Tag Archives | Quality of life

Top 5 Health Needs You’re Probably Neglecting

By on May 15, 2013 in Health & Wellness

walking-the-dog

Most of us are guilty of neglecting our health from time to time…myself included, embarrassing so.

The question I guess, is how much damage are we doing to ourselves? Short-term? Long-term? I’m not sure that can be measured…though there are many organizations working very hard to do just that. But while they’re arguing over the data, we can all agree that it’s a quality of life issue…

Namely, we are either improving our quality of life…or we’re harming it…there is very little room in between.

(Feel free to tweet that)

The Big 5

 

1. Sleep – Get good quality sleep in sufficient amounts (varies a bit by individual, but don’t kid yourself, most people need 7 -8 hours to live a full quality life.)

2. Doctor appointments –This includes dental and eye exams and even that chiropractor who eases your back pain. Be proactive with your health, rather than reactive.

3. Clean up your diet – You don’t have to be perfect, just make better choices most of the time. C’mon…You know what you should be eating…..and what you shouldn’t.

4. Some form of activity or exercise – No marathon running necessary, a daily walk, swim, yoga, bike ride, Zumba class, whatever gets you moving. A body in motion tends to stay in motion. It’s easier to maintain fitness than to get it back.

5. STRESS RELIEF – Anything you can do to lower your stress levels will benefit your health in particular and your life in general. Try meditation, yoga, journaling, vacation or maybe just a daily walk with your dog. Stress is, at best doing serious damage to the quality of our lives, at worst, it’s literally killing us.

Start with just one of the Big 5 if that’s all you can do. Once you start building good health, the next steps come a bit easier.

I don’t know about you…but while I’m here…I’d like to have a good life…and have it for a long time…this is a good place to start.

Share: How well are you doing with the Big 5? What are you neglecting?

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Real Age Wisdom You Need To Remember

By on May 1, 2013 in Health & Wellness, Mind Matters, Responsible Living

realageSome timeless wisdom you need to remember from RealAge.com.

To Feel Content, Just Take a Stand

Has something in the news gotten your ire up? Taking a stand on it could boost your quality of life.

New research shows that not just believing in a cause, but actively supporting it, tends to translate into a happier, more contented life.

Power Beyond the Pen

In a series of studies, researchers surveyed over 1,000 adults to find out if they considered themselves to be activists for any particular issue, from supporting antiwar politics to championing human rights. And the researchers found that the stronger a person’s activism, the better that person felt — as long as his or her activities weren’t extreme. Specifically, the highly engaged activists reported experiencing more positive emotions, feeling more satisfied with their lives, and feeling more connected to others. (Here’s another get-happy strategy that will help you feel more satisfied every day.)

The Good in Do-Gooding

Investing yourself in issues that are important to you helps strengthen your sense of self and fosters personal feelings of purpose — both of which can help get you through tough or stressful times. So whether you write letters to Congress or start a nonprofit, take an active stand on the things you believe in. And here are just a few more ways that doing good for others does your own life some major good:

It can keep your mind from slowing down.

It can boost longevity.

RealAge Benefit:

Taking care of your emotional health and well-being can make your RealAge up to 16 years younger.

I don’t know about you…but I’m all for feeling younger!

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Find the Reason…Find the Change…

By on April 10, 2013 in Life Truths, Mind Matters, Mini-Missions

looking

Everything we do, we do for a reason. We may not consciously be aware of that reason in the moment… or we may not want to see it, but make no mistake the reason is there.

I’ve gradually come to realize that if I really want to know how to make my life better I need to first take a little closer look at those reasons, the motivations behind my behaviors and habits.
What makes me tick? Why do I behave in a certain way… especially around certain people or in certain situations?

To be honest, some of my behaviors are quite puzzling to me. As I’m sure, some of yours are to you. But nothing intrigues me more than a good puzzle, especially a challenge that peaks my curiosity about the inner workings of the mind.

For instance:

Why do I instinctively deflect compliments?
Why do I always need to be right?
Why do I wear delayed gratification like a badge of accomplishment?

And so many more confounding personal and professional behaviors…

It’s a valuable undertaking don’t you think to get to know ourselves better? How can we hope to grow or make positive changes if we don’t first understand why we do what we do?

Your Mini-Mission: Look for the Reason

When you find the reason…then you will find the path to change. (Feel free to Tweet that!)

Your thoughts? Do you know why you do what you do? Leave a comment or share on our Facebook page.

Just joining us… Find all of the Mini-Missions here…

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The Secret To Flourishing…and It’s Not Better Meds

By on March 28, 2013 in Health & Wellness, Mind Matters

 

Did you know that most drugs and therapy used to treat depression, anxiety and other conditions that plague many of us only have a 65% relief rate? And that in many cases the placebo effect accounts for as much as 45-55%. I was astounded when I read that.

I’ve been reading a fascinating new book, “Flourish,” by Martin Seligman, a pioneer in the field of happiness, optimism, and positive psychology. Over the years, Seligman has completely evolved his understanding of mental and emotional wellness and how we can best learn to deal with stress and anxiety and the conditions that affect our overall quality of life and happiness.

He goes on to explain that Positive Emotion, Engagement, Interest, Meaning, Purpose, Self-Esteem, Resilience, Determinations and Vitality are better tools to have in our well-being arsenal than medicine and therapy.

It’s important to note that this is only true of those who are mildly or moderately depressed, or blue or merely unhappy. People who are clinically, severally depressed and suicidal require medication and benefit greatly from it, most likely due to the significance of their illness.

I’m not a healthcare professional by any stretch of the imagination and how you choose to treat or not treat your conditions is solely up to you. But it’ new way of looking at the situation of our happiness and well-being. Especially for those of us who are chronically working on and/or frustrated by the state of our well-being.

Something to think about…

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Quick 5 Minute Actions Tips That Can Change Your Day

By on March 19, 2013 in Mind Matters

Just 5 minutes can change the mood and direction of your entire day…

 

Breathe Right – Most of us breathe the wrong way. We tend to breathe into our chest. But the proper way is to breathe through our diaphragm. Slow breathing through our stomach is a quick and easy stress management tool.

Mindfulness Break – To plug back in to your life, spend five minutes noticing five things you see, hear, feel, smell and taste. It forces you to pay attention to the current moment instead of thinking about what happened three hours ago or worrying about what’s going to happen two days from now.”

Power of Touch – Research shows that physical touching increases our life. Give someone a hug, spend a few minutes petting an animal, hold the hand of someone in need, even just something as simple as a hand on the arm can make a difference in your day and someone else’s.

As promised in my most recent newsletter, I’ll be adding some shorter posts during the week, quick tips, thoughts or helpful tidbits…Don’t get the newsletter? You can sign up for the PLC newsletter here.

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