” Pound has been called the new SoulCycle by many, and Kirsten says the thing the two workouts have in common is the way the music speaks to the heart and soul while moving and improving the body. “A lot of this is about the power of the music,” she says. “There’s something so powerful about being able to become part of the music. This isn’t about how your body looks or how you look doing it; this is about how it makes you feel. This is about making people happy.” Read more: What's Your Healing Rhythm? Paula Felps is the Science Editor for Live Happy.

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