HOW YOU CAN BE HAPPIER
Hi Y'all,
Self-quarantine has been an interesting time for all of us and I'm finding with most of my friends it's affecting our levels of happiness. Well there is a little trick that has been proven by science that helps to increase your happiness, get your body moving for 30 minutes to an hour a day at an aerobic level. It's as simple as talking a walk or if you live in a place that has hiking trails, go for a hike.
Hiking has become the few times a week where I can get out of the house for hours, enjoy a view other than my four walls and spend sometime quality time with my special someone. I live in Southern California, where although most state and city parks are closed, we have a plethora of hiking trails that are just off the beaten path and unpopulated. Not only did hiking get me out and moving, it gave me hours of undivided quality time with my partner. When was the last time you and your partner spent even an hour without a cell phone near by to distract you? As a side note, I don't take my phone with me when I hike. It's my nature time, not technology time.
I could geek out for hours on the effects of exercise and the brain but instead of boring you with things like BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), I'm just make it simple and give you a basic list.
Improves your ability to learn and process information
Reduces stress and anxiety levels
Helps to battle depression by increasing brain synapses and serotonin levels
Increase focus and improvement with ADHD symptoms
Ladies, you should know that exercise helps alleviate PMS and helps regulates hormonal changes
Improves your overall cognitive functions as you age
If you want to take an in depth look into the science, research and studies behind this, please read Spark. This book made me understand why I feel better overall when I exercise versus the months and maybe years where I was a bit lackadaisical with my exercise routine.
So now that I've given you a bit about how exercise can help you be happier, why not include your partner in it. Not only will you be helping them be happier, you will get to spend some quality time together. This fact didn't dawn on me until a month after we had started hiking regularly and I was reminded by Taara & James from Sex Uninterrupted in their 31 day challenge of the book The Five Languages of Love, which I read several years ago. This book basically breaks down the ways or actions of how people receive feelings of love. After reading Taara's post, I immediately had my partner and I take the The Five Languages of Love Quiz for Couples, ends up we both score pretty high on Quality Time being one of our top love languages.
Quality time is exactly what we have gotten when hiking. In the hours spent, we've talked about our days, worked through situations that have been troubling us, dreamt of the future, shared stories of our pasts and sometimes just detailing out a plan for the mundane chores and task. Then there are times were we don't talk much at all, we're either enjoying the sites of nature that surround us or just lost in our own thoughts. I'm usually looking for bunnies hopping in the fields or trying to figure out where the crows are cawing from.
I'm not the only one who has found that a simple walk can help to increase your brain functionality. You may recall that Steve Jobs regularly took walks and walking meetings to spark creativity. So do many other great thinkers of the past and of present day.
Tonight after dinner, take your partner or the whole family out for a walk. See what thoughts occur, then make it a regular habit and watch as your overall mood improves. I know I'm going to be hiking with my special someone for the foreseeable future. We both enjoy the time together, even now we are planning wilderness vacation, when we can travel again, that revolve around impressive hiking trails.
Here's to your happiness.
Much love,
Minx 🖤💋
May's Recommend Readings: (click the title below for the Amazon link)
Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey MD (read this if you want to geek out on how exercise effects the brain and emotions)
The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman (read this if you want to find the right ways to show your special someone that you love them)
