Using mental skills and physical health to find happiness

Every hundred years or so humans are granted a life to live. Throughout this life, interests and passions may change. At times life may feel fast, other times, life may feel slow. And yet the clock moves at the same speed, time and time again. How does one conquer their time in life: through the use of ethics, logic and happiness.

To be ethical is to be curious and aware of ones’ peers. To ask not what one will do, but what one ought to do. Ethical standards hold societies together. Without ethics, there is no standard of right and wrong, good or bad.

To understand the foundation of ethics is equally important. One must be morally responsible in order to make correct ethical presumptions. Morals are important when one is by themselves, looking into the depths of their mind. For example, one does not need to believe it is immoral to eat beef but understands it would be unethical to do so in India because cows are seen as sacred there.

One must also be logical. Of course, eating double-fudge, chocolate-chip cookies would be incredible, but is it wise to do so? One may feel excited and eager to lift weights, but is it smart to stretch out first?

Together, ethics and logical thinking put checks and balances on one another.

And then there was happiness, arguably the most important emotion to human anatomy. Happiness is essential to human and social well-being. A beautiful aspect of happiness is humans experience it differently. Different things make people happy. Happiness is guided by this ethical and logical thinking. In short, happiness is highly related to being clear-minded.

And the question still remains: how does one achieve a clear mind to be happy?

The answer is simpler than you might think: stretch, workout, go for a run, eat a clean diet. One must live healthy to feel happy.

This ‘how to’ article can’t promise you happiness. But it can get you moving in the right direction.

Many people have stress and anxiety built up simply from not stretching and becoming stiff and tight. Stretching allows the body to relax. A relaxed body leads to a relaxed mind. When stretching, listen to your body; figure out what is right and what is not, and stretch accordingly.

Stretching is especially important if one is physically active. It is important to work out. It is recommended to exercise in the least-strenuous way possible. Cardiovascular workouts are remarkable. This includes swimming, jogging, going for a walk, using a rowing machine or climbing stairs. Keeping ones’ body fit and active can help with anti-aging and will have one feeling great. Although fitness is essential, equally vital is stretching to avoid soreness.

Last, eat healthily. It is important to be active, but nutrition takes the cake (no pun intended). Being in good shape and having good well-being are impossible without a clean-diet. The 80-20 rule states that well-being is 80 percent diet and 20 percent fitness. 

Eating a clean diet means restricting oneself from foods with processed sugar, or high-fructose corn syrup. The bigger the ingredient list, odds are, the worse it is for the gut-biome. If you can’t pronounce it, it’s probably unhealthy. Stick to unsaturated fat and lean protein. Some good sources of unsaturated fats are nuts, avocados and coconuts. Some good sources of protein are grilled chicken, beef and fish. 

Another tip is restricting your calorie intake. If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. If you eat less than you burn, you will lose weight. Keep this in mind when eating meals. 

Obviously if one is more active their body is burning more calories. Circadian rhythms also play an important role. There is numerous research on how the body digests certain types of foods at certain times of the day. For example, carbohydrates are good in moderation. It is recommended to consume carbohydrates before a workout, and not later in the evening when bodies become less efficient at digesting carbs.

This ‘how-to’ article can’t promise you happiness. But it can get you moving in the right direction. Stretching, exercising, and eating healthy will help you improve your enjoyment of life while using ethics and logic will allow you to feel happy in the first place.