Carolyn Hansen: Happiness comes from within and exercise helps

OPINION

Happiness is almost a worldwide obsession these days. Self-help bookstore shelves and online websites are full of offers that promise to help you find or achieve happiness.

We could define happiness as
just “feel good”. It doesn’t mean that life is perfect, but we generally have a sense of direction, purpose, and meaning for our life. When we have a general feeling of satisfaction and satisfaction, we can say that we are happy.

For many, however, happiness is hard to come by. Research is showing evidence of a rising tide of this spirit of unhappiness in most advanced societies. A decline in the number of people who consider themselves “happy” is being documented and appears to be consistent with the staggering rise in cases of depression in the last decade.

There has been an increase in the prescription of antidepressant medications and many of us now take mood-enhancing medications for this now very common problem that was once a rare condition.

One of the downsides of this “happiness loss” is the need to replace what has been lost with external sources such as alcohol and drugs, food and overeating, relationships, or material items.

Some of these things may provide temporary relief, but they do not bring long-term happiness, joy, peace, or satisfaction. Could it be that these things are being lost on us as our world becomes more and more sedentary and inactive?

The widespread lack of physical activity in our modern technology-driven “easy and comfortable” lives means we experience low endorphin levels on an ongoing basis.

Endorphins are natural “feel good” hormones and are made in the brain during intense physical activity. Endorphins lift your mood, calm you down, relieve stress AND make you happy. They lift your mood long after the workout is over and help keep us mentally and emotionally stable.

You could call it “moving meditation.” After a workout, you’ll often find that you’ve forgotten the day’s irritations and when you get rid of your daily stress through physical activity, the resulting energy and increased optimism can help keep you clear and focused, having a positive impact. in all aspects of your life. .

Many people are missing out on this natural “inner” magic because they think they’re too busy, don’t have time, are too stressed, or just don’t need to bother taking time out to exercise.

But when you neglect your health and your body, all of your life goals balance on an unstable platform, making being “happy” that much harder to achieve.

It could be said that happiness is one of the key ingredients for health. Improving physical fitness not only improves the body on the outside, it also gives us inner peace and harmony, a feeling of being whole and complete within oneself. From this radiates happiness, all from the inside out.

This then leads to that state of appreciation, a sense of contentment and contentment with your lot in life, and eventually a sense of balance and peace. No pill can match these feelings…and…no prescription required.

Somehow; once again we must pride ourselves on being in control of our own life, our health, our body and our well-being and the answer is not in doctors and pills, it is within each one of us. This simple exercise solution is easily accessible with just a little time and effort, and if you’re listening to your body’s messages that something’s missing, you might be saying “Do I REALLY need exercise?”
Carolyn Hansen is co-owner of Anytime Fitness