5 Steps to Staying Happy

...according to yahoo7 lifestyle.

MORNING: Step it up
Don’t wake up on the wrong side of the bed and feel moody all day because you’re no longer on holidays. Instead, lace up your sneakers and go for a walk. Exercise, it has long been said, helps with weight management and also the prevention of a range of illnesses.

And now researchers from the University of Texas have discovered as little as 30 minutes of walking may considerably boost your mood. By starting your day with a brisk walk, you should get through it with a smile on your face.

MIDDAY: Add colour to your world
If returning to work and its deadlines, or your endless piles of dirty clothes and dishes fills you with dread and tension, it’s time to add some green to your space. Working in an environment with live plants, or having a window view, boosts happiness at work, a new Texas State University study published in the journal HortScience has found.

At lunch, pick up a small bunch of flowers to brighten up your desk – the blooms may even help reduce your stress levels.

AFTERNOON: Engage your senses and smile
One of the joys of being on holiday is the food. But if your New Year’s resolution was to steer well clear of temptation, don’t despair – your favourite foods can still make you happy. Scientists at the US Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered the mere sight of food causes a rise in the brain’s levels of dopamine, linked with feelings of pleasure.

So put down what you’re doing and stroll past a bakery or cafe that has a tempting window display for a quick pick-me-up.

EVENING: Enjoy some simple pleasures
Cost-free indulgences such as long baths, going for a swim, playing games and reading make us the happiest, no matter what our financial situation, an English university study claims. ‘We’ve all heard… “a little bit of what you fancy does you good”, and treating yourself is the ideal way to keep spirits lifted,’ lead researcher Dr Richard Tunney says.

After dinner, read a magazine or play a board game to evoke that holiday feeling.

BEDTIME: Write it all down
Keeping a journal of the things you’re grateful for may promote happiness. Participants in a study who kept positive journals exercised more, had fewer physical problems and were more optimistic about the coming week compared with those who recorded negative or neutral life events, the University of California study found. And you can start by being grateful for your latest holiday.

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Phone or Camera?

Mcj wanted an Iphone for the business, which I really didn’t give thumbs up. I just don’t see the point of getting one, though he said they can use it to receive emails from customers while on the go. His brother is technologically-challenged for crying out loud. He doesn’t even like answering his mobile phone.

Anyway, Iphone had been out of stock for something so he changed his choice to HTC phone. He ordered it before Christmas and he still hasn’t received it. I like that.

One night, I told him that instead of getting a new phone, why don’t we just get a new Canon camera – a replacement for the one that was stolen.

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Blue

You See the World Through Blue Colored Glasses

You live your life with tranquility. You have faith that things will work themselves out with time. You judge all your interactions through the lens of hope. You try to get all the facts before forming your opinion. You face challenges with wisdom. You know that all bad things pass, and you have the confidence to see problems through. You see love as the utmost expression of trust. Your relationships tend to be peaceful and stable. At your worst, you can be cool, melancholy, and detached. You sometimes have to step back from emotionally charged situations. You are at your happiest when you are able to reflect and relax.

What Color Glasses Do You See the World Through?

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Find Your 30..

is one of the aspects of the Eat Well Be Active program developed by our state's governmet as a result of the 2006 Obesity Summit.

Find your 30 minutes of activity each day

If you think of movement as an opportunity, not an inconvenience, it's quite easy to find 30 minutes in your day for physical activity.

Each day, try to be active in as many ways as you can. This is easy to do when you modify your existing daily routine, such as getting off the bus or the train one stop sooner and walking the rest of the way to work; or taking the stairs instead of the lift.

Take every opportunity you can each day to find your 30.

You 30 could be riding a bike, playing basketball (you might end up bringing home basketball trophies. My 30 is walking from the train station to the office and back on a steep hill carrying my stone heavy laptop.

The program has more facets. Check it out here. If you're a Queenslander, you might want to grab a free-shirt.

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Healthy Beet

I was so naive and under exposed back then that I didn’t know that there’s beetroot. Why should I know it? First, I don’t cook. Second, I am not adventurous when it comes to food. I am very picky.

So when I first met beetroot, I instantly gave it a thumbs down. But, I can’t remember when I became a convert. Now, I love it in my salad, sandwich or even just on its own.

I think, it’s not bad to eat a lot of beetroot. I was told that somebody used to open a can for breakfast.

But here are some facts on beet:

Fresh beetroot
Beetroot can be eaten raw. You just need to peel it and it's ready to use. Beetroot can add a refreshing touch to a salad, a sandwich (try it with cheese!) or as an accompaniment to other vegies...

Try:

grating it finely to add to other vegetables
mix grated beetroot with raspberry vinegar
mix grated beetroot, grated orange rind and orange juice
plain grated beetroot is great on hamburgers


Cooked beetroot

Usually when you buy fresh beetroot it will still have the leaves and stalks attached. To cook the beetroot simply cut off the stalks but make sure you leave some of the stalk in tact. By doing this it will help to stop the beetroot from losing it's color when you cook it and helps to hold in the nutrients.

Beetroot can be steamed or cooked in boiling water. Cooking time can be from 20 to 50 minutes depending on the size of the beetroot. Test the beetroot with a skewer: when it's soft, remove it from the heat and cool it under running water - this will make the skin easier to remove for serving.

You can serve cooked beetroot:
as a hot vegetable accompaniment to a meal; or
allow it to cool and slice it to put on a homemade burger.
Cut into cubes and stir-fry it with some steamed cubed potatoes and pumpkin. Add a little garlic and some diced onions – this makes a delicious vegetable dish to serve with the rest of your meal.

Mcj and I love it pickled. I haven't read any article saying the side effects of eating much of it but with its benefits, diet pills will not be in your vocabulary if you love eating it.

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I Want to Gain Weight

I want to gain weight; that should be my New Year’s Resolution. But how? I can only eat so much. Apart from my usual meals, I like eating junk food and I’ve been doing so. I eat fast food take-away. I always eat, Mcj can vouch for that. All these have no effect on my body.

I think this is mainly because I am always stressed. Even if I think I eat a lot, it is still not enough for my body to put on weight. So, I solicit the help of the net and found these tips really easy. There are seven but I found the others irrelevant and unnecessary for me.

Get Eating!

Eating is first and foremost the most important thing you need for proper weight gain. It makes sense that you need to eat more calories than you burn. This does not mean eating anything and everything within reach! It means you need to include in your weight gain diet, foods that will help you gain lean mass, not bad fats. 6 meals a day is a good start. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and three other small meals at regular intervals throughout the day. Make it your goal to eat every 2.5 to 3 hours. Remember the principal weight gain tip is to get BIG, you have to eat BIG!

Steak, chicken, fruit, milk, vegetables, cheese and assorted types of nuts are the foods to feast on. Eat 4 - 6 pieces of fresh fruit a day, and at least four tall glasses of milk. Low fat milk is a great, cheap protein source - take advantage of it. A sample snack meal would be a glass of milk, an apple, and a hand full of peanuts.

Plan your meals carefully and stick to the plan. What you eat is the most important ingredient in a successful weight gain program.

Get Drinking! (Sorry, water only)

Drink around a half gallon of water a day and even more if you can. Sure, that’s a lot of water, but believe it or not, it’s that water you need for the energy you need to gain weight! Dehydration can lead to all sorts of health problems, including less stamina at the gym.

Go to Sleep!

Get lots of sleep. This is one of the easiest yet most neglected weight gain tips. Sleep for a minimum of 8 hours night. You’re body needs it to function properly.

How Much Will I Gain?

Of course as the saying goes “everyone’s body responds in different ways, so it varies”. That said, if you do eat well, lift hard (and carefully) and use the best muscle building supplements, you can expect to gain about 10-15lbs within 6-8 weeks.

Supplements?

To gain weight, you do not NEED supplements, but they will help you gain the weight quicker. That’s what they are, supplementation to an already good diet and training program. Think of supplements as the finishing touch.

From gainingweight.info.

I also think, the easiest weight for me to gain weight is to go on a holiday in RP where I love the food. And preferably, stay at my parents’ house. I love my mother and father’s cooking. And that way, we don’t have to check out the vacation rentals.

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Funny

You Should Make 1 Resolution

Think of a resolution!

What Should You Resolve to Change Next Year?

Everyone is making resolution and that's mine. :)

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