Your Happiness Factor

The body has it's own way of soothing us when we are in pain. Endorphins are "neurotransmitters" produced naturally in the body response to pain. In the early 1970s, researchers were studying how the brain is affected by things like heroin or morphine. They found they reacted with receptor cells mainly in the the brain and spinal cord to block pain signals. The scientists wondered why such cells existed and it was then that they realised that the body produced its own opium like substances; the endorphins.  Endorphins are produced as a response to various stimuli like stress and fear as well as pain. But they can give us a sense of restful bliss. They are often triggered when we have a good cry - that is why sometimes crying feels so comforting! The good news is that endorphins are also released by having a good laugh. Here are some great ideas to help you release your own endorphins Have a good giggle - spend time with people who make you laugh. Watch funny...

Do You Really Need To Be Told How To Boost Your Health in 2014? Wendy Mason  is a Career Coach and Life Coach helping you find fresh perspectives on life and your career This is the time of year when websites and magazines offering advice on becoming healthy abound.  But let us be really honest here, most people know what is needed already.  You and I know that really there are no magic short-cuts or secret keys to being healthy. Buying all the diet books and reading articles about exercise won't do it for you! You (and I) need to put into practice what we already know.   We know that we should; Check our weight Drink less alcohol and more water Eat less salt and fat Exercise regularly Eat more fruit and veg Keep stress in check Improve our sleep If you are still smoking, then get help. If you are sexually active outside of a stable relationship, get a sexual health check. If you notice a small change, like a lump, changes to ...

Healthy Living:Get going every day This post is from the  Change4Life   website Many of us aren't too keen on the idea of exercise. It might be that we’re too busy or we simply can’t face the thought of it. But most people are not getting the amount of activity they need to stay healthy. Only 1 in 20 people are actually doing the right kind of activity they need each week. And sitting down for hours – maybe at work, watching TV or playing computer games - can also increase the risk of poor health. Building activity into your day keeps your heart healthy, reduces your risk of serious illness and strengthens muscles and bones. It can also be a great way of reducing your stress levels and lifting your mood if you’re feeling down. That means: Adults needs to be active for at least 150 minutes each week Kids aged five to 16 need to be active for at least 60 minutes each day Kids under five need three hours of activity a day  Activities for adults For adu...

AV Number: AV-8812-3430 . (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Healthy Living:  Healthy Fats Won’t Make You Fat Today's post is from contributor - Natasha Gelder. Natasha is a full time Literature student based in Leeds who is juggling the quests for higher education, money and rock hard abs. She believes exercising is a vital part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle and should not be seen as a chore .  You can find her blog here  http://natashajadegelder.wordpress.com/ There seems to be a lot of confusion over the food group ‘fats’, with most people assuming that all fats are bad for them. Many people seem to believe that eliminating all fat from their diet is the best way to lose weight quickly and effectively. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the case. Fats are actually an essential part of our everyday diet and are needed to help maintain a healthy lifestyle, however, only some fats are beneficial to us and should be eaten regularly; this is where the confusion ...

Healthy Living: Shut Up and Squat. Today's post is from contributor - Natasha Gelder. Natasha is a full time Literature student based in Leeds who is juggling the quests for higher education, money and rock hard abs. She believes exercising is a vital part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle and should not be seen as a chore .  You can find her blog here  http://natashajadegelder.wordpress.com/ From the outset, it may seem strange that I am choosing to write an entire article solely on squats.  After all, you may be thinking, it is just one exercise. The squat is not just one exercise; it is the exercise of all exercises. If you want to see impressive results in a short space of time then you cannot afford to miss squats out of your exercise routine. Squats help to build muscle all over your body; they actually create an anabolic environment which means that they contribute to a person’s ability to build muscle everywhere and not just in your lower half. Altho...

Healthy Living: Staying On Track Today's post is from contributor - Natasha Gelder. Natasha is a full time Literature student based in Leeds who is juggling the quests for higher education, money and rock hard abs. She believes exercising is a vital part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle and should not be seen as a chore .  You can find her blog here  http://natashajadegelder.wordpress.com/ Many of us make plans or promises that we end up breaking because something unexpected turns up in our daily lives that we need to deal with. If we have a list of things that we need to do, it is often the ‘go to the gym’ section of the list that gets cast aside as we opt for tasks such as ‘do the weekly food shop’. Our good intentions often get pushed aside for things deemed as more useful. But what is possibly more useful to you than your health? You need to make time for it. You need to stop letting other things get in the way of your workouts. Set time aside specifically for th...

Healthy Living: Some Minor Food Swaps That Will Make a Difference Today's post is from contributor - Natasha Gelder. Natasha is a full time Literature student based in Leeds who is juggling the quests for higher education, money and rock hard abs. She believes exercising is a vital part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle and should not be seen as a chore .  You can find her blog here  http://natashajadegelder.wordpress.com/ If you think that you live a pretty healthy lifestyle but seem to be gaining a few pounds that you can’t quite explain then why not try just a few minor alterations to your daily diet? This could be enough to enable you to lose inches off your waistline without even really trying; swapping a few of your everyday food staples for healthier options is enough to get you looking and feeling better in as little as a week. If you are consuming a lot of alcohol then you are also consuming a lot of empty calories. Some people find excessive drinking c...

Healthy Living: The Advantages of Weight Training Today's post is from contributor - Natasha Gelder. Natasha is a full time Literature student based in Leeds who is juggling the quests for higher education, money and rock hard abs. She believes exercising is a vital part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle and should not be seen as a chore. You can find her blog here  http://natashajadegelder.wordpress.com/ It is common knowledge that cardiovascular workouts are an effective way to burn fat and ultimately lose weight. Many people feel that cardiovascular activity is the only way to lose weight quickly and, for this reason, tend to stick to the treadmills and rowing machines rather than trying out any other form of gym equipment. Another effective way to burn fat, which tends to surprise people, is weight training. Many people overlook weight training and decide against using it in their workout regimes because they just assume it cannot aid them in terms of their weig...

Healthy Living: Quick Fix Exercise Tips Today's post is from contributor - Natasha Gelder. Natasha is a full time Literature student based in Leeds who is juggling the quests for higher education, money and rock hard abs. She believes exercising is a vital part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle and should not be seen as a chore. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication for someone to get into good physical shape and the feeling of success that comes with it truly is amazing. You’ve got the body you have always wanted and now you can start enjoying life to the full, but you still need to take the time to maintain your new shape once you have finally achieved it, something which can be incredibly time consuming. It is easy to slip back into old habits when you are always on the go; often it is easier to grab fast food when you’re busy rather than preparing your lunch in advance. You may also find yourself struggling to find the time to fit in a visit to the gym, meani...

Healthy Living:The Benefits of Yoga Today's post is from contributor - Natasha Gelder. Natasha is a full time Literature student based in Leeds who is juggling the quests for higher education, money and rock hard abs. She believes exercising is a vital part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle and should not be seen as a chore. Over the last couple of months I have started experimenting with Yoga. I have been a fan of Pilates for a while now so I thought I would branch out and see what all the fuss was about. Many people dismiss yoga as an easy option and claim that it is not a ‘proper’ workout due to its lack of high intensity cardiovascular activity. Many people assume it is entirely made up of the meditation and breathing techniques that are part and parcel of Yoga. Although these techniques are a crucial part of the practice, there are many more elements involved. The large focus on breathing exercises may be deemed as ‘pointless’, but the techniques enable you to sy...

Lower Your Blood Pressure With Isometric Exercises Recently researchers from the American Heart Association looked at ways to lower blood  pressure . They were surprised to find that doing a series of isometric hand-grip exercises lowered blood pressure by 10%! The exercises are very simple; just hold a stress ball (or any toy foam ball) in your hand and squeeze firmly for 10 seconds, breathing deeply and evenly. Rest and repeat five times. You can buy foam balls in toy shop but I rather like squeezy Stress Ball Paul from Amazon. And some find him very helpful in other ways; "He sits on my desk and inspires me not to let certain people get to me. He reminds me that I'm not that person who gives in anymore. I am stronger." Wendy is the The Career Coach - helping you to find fresh perspectives on your Job Search and Career. She helps you work towards your goals and aspirations, in a way that fits in with both work and home life. Email her at  wendymason@w...

Healthy Living - Fuelling Your Body Today's post is from contributor - Natasha Gelder. ;Natasha is a full time Literature student based in Leeds who is juggling the quests for higher education, money and rock hard abs. She believes exercising is a vital part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle and should not be seen as a chore. Over the last few weeks I have been writing articles focusing on exercise, this week, however, I am going to focus on nutrition and how to fuel your body properly in order to get the most from your work outs and just feel good in general. I don’t need to lecture you on how important diet is when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, it is obvious. If you want to lose weight then crash dieting is not the answer, yes you may lose weight initially but this will just be water weight and muscle mass that you are losing. You will hit a point where your body goes into starvation mode and as soon as you begin eating normally again you will regai...

Healthy Living: Post-Holiday Pounds Today's post is from contributor - Natasha Gelder. ;Natasha is a full time Literature student based in Leeds who is juggling the quests for higher education, money and rock hard abs. She believes exercising is a vital part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle and should not be seen as a chore. As the holiday season creeps up on us, so do the pounds. Many of us will be jetting off to hot countries in order to take a break from our lives; we will be lounging around, soaking up the sun and indulging in local foods. Many of us will also drink a little more than we ordinarily would when we’re back at home. Due to the break in our diet and exercise regimes, it is normal to gain a few pounds whilst you are away, in fact, it is something which has become expected. I usually put a couple of pounds on myself due to water weight, (the ice cream probably doesn’t help either), but I usually manage to drop that excess weight within a week or two of return...

Healthy Living: This Heat is a Hindrance. Today's post is  from contributor - Natasha Gelder.  Natasha is a full time Literature student based in Leeds who is juggling the quests for higher education, money and rock hard abs. She believes exercising is a vital part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle and should not be seen as a chore. As we are experiencing what is being hailed as the longest heat wave that Britain has seen in seven years, it is no surprise that people all over the country are abandoning their fitness regimes and are instead taking refuge in pub beer gardens. Hot weather is lovely when you’re on a nice relaxing beach holiday and have nothing to do but lounge around all day, but when you have to continue with your daily routine, which includes exercising, this heat just simply seems to be hindrance.  The weather may be beautiful but it sure is playing havoc with people’s ability to exercise. I typically tend to work out in the late morning as i...

Healthy Living: Alternatives To Gym Memberships Today's post is  from contributor - Natasha Gelder.  Natasha is a full time Literature student based in Leeds who is juggling the quests for higher education, money and rock hard abs. She believes exercising is a vital part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle and should not be seen as a chore. One excuse that people frequently use to justify not doing enough exercise is that they cannot afford a gym membership, yes gyms can be pricey and the money that goes towards your monthly membership may have a better use elsewhere, but there are plenty of alternatives that won’t break the bank and will help to keep you healthy. Pick up a skipping rope from your local supermarket, they are very cheap and do not require a lot of storage space. Providing that you are a healthy weight for your height, just ten minutes of skipping a day will provide you with enough cardiovascular activity to keep your heart healthy. Whilst you are ...

Healthy Living: Growing Old, (and Fat), Together Today we have another post from contributor - Natasha Gelder.  Natasha is a full time Literature student based in Leeds who is juggling the quests for higher education, money and rock hard abs. She believes exercising is a vital part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle and should not be seen as a chore. We all know what it is like when you're in a happy, loving relationship; you swap those hours in the gym for cosy nights in on the couch, those salads turn into meals out at fancy restaurants and evenings in cooking impressive dishes for your other half. It's all very romanticised and can seem like something out of a fairy tale; the Princess finds her Prince and lives happily ever after, feeding him chocolate and drinking wine. The part that we don't see on screen, however, is the Princess's rapidly expanding waistline; we don’t see those additional pounds that accompany such a blissful love life.  I don't know ...

How to make new friends - make a deep connection! All you have to do is to open up to other people and engage them emotionally. When you open up to them and engage them in a conversation with real feeling -- they will quickly feel deeply connected with you. That's one of the ways to make friends. In just minutes after meeting them, you can t urn you and me into us.  Show a real interest,  Ask questions about them,  Find things you both care about,  Share your interest! Guess what -now you have a friend. Wendy is the The Career Coach - helping you to find fresh perspectives on your Job Search and Career. She helps you work towards your goals and aspirations, in a way that fits in with both work and home life. Email her at  wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com ,  find her on Skype at wendymason14, or call +44 (0) 2081239146 (02081239146 for UK callers) or +1 262 317 9016 if you are in the US. A free trial/consultation allows you to try ...

Time: How Your Perspective Of Time Affects Your Work, Health And Well-Being.  Add caption Renowned psychologist Professor Philip Zimbardo explains how our individual perspectives of time affect our work, health and well-being. This RSA Animate is taken from a lecture given as part of the RSA's free public events programme. The RSA is an Enlightenment-founded charity, and is dedicated to driving social change and spreading world-changing ideas; Find out more about the RSA at  http://www.thersa.org Join the RSA on Facebook at  http://www.facebook.com/thersaorg ------ This audio has been edited from the original event by Becca Pyne. To listen to the full audio, please visit http://www.thersa.org/events/audio-an... Here is the book mentioned in the video Wendy Mason is the Happiness Coach and author of a new novel,   The Wolf Project.   Wendy is a life and career coach and writer. She is passionate about helping people find...