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

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.
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Forever Young

The Anti-Aging Workout

I’ve never been what you’d call a gym rat. But after a medical scare in my early 20s, I splurged on my first health club membership, and began exercising regularly—three to four days on the elliptical, the occasional yoga class, a slow jog in the park. I loved the endorphin buzz and my new muscles, plus I dropped a size or two. Thirty years on, I still exercised regularly, but I wasn’t getting the same results. Everything was starting to hurt—my feet and ankles when I rose out of bed in the morning; my left hip when I walked too long lugging a bag of groceries; my lower back after a day of sitting at my desk. My body was starting to feel old, I was starting to feel old, my walking pace slowing, my willingness to sprint for a bus (or sprint for anything for that matter) wavering. Which is how I found myself in the fitness studio of certified personal trainer Julie Gerrish. Julie, at 48 with two nearly grown kids, has the quads, glutes and arms of a college athlete. As we chatted, I inventoried all the spots on my body that hurt. When I finished, Julie asked me to do a squat while raising my arms above my head. “Your thoracic is really tight,” she said, touching my upper back. “Your hips, too,” she added. “See how your feet and knees angle inward when you go down? That means you need to work on your feet and ankles.” After I performed a series of similarly simple moves (walking a straight line, balancing on one foot), Julie sat me down and gave me the bad news, in the nicest possible way. My workout routine may have been fine when I was in my 20s and 30s, but if I wanted to stave off injury and pain, it was time for a serious reboot. Here are her suggestions for keeping your body supple and strong, whatever your age. Don’t get into a fitness rut. “Even people who exercise make the mistake of doing the same thing, over and over, because it’s easy,” Julie says. As you get older, however, repetitive stress injuries can happen, your body compensates, muscles get tight, and suddenly there are aches and pains that aren’t going away. “People don’t want to hurt themselves more, so they start to do less,” Julie told me. “The trouble is, the less you move, the less blood circulation there is to the problem areas, and the worse those problems become.” In a study that tracked the physical activity of over 24,000 adults ages 39 to 79, one finding was that elderly people who didsomethingeach week were 14 percent less likely to experience a cardiovascular event than folks who were sedentary. In other words, the most important way to stay fit as you get older is to mix up your workout and keep moving, every single day. Do push yourself as hard as possible—for just 30 seconds. As the body ages, metabolism slows and muscle mass declines, even if you continue with your same workout. “Unless you compensate for those natural losses by continuing to challenge yourself, you’ll lose ground,” says Julie. She suggests adding interval training—timed intervals of more vigorous activity—to your usual routine. That might mean cranking up the incline on the elliptical, speed walking to the next telephone pole during a stroll, or using an app to remind you to pick up the pace for 30 seconds, then slow down for 60 seconds, repeating for the duration of your activity. The results are well worth it: A 2014 study in the journal American College of Cardiology found that running for five paltry minutes a day at a relatively easy pace (i.e., a 12-minute mile), significantly reduced the risk of death from all causes in 55,000 adults with a mean age of 44 years. If you can’t run, “Walk as fast as you can for 30 seconds, swinging your arms and squeezing your glutes and abs,” suggests Julie. Do add some balance training to the mix. “I have clients who have run marathons but who can’t stand on one foot for more than a few seconds,” recounts Julie. Given that falls are the leading cause of death among older adults (and one of the most common reasons they’re admitted to the hospital) working on balance every day is crucial. During our twice-weekly sessions, Julie has me stand on one foot, close my eyes, and look to the left, right, up and down. Merely balancing on one foot while you’re brushing your teeth at night, however, can shore up your steadiness. If you can’t balance on one foot, try keeping one hand lightly on the wall, or just lift your heel up so only your toe is touching the floor. The point, as always, is to keep progressing. Don’t forget your feet and ankles. One surprise of working with Julie was how much time we spent focusing on my feet before we’d get to actual cardio and strength training. I started with rolling my bare soles on a small bumpy rubber ball and giving my toes a self-massage every day (a ritual that quickly did away with the morning stiffness I’d been feeling below the knees). Julie explained that foot and ankle immobility often lead to low back and hip pain: “Tight ankles can cause you to stand with your hips tilted back and your butt sticking out, which leads to tightness and pain in the calves, low back, upper back--all the way up the chain.” To stretch your ankles, stand facing a wall, palms on the wall, with one foot forward and the other back. Bend your forward knee toward the wall until you feel a stretch in your ankle; repeat five times. Then bend that same knee toward the wall but angling out slightly, again for five pulses. Repeat on the other side. Do roll with it. “My husband jokes that I think rolling cures everything—but it’s almost true!” laughs Julie. By rolling, she means using a foam roller to massage your mid-to-upper back (just lay back over it, knees bent, feet on the floor and let yourself glide back and forth); then do the same with your calves and hips, for a total of 5 minutes a day. If you don’t have a roller, you can use a tennis ball. Rolling helps release tight muscles, the same as a good massage might, and research backs up this claim: A Canadian study found that people who used a foam roller experienced less muscle soreness and had a greater range of motion than those who didn’t. Don’t skip weight training. You probably already know that the risk of developing osteoporosis—and more fragile bones—increases after menopause. The best defense is weight-bearing exercise. You can increase lower body strength by doing squats; upper body by doing pushups against a wall, no dumbbells required. “The point isn’t just to build muscles, but to be able to do everyday things easily, like lifting a gallon of milk with one hand or screwing off a tight mayonnaise jar,” Julie says. In other words, being able to move through the world confidently, with strength and agility, whether rising out of a low chair with no hands or breezing through a boot camp class. As for me, two years after starting with Julie, I stride with more energy, free from pain of any kind, my arms sleek and toned; my thighs (even my solid thighs!) a bit more contoured. “You walk like an athlete now!” a close friend remarked recently, and I felt a surge of pride. I may be in my 50s, but fitness-wise, I’m feeling a whole lot younger.
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Woman doing yoga in her home.

The Healing Power of Yoga

I was only 6 years old when I discovered what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to save people who were sick. I wanted to make them strong so that they could be their own heroes. Not the kind with capes and X-ray vision, but those who realize their power to take charge of their health and live their best lives. Those who make their health a priority and implement important life changes to achieve greater health and happiness. Health Heroes. I want to create a world full of them. It’s what drives me to this day. Two of the best ways to achieve a healthier life are through movement and spirituality. Each is an important tool in your fight against disease and premature death. That’s why yoga is such a powerful ally to any Health Hero; it serves as a bridge connecting your physical and mental well-being. Strengthen Your Body Practicing yoga can result in significant improvement to your physical health. As part of your daily routine, yoga will likely transform your body into one that is firmer, leaner and stronger. However, some of the most impressive benefits happen beneath the surface. When you practice regularly, you increase your chances for lower blood pressure, improved cardiovascular health, better flexibility, greater muscle strength, perfected posture, better pulmonary function, lower blood sugar, boosted immunity and improved bone health (critical to warding off osteoporosis). Transform Your Mind When people think “health,” they tend to think only about the body. But a Health Hero knows that your mind is your greatest power. What’s amazing is that the simple practice of cultivating your mind can actually improve your health and happiness and add years to your life! Think of yoga as a workout for your soul. You need to condition it, like a muscle, in order to develop and grow stronger. Because yoga clears your mind of distracting “noise,” it creates space in which new things can develop. You become empowered to discover yourself on a much more intimate level. Your personal strengths and desires become easier to identify. It becomes easier for you to focus and get creative. That alone leads you down a path to new ideas, solutions and purpose. We know that stress is a silent killer, but did you know that yoga is the ultimate stress reducer? When you begin to breathe deeply and focus on your poses, you reduce anxiety. You enter a more relaxed state and calm your nervous system, diminishing the fight-or-flight response. Yoga is believed to combat depression. In fact, a study published March 16 in PLOS ONE concludes that eight weeks of twice-weekly, 90-minute hatha yoga sessions can significantly reduce the severity of depressive symptoms. Even your romantic relationship can improve. When you’re centered and more connected with yourself, you’re able to be that same way with your partner. A Life Reimagined Imagine how your life could change if your body and mind transformed in these ways. What would you do differently with improved health, extra endurance, less anxiety, more focus and a greater sense of purpose? You’d probably be able to enjoy life in entirely new ways. My Prescriptions for a Healthy Body and Soul Make the commitment to move with purpose every day. Even a few minutes of yoga will do the trick. If you’re stuck at work or have limited time to yourself, opt for an easy yet effective yoga pose that can quickly be done at home or in the office (try cat pose, forward fold and seated twist, as shown in the accompanying illustrations). A chair or a place to stand is all you need. Practice yoga every day, and the repetition will intensify the physical and mental health benefits while creating an ever-deepening spiritual connection. I encourage you to use the power of yoga to improve your mind-body wellness and continue your journey toward a healthier and more purposeful life. Recognize that your health comes first and give yourself permission to make it a priority. When you give yourself this most important gift, you’ll be taking that first step to becoming a true Health Hero. The light in me honors the light in you. Namaste. Read more: Become Your Own Health Hero Listen to our podcast: Health and Happiness With Dr. Partha Nandi DR. PARTHA NANDI is the creator and host of the internationally syndicated, award-winning medical lifestyle television show Ask. Dr. Nandi and author of the book Ask Dr. Nandi: 5 Steps to Becoming Your Own #HealthHero for Longevity, Well-Being, and a Joyful Life.
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Women in fitness Class

Move With Purpose to Live Better and Longer

People go to all kinds of extremes and expense to hold on to their youth. Yet there’s a simple, healthy habit that will not only keep your body looking fit but also trigger an internal makeover that could add years to your life. I’m talking about exercise. With a sustainable exercise strategy that focuses on consistency, protecting your body and achieving balance, you can be strong and healthy at any age. You don’t need a fancy gym membership. You don’t have to spend hours a day working out. You simply need to commit to a realistic approach that will keep you looking and feeling your best. Get moving—and stay in motion. One of the best ways to achieve a stronger, healthier body is through purposeful movement. It’s an important tool in your fight against disease, mood disorders and early death. No matter your age, you should do your best to move with purpose every day. You need to make it a habit and then stick to it. As you get older, you tend to become more sedentary. You need to fight this every step of the way. It’s not only seniors who fall into this pattern. Those in middle age find themselves in the same trap. The problem is, the less you move, the less you’re motivated to move. You become lethargic and lose energy. The less you move each day, the more your risk increases for falls, sprains and other injuries. Find ways to stay in motion during the day. Get up from your desk and take a walk outside. Do some gardening. Start your morning with some gentle stretching. Ditch the couch and go run some errands instead. Bike rides, yoga, hiking, dancing...whatever you enjoy. Just get moving. Give your body what it needs In your 20s, you were probably aiming for big biceps and flat abs. Don’t worry, you can still have both later in life! As you age, your physical needs change. You begin to lose muscle mass, flexibility and balance. Therefore, it’s important to expand your focus and incorporate strength training and other exercises that will combat these losses and help prevent injury. The good news is there are plenty of options that will keep you fit and add variety to your routine so you don’t get bored and give it up. These are some of my personal favorites: Strength Retaining muscle mass will keep you stronger, stimulate bone growth, lower blood sugar, reduce lower back pain and combat stress. And yes, keep you toned and fit. Weight training and dumbbell presses are effective, and using light weights will get the job done. If you don’t have access to equipment, try planks, knee extensions, squats or sit-backs. Many exercises can be modified and even performed sitting in a chair or leaning against a wall. Do what’s best for your body. Flexibility When your muscles and tendons are more flexible, you enjoy increased range of motion and much less risk of injury. I highly recommend that you grab a yoga mat. Even a few minutes of yoga a day will do the trick. Yoga significantly improves your physical health and transforms your body into one that is firmer, leaner, stronger and more flexible. You might also try Pilates (a system of low-impact exercises to develop strength, flexibility and balance), static stretching (where you hold a stretch for a designated amount of time) or myofascial release, a type of massage provided by a health professional to improve range of motion and increase flexibility after an injury. Balance Maintaining your balance becomes increasingly important as you age. Your bones become more brittle over time, so taking a fall later in life can cause significant damage. Aim to strengthen your core to feel more physically centered. Yoga and tai chi do wonders for improving your balance, but they aren’t your only options. Simple exercises like balancing while standing on one foot or walking heel to toe (with your eyes opened or closed) can help you become steadier on your feet. Everything in moderation The best way to keep any good habit going long term is to keep things easy and sustainable. Staying strong and healthy doesn’t have to feel like a full-time job. The key is to implement small, manageable changes. Devoting even five minutes a day to movement and exercise is all it takes to get started. You’ll see results, and that’s when your motivation kicks in and you make that leap to do more on a regular basis. When you take this approach to exercise, you can transform your body into one that is fit and strong. You’ll not only look younger, but you’ll feel younger and significantly increase your chances of living a longer and healthier life. 4 Exercises to Try Planks can help tone your belly, reduce back pain, and improve your mood, balance, flexibility and posture. Lie facedown with legs extended and elbows bent and directly under shoulders; clasp your hands. Feet should be hip-width apart, and elbows should be shoulder-width apart. Contract your abs, then tuck your toes to lift your body. You should be in a straight line from head to heels. Hold for as long as you can. Knee extensions strengthen muscles in the front of your thigh and shin and can restore mobility and strength to a painful knee. Sit in a chair with the balls of your feet and toes resting on the floor. Extend your right leg in front of you until your knee is straight. With right leg in this position, flex your foot so that your toes point toward your head. Hold in this position for three seconds. Take three to five seconds to lower leg back to starting position. Alternate legs. Squats strengthen your quads, glutes and hamstrings, and many trainers believe help to reduce knee injuries. Stand as tall as you can with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your body as far as you can by pushing your hips back and bending your knees. Pause. Now slowly push yourself back to the starting position. Sit-backs stabilize your lower back and help with your postural stability. They can increase flexibility and range of motion. Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your arms folded across your chest. Slowly sit back as far as comfortable while maintaining a flat back, then return to the starting position. Make sure your feet stay in contact with the floor. Read more: The Healing Power of Yoga Listen to our podcast: Health and Happiness With Dr. Partha Nandi DR. PARTHA NANDIis the creator and host of the internationally syndicated, award-winning medical lifestyle television showAsk. Dr. Nandiand author of the bookAsk Dr. Nandi: 5 Steps to Becoming Your Own #HealthHero for Longevity, Well-Being, and a Joyful Life.
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Happy 40-something woman lifting weights in the park.

Top 5 Fitness Tips for People Over 40

Exercise just may be the magical key that unlocks happiness. Science tells us that exercise improves mood, fights depression, enhances quality of sleep, reduces stress and prevents disease. And according to a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, regular exercise can actually slow the aging process. If you are north of 40, keep your body strong and your energy up with our best exercise advice. 1. Choose something you love If you see exercise as a chore, you are less likely to experience its benefits because you probably won’t stick with it in the long-term. Find an exercise you love and you don’t have to go in search of your motivation. No one has to drag you out of bed to do something you love. Experiment until you find a type of exercise that makes you happy. The feel-good emotions can also help you stick with exercise long-term. In his book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and theBrain, Dr. John Ratey, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard, writes, “When we begin exercising, we almost immediately begin releasing dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. Those are all neurotransmitters that deal with feelings of reward, alertness, contentment and feelings of wellbeing.” What to do: What exercise did you love as a child? Use your answer as inspiration to find an exercise you love as an adult. Ride a bike. Go for a hike. Swim laps or try water aerobics. Take up Pilates or the newest class at your gym. 2. Strength train If making yourself exercise is a tall order, you might be immediately dismissive of strength training. However, “doing some form of strength training is mandatory as we age,” says national fitness trainer and founder of GetHealthyU Chris Freytag. “You can use dumbbells, resistance bands or your bodyweight, but muscle is the best way to rev up your metabolism as you age, and it’s something you have control over,” Chris says. “Muscle tissue can burn three to five times more calories than fat does. So the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn, even while sitting,” Chris explains. Strength training also slows bone and muscle loss as you age and keeps your body strong for everyday activities like taking the stairs and gardening. “As people age, there needs to be a stronger emphasis on functional movement and activities that are performed in daily life, such as squatting and pushing doors open,” says Mary Edwards, MS, director of fitness and a professional fitness trainer at Cooper Fitness Center. “Strength training helps increase muscle strength in the limbs and core, which are most important as people age. American College of Sports Medicine recommends strength training, especially for those ages 56 and up as important for maintaining functional movement, balance and power.” You don’t need to invest much time with strength training to see results. What to do: “Working with weights or your body weight for as little as 20 minutes for two to three days a week can crank up your resting metabolic rate over time,” Chris says. If you are using your body weight, try pushups, squats, lunges and planks. 3. Mix it up If you love to jog or love to run, you might just want to stick to your favorite workout day in and day out, but your body needs a mix of cardio (for your cardiovascular health) and weight training (for your body’s strength). Founder and chairman at Cooper Aerobics Center and practicing preventative physician, Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper prescribes the following ratio of aerobic training vs. strength training for maximum health benefits as we age: If you’re 40 years old or younger, devote 80 percent of your workout time to aerobic training and 20 percent to strength training. If you’re 41 to 50 years old, shift to 70 percent aerobic and 30 percent strength work. If you’re 51 to 60, do 60 percent aerobic exercise and 40 percent strength training. After you pass 60, divide your workout time more evenly between the two strategies – while still giving an edge to aerobic exercise, which provides the most health benefits: 55 percent aerobic work and 45 percent strength work. What to do: Sometimes people are intimidated by the weight rooms or weight machines at gyms. You can strength train using your own body weight by holding planks, doing pushups and situps, wall-sits, lunges and squats. Or buy some hand weights and do some workouts at home. There are lots of online workouts both free and subscription-based. 4. Set a goal and track your progress Write down the workouts you do on a calendar you see daily. Seeing your efforts in writing (or on your phone) gives you a boost and a sense of accomplishment. As happiness expert Shawn Achor says, “Happiness is the joy you feel striving toward your potential.” Use what you’ve done to fuel your motivation to do more. A goal can be a powerful reminder to exercise consistently. What to do: Set a goal that holds you accountable. Maybe it’s signing up for a race, a desire to see muscle tone in the mirror, or working out a certain number of times per week. Keep going until you reach that goal. 5. Stretch “After age 30, we start losing elasticity in our tendons and ligaments, making them tight,” Mary says. “As we age, stretching helps us maintain a good range of motion in the muscles, allowing joints to operate at normal functionality so they’re not limited.” What to do: Make it a practice to stretch regularly when your body is already warmed up. American College of Sports Medicine recommends stretching muscles surrounding major joints two to three times per week, while holding each stretch for 60 seconds. The best advice from all the experts? Keep moving. “As people age, the body changes and injury can occur, so dysfunction can creep in, Mary says. “Focus on what you can do, not what your limitations are.” Sandra Bienkowski is a regular contributor to Live Happy and the founder and CEO ofTheMediaConcierge.net.
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Is Your Fitness Tracker Making You Miserable?

Is Your Fitness Tracker Making You Miserable?

If you have a love/hate relationship with your fitness tracker, then you are typical of many Americans. When you first buy the device, you are excited to watch your steps add up throughout the day. You love checking the app and charting your progress. You find it energizing to hit that goal of 10,000 steps, and you literally step up your activity, exercising more. But as the novelty wears off, you start falling short of your goal. Perhaps you begin to feel guilty and start looking around for creative ways to get those 10,000 steps in....Next thing you know, you've strapped the device on your 8-year-old son and told him to run on the treadmill! Yes, it's a sad story but not an unusual one. In the end, you found a way to hit that 10,000 steps all right, but the fitness tracker stopped doing what it was designed to do: make you healthier and more active. The agony of outcomes In January, the Journal of Consumer Research published a study that found people who consistently measured their activity with a tracking device actually began to get less enjoyment out of their movement. While the tracker was successful in encouraging people to move more, it also began to rob them of their well-being. Instead of feeling like a pleasurable break from work, that afternoon walk instead began to feel like just another form of work. “While measurement increases how much of an activity people do…it can simultaneously reduce how much people enjoy those activities,” says researcher Jordan Etkin, Ph.D. “This occurs because measurement can undermine intrinsic motivation.” By turning their focus to output, such as the number of steps or how many calories they were burning, the study found, people who used trackers lost their enjoyment in whatever it was they were doing. Read more: Making Motivation Work The measure of success Fortunately, a study published in the journal Psychology of Well-Being in June found that not all who don a device are doomed. A team led by Evangelos Karapanos of the Cyprus University of Technology discovered that how you use such fitness devices makes a big difference in the way it can affect your well-being. Those who used the trackers as simply a tool for storing information (rather than considering it a reflection of how well they were doing) found the greatest happiness with the devices. Many users were initially surprised to learn how much they sat during the course of a day, and they used this new information as a way to implement lasting lifestyle changes. Rather than feeling driven (or bullied) by their device, they actually felt more autonomous, informed and empowered. They also found psychological advantages: The Psychology of Well-Being study showed participants felt less bored and also better about their physical appearance when they wore the fitness trackers. They gained a shot of self-esteem just by wearing it because it reminded them they were doing something positive for themselves. But they also didn’t let it guide their idea of success or failure. Movement with meaning Plenty of science points to the psychological benefits of physical activity, and these two studies add a reminder that it’s not just what you do that’s important; it’s how you approach it, too. Activity for the sake of enjoyment is a double thrill for the mind and body; you get the joy of movement and the reward of doing something you love. So whether that’s playing badminton, riding a bike or mastering the latest Just Dance Xbox game, let yourself enjoy the moment. Take a walk, stop and smell the roses…without stopping to check how many more steps you need to go. Even better, take off the tracker and turn off the pressure. Maybe try rediscovering what it’s like to get out there and move just because you like it. You just might be surprised how much better that makes you feel than hitting your 10,000 steps for the day. Read more: More Fun, More Fitness Paula Felps is the Science Editor for Live Happy magazine.
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Woman going for a run

6 Easy Ways to Get Into Running

Get up and go Want to get into running? Here are six easy ways to get started. 1. Find a running group Join a local running club in your area and you’ll have built-in partners for after-work runs or weekend outings. Find a group through the Road Runners Club of America or ask at your local running shoe store. 2. Go on a retreat What’s not to love about going for a run in a place like Greece, Italy or Lake Tahoe? Sign up for a running retreat with esteemed running coach Jeff Galloway for a vacation that’ll leave you feeling fit and happy. 3. Sign up for a race The popular Couch-to-5K program gives you specific training instructions to run your first 5K in just nine weeks. Follow the program online—running three days a week for around 30 minutes—then sign up for a race near you. Check out these 4 apps that will keep you moving and motivated, 4. Run for a cause Sign up with an organization like Team In Training and you’ll be running your first marathon or half-marathon while raising money to beat cancer. You’ll have the support of coaches and fellow runners throughout your training, and during the race a cheering squad in matching purple T-shirts will be rooting you on. 5. Hire a coach A personal coach can give you the structure and motivation to stay on task. “I work with runners who struggle with chronic injury, fatigue or burnout and I help them get back on track by reducing stress and optimizing their training,” says Elinor Fish, an endurance runner who offers 16-week training programs and coaching services online via Skype. 6. Or try something else Running isn’t for everyone. If you’ve tried it and you're just not into running, don’t fret. You can still reap the benefits of runner’s high from regularly participating in other moderate-level activities, like walking, biking, swimming, yoga and more. Read how to go from being a couch potato to a 5 K finisher.
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Bob Bowman and Michael Phelps: Everyday Excellence

Michael Phelps’ Secret to Everyday Excellence

The most decorated Olympian of all time didn’t win 22 medals (including 18 gold) alone. Instead, swimmer Michael Phelps relied on his coach, Bob Bowman, to design the workload to help him make history. Consistent training, day in, day out Michael is naturally gifted, sure, but “what made Michael great,” Bob says, “is not his wingspan, his foot size, or anything else.” It was work. Consistent, hard work. Michael didn’t miss a day of training from the age of 12 to 18. “Were there days he wanted to? Yeah,” Bob says. “He just kept coming. And he kept getting better.” In fact, Bob says, the gains Michael made from training more than 2,100 days in a row “he’s basically used for the last 12 years.” According to Bob, developing that base and having the courage to face your insecurities and doubts are key to long-term success. “In a very short time, I can rush someone through to some [level of] performance,” he says. “If they don’t have the foundation behind it, it just goes away really quickly.” That personal best might be inspiring, but, Bob says, “perspiration comes before inspiration." Everyday excellence If you do something long enough, before long, you’ll do something good.” Then, once that foundation is established and you can’t do more work, you can do better work. Bob calls it “everyday excellence.” “It’s not about excellence every four years. It’s about how excellent are you right now, on a Friday afternoon. When you go to that practice at 5, how excellent are you going to be? Are you going to go through the motions? Or use this as a step toward your goals? That’s how it works.” Commit to your goal Bob says it’s the same for playing the piano, tilling your garden or losing weight. “Say you have a goal out there,” he says. “It means you’re going to change. You have to decide how important it is.” Then you have to start seeing yourself as someone who’s attained that goal, he adds. And commit to that vision every time you make a decision.
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Women and men in a fun dance class

More Fun, More Fitness

I nearly skipped my exercise class the other day. No real reason—I wasn’t ill, my workout clothes weren’t in the laundry, I wasn’t trapped in one of those three-hour windows during which the cable guy might show up. I was just a little cranky, and antsy about a looming deadline. It was freezing outside—a cruel slip of the mercury after a sundress-and-sandal-worthy weekend. Going AWOL from my workout meant I could spend the morning working in the toasty warmth of my house, feeling productive, cozy, content.Except I knew I would be anything but content if I blew off class. I wouldn’t feel guilty about neglecting my cardio health, or worry that skipping a workout would be a death sentence for my waistline. I doubted my frugal self would fret about the fact that I’d already paid. It just so happens that this particular exercise class—a hip-hop dance class that I take three times a week—is also one of the richest sources of happiness in my life.The un-hedonic treadmillNow, if you consider your fitness routine to be a chore, a bore, (or worse—it hurts, you hate it), you may find it hard to understand how I could derive flat-out elation from muscle-challenging, sweat-inducing physical exertion. Cynics may even sniff, “Of course you feel good after class: It’s the endorphins, stupid.” True, plenty of research shows that exercise triggers the release of mood-lifting brain chemicals. I feel pretty darn good after a workout with a trainer, too, even though I wince every time he makes me do something like hop from side-to-side over a block of wood. But the effect on my mood, both during and after, doesn’t come close to my beloved dance class.My emotions are affected in a vastly different way by the two mainstays of my fitness regimen: One leaves me feeling good afterwards, even if I don’t always enjoy it; the other has me pumped from the minute I step onto the floor until hours later, when I crank up whatever song we’re working on and dance it out in the kitchen (causing my kids to run screaming from the room!). I wondered what it is about hip-hop that brings me such glee, and how those things might be helpful for anyone in search of fitness bliss. Here’s what I came up with:The fun factorI’ve always gravitated toward dance-y activities: ballet in college; in my twenties, an addictive aerobics class on the Upper West side of Manhattan that had me prancing around in Reeboks and leg-warmers like a Rockette; highly choreographed step classes after having my first kid. I’m not alone: Zumba is the largest fitness brand in the world, according to BusinessInsider.com. WERQ (dance workouts that, like Zumba, are taught by certified pros) are popping up in health clubs and other fitness facilities nationwide. (There’s even a class in Manhattan that teaches Beyonce routines!)Studies have found that when you find an activity enjoyable, you’re more likely to commit to it, so the fact that I straight-up love moving to music has lots to do with my commitment to hip-hop. “The first thing I talk about with women who want to start an exercise program is finding something they want to do,” says Jennifer Huberty, Ph.D., an associate professor of exercise and wellness at Arizona State University and founder of FitMinded, a woman’s book club designed to promote physical activity. “I suggest approaching it like speed-dating: Try as many things as you can until you find something that clicks.”My hip-hop familyI’ve been in class with many of the same people for five years. We have a Facebook page, meet up for drinks, swap recipes and send flowers when a member loses a loved one. Looking forward to seeing folks I’ve grown fond of definitely motivates me. “Social support is a key facilitator of physical activity,” agrees Huberty. That doesn’t mean your exercise mates need to be your best friends. Even if you’re in a room full of strangers, you can draw on their energy and enthusiasm. You may even get a better workout, depending on who you sweat with: A recent study published in the Journal of Social Sciences found that when people exercised with someone they considered more fit than themselves, they worked harder.An amazing teacherMy class wouldn’t exist without our teacher, Angel Williams. Angel’s approach to teaching is to treat us like professional dancers rehearsing for a big performance. Her verbal flair and ability to evoke mental images helps us understand how we should move our bodies. And finally, she has an incredibly compelling personal story: Angel was seriously overweight when she began teaching hip-hop at our local YMCA in 2004; in that time she’s overcome a lot of prejudice about her size, has gone from a size 26 to a 10 (and is fast approaching her 6-to-8 goal), and is now in business for herself. Because Angel inspires us so much, we want to do our best for her. If you’re into group exercise, an instructor who inspires and entertains can definitely make the workout more enjoyable.It’s empowering In class, Angel demands that we check our everyday identities and inhibitions at the door, and forget that we have desk jobs and families, problems and responsibilities. It’s a liberating mindset. I’m thrilled to find that I can make my body move in ways that I would never have thought possible. As a white mom of four living in the suburbs, I hardly have a natural knack for urban dance! It’s an exhilarating accomplishment to master the intricate choreography that Angel dreams up. My friend Deb summed it up perfectly: “It’s like therapy. On the dance floor I’m no longer a mom, a wife, a creative director—I’m a woman. I can appreciate and challenge my body rather than nitpick and notice the flaws. I don’t even notice it’s exercise—it’s joy, power, sexuality, childhood, anger, freedom, storytelling. The fact that it’s a damn good workout is secondary.”
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Woman working out on mountain

Fit for Happiness

As a fitness instructor, motivational speaker and lifestyle coach, Chalene Johnson has heard it hundreds of times: “If I can just lose 20 pounds, I’ll be happy.” Or, “I’ll be happy once I getback in shape.” The problem is, she says, it doesn’t work that way.“Most people assume that if they can achieve their physical goals, they’ll be happy. So they go to extreme measures, and either they fail because the goal was too big, or they succeed at their goal, but find out it doesn’t change how they feelabout themselves—so they still perceivethemselves as failing.”While setting personal health and fitness goals is important, believing thathappiness will come from reaching thosegoals can set someone up for failure. “Happiness never comes from theoutside,” Chalene says. “It comes froma combination of all areas of our lives.Certainly, a lot of people start from theoutside, but it is the other changes theymake in their lives along the way thattruly make them happy.”She says working on fitness goals mayhelp put other areas of life in balance. Forexample, people may work fewer hours orspend less time in front of the television;they might start eating healthier mealsand make better choices. As all of those different areas of their lifebegin aligning, they are less likelyto self-medicate with food oralcohol—and as a result, theyfeel happier overall.Chalene’s observations, whichcome from more than 20 years of fitness and lifestyle coaching, havegrowing scientific evidence toback them up. Tim Sharp,Ph.D., executive coach,clinical psychologistand adjunct professorat the University of Technology, Sydney, Business School and RMIT University & School of Health Sciences, is alsofounder of The Happiness Institute,based in Sydney. His research theory, called “The Primacy of Positivity,”proposes that practicing the principlesof positive psychology and doing what isnecessary to create a happy life must bethe first step—not the end result.Taking such an approach “will boostmotivation and energize a person tothen do more of what they need to do,such as live a healthy life,” he says. “Allof these principles are very possible before goal attainment.”Delaying HappinessThe belief that happiness comes from reaching goals can actually have a negative effect on people, creating what Tim calls “the tyranny of when.” “[This] is the phenomenon resulting from a group of related thoughts and beliefs associated with imagined and seemingly desirable, but currently unreached, goals,” he explains. “For example, ‘I’ll be happy when…I have more money, a bigger house or a better job.’”In a paper published in theMarch 2011 edition of Coaching: AnInternational Journal of Theory, Researchand Practice, Tim explains how “thetyranny of when” can thwart goals andlead to a range of problems, includingnegative and self-defeating emotions.When someone is operating under“the tyranny of when” and fails toreach a goal, they may have already talked themselves out of being happy.As a result, any success or progressthey might have made on the way toreaching that goal is discounted. Forexample, instead of being happy aboutlosing eight pounds and celebrating thataccomplishment, someone might bedisappointed because they didn’t losethe 10 pounds they had intended.As a countermeasure, Tim isamong those who propose a newapproach that challenges the traditionof working toward goals. He arguesthat achievement and success are moreattainable if happiness and positivity arecreated first.“So even if happiness is not anexplicit goal in and of itself, it shouldstill be seen as a highly useful means toa desired end.”Reversing theThought ProcessShawn Achor, author of the books Before Happiness and The Happiness Advantage says the practice of attaching happiness to a goal or accomplishment is “scientifically broken" and believesit interferes not only with our overallhappiness, but with our outcomesand success.“Every time you record a victory,your brain changes the goal post of whatsuccess looks like,” he notes, addingthat it means we will always need a newaccomplishment to continue feelingsuccessful. However, research Shawnhas conducted at Harvard Universityindicates that the level of happinesscreated by the success doesn’t change orincrease with each success; it remainsthe same.In other words, greatersuccess does not, by itself, translate togreater levels of happiness.“But flip around the formula,prioritize creating a positive brain inthe present, and suddenly, every singlebusiness and educational outcomerises,” he says. “Raise happiness levelsin the present and your success raterises dramatically.”Successfully reaching personalweight and fitness goals requiresbecoming realistic about what one wantsto accomplish, and about the result thatreaching that goal will have.“Part of the frustration that canoftentimes come from trying to speedtoward certain goals is that sometimesthose goals are irrational,” he says.“Start with a realistic assessment ofwhere you are, but maintain the beliefthat your behavior matters in thepresent: ‘Can I work out today?’ ”That’s a simpler and more attainablegoal than vowing to exercise six days aweek.Looking at the goal in smaller,bite-size pieces makes it moremanageable, and creates more victoriesto celebrate. It also helps us stay positiveand makes us less likely to berateourselves if we have an “off” day,knowing it can be compensated for thenext day. Becoming more realistic andstaying committed while not makinghappiness contingent upon the outcomeare important shifts in thinking thatallow us to accept ourselves morereadily—and be able to celebrate theaccomplishment of simply takingbetter care of ourselves. And, bestof all, pursuing a healthier and more fitlifestyle will automatically supporteach individual’s personal questfor happiness.Which Comes First?Dr. John Ratey, an associate professorof psychiatry at Harvard and the authorof the book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain explains that exercise and happinessgo hand-in-hand. The challenge liesin getting people to recognize its many benefits and stop looking at it merely as a tool for physical attractiveness.“There’s a feeling among many people that exercise is work, and that’s a problem,” he says. “They see it as a chore or as work instead of seeing it assomething that has tremendous benefits to them. We are such a push-button,immediate digitalized response world that we demand change immediately,and that’s our downfall when it comes to exercise. If people are using thisto improve their outward physicalappearance, they know it’s going to takesome time.”However, he says anyone whoexercises can enjoy immediate benefits,even though they aren’t necessarily the kind of results that will show up on thescale in the morning.“People talk a lot about endorphinsthat are released through exercise,but that is just part of it,” John says.“When we begin exercising, we almost immediately begin releasing dopamine,norepinephrine and serotonin. Thoseare all neurotransmitters that deal with feelings of reward, alertness,contentment and feelings of wellbeing.”Even more importantly, the brain begins to secrete something known as “brain-derived neurotrophic factor,” or BDNF, a protein that is associated with the growth and development of neurons within the brain. John calls BDNF “brain fertilizer,” noting that it has been proven effective in combating both depression and anxiety, and even has been successful in fighting substance abuse issues.Exercise: The Stress Killer“In general, it allows us to combatstress hormones directly within thebody, but also to combat outsidestresses overall. And all of those thingscontribute to our feelings of happiness.”John says the key to enjoying a fitnessregimen—and therefore, increasing theodds of staying with it—is to understandthe immediate benefits it creates andbegin appreciating what it can do in theshort term rather than focusing on long-termbenefits.“People know that it’s going to havelong-term effects; it can fight depressionand Alzheimer’s and help them loseweight,” he says. “But we’ve become tooaccustomed to only placing an emphasison the physical. There are tremendousimmediate emotional and cognitiveeffects to exercise.”Maintaining a commitment to fitness can create a sense of mastery and pride in accomplishment—while at the same time, triggering a series of positive neural responses within the brain. It can lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels in just a few minutes, and it improves mood and enhances the quality of sleep. John says it doesn’t matter what the activity is; regardless of whether it’s yoga, CrossFit, weightlifting or Zumba, any exercise that stresses and challenges the brain will engage it immediately and set the benefits in motion. In fact, he notes that the brain is more engaged during exercise than it is during any other activity—including studying.“The thing that people need to thinkabout is that they are doing somethingto make them feel better today,” Johnsays. “When you exercise and increaseyour overall feeling of wellbeing fortoday, you’re going to feel better abouteverything that happens that day. You’regoing to feel happier overall.”A 2013 study by Katherine M.Appleton of Queen’s University inBelfast, U.K., published in the Journalof Health Psychology further illustratesJohn’s point. Her study showed thatregular exercise helped people feelbetter about themselves and theirappearance—even when there wereno obvious outward physical changes.Participants were divided into twocontrol groups; one group spent 40minutes reading six days a week, theother group spent that same amount oftime exercising. Neither group showedchanges in their appearance, but at theend of the study, the exercise groupshowed marked improvement in theirbody image, while the reading groupshowed no change in their body image.Katherine wrote that her study“confirm(ed) current theories of bodyimage, where changes in body imageare mediated by body perceptions asopposed to actual body indices.” Whatshe saw firsthand was that exercisecan help improve body image and mindset, even if no weight was lost or ifmeasurable improvements were made inthe shapes of their bodies.Katherine’s findings are similar tothose being made by other psychologistsand scientists around the globe.Many experts today believe that thelink between physical activity andhappiness is inextricably linked,and that exercise is a way to unleashhappiness—something that could play apivotal role in helping people reach theirpersonal health and fitness goals.Reaching Realistic GoalsHarvard psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D., who teaches a course on positive psychology, frequently preaches a gospel of exercise to induce and maintain happiness. “Physical exercise, three times a week, is equivalent to some of our most powerful psychiatric drugs in terms of its effect on depression and anxiety,” he said during the PBS television program, Life (Part 2).He has frequently been quoted as saying avoiding exercise is the equivalent to taking depressants. And Niyc Pidgeon, a U.K.-based positive psychologist specializing in physical activity, sport and exercise, has created a performance pyramid similar to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to illustrate the formula for reaching optimal performance in life. Her model places “mindsets and optimism” as the essential foundation for building other necessary characteristics such as self-awareness, positive emotions and emotional intelligence.“Choosing an [optimistic] mindset can be fundamental in developing, enhancing and maintaining performance,” she says. “Optimism is associated with more positive and authentic relationships, better physical health and a longer lifespan.”What emerges is a sort of chicken-and-the-egg question between exercise andhappiness. Exercise is proven successful in releasing stress, unleashing feel-good chemicals in the brain, and enhancing mood and motivation. At the same time, those who see the results of exercise as thepath to their happiness may find themselves disappointed, disillusioned—and ultimately unsuccessful at both finding happiness and reaching their goals.“If you solely focus on your physiqueand that outcome, you’re going to bedisappointed,” concludes Chalene.“You have to find what makes you trulyhappy in life first. You have to create thatbalance in your life. Otherwise, you willstay on this hamster wheel of trying to behappy forever.”
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