Have a Happy Healthy Heart

email

Have you ever taken one of those personality tests? Are you a yes person or no person? Type A? Glass half empty or half full? Melancholy or sanguine? Wait ..what? I always saw myself as a laid back sort of Maui girl with thoughts of beautiful beaches and checking surf reports, scarfing sushi and hoping someone has a weekend party. Then I got a real job, got married, had kids, bought a house and *gasp* moved from Maui. That last part bummed me out.

Happiness, they say, is a choice. And again a study has come out to let us know it’s also a health must. Here’s an article from Health.com that takes a look at the benefits of being happy:

People with a joyful, positive, and enthusiastic disposition—what psychologists call “positive affect”—are less likely than their gloomier peers to have a heart attack, a new study has found.

Is this really a surprise? I know anxiety, anger and being bummed out sure doesn’t feel good and I think most can feel their body responding to negative emotions. It tends to also be contagious. We can’t discount the effect it has on our hearts in more than just an emotional way.

Redford B. Williams, MD, the head of behavioral medicine at Duke University Medical Center, in Durham, N.C. In their ability to promote heart health, he adds, “I believe positive emotions rank right up there with weight loss, exercise, and quitting smoking.”

In the choice to be happy or not, filling our hearts and minds with the postive is a must. Have you ever gone to a movie and left feeling down? Or happy? All we chose to see and hear has an effect on us and then becomes far reaching. It’s not just about being an “up’ person, it’s a health issue for your heart.

Although we can’t always control negative people or circumstances (bills, mother-in-laws) that come into our lives we can learn to respond in a way that doesn’t effect our heart in a negative way. When my kids are grumpy and cranky we have a little game we play. Each one of us has to name three things we’re thankful for. That little game has changed the course of the day many times. All through the day we can direct our thoughts towards the positive. We can surround ourselves with great people and minimize the time spent with negative garbage as best we can. Add this to a great exercise and nutrition lifestyle and your heart will thank you for it!

What ways help you to be a happy, positive person? Share and spread the happiness so we”ll all be healthier!

http://blogomomma.com blogomomma

When negativity starts seeping in, I experience it, and then… I PUSH RIGHT BACK.
I fake positive till it rubs off – if you tell yourself something long enough – you start to BELIEVE it!
http://www.joycecherrier.com Joyce

Hi O’momma, I agree. Can’t wait for the feeling to come, you have to grab it! Thanks for commenting!
http://dwayne1.blogspot.com Dwayne

I know this is going to sound funny, but when the negativity starts getting to me I pick up my ball bat. I will stand outside swinging it for hours. Sometimes since I am not a long distance runner, I will sprint just a hard as I can for as long as I can. I don’t know the scientific terms for it, but physical exercise triggers your body to release hormones that help control stress.

I use to pick up my forty pound dumbbells and box with them, until I accidentally hit myself in the head while doing that.

With out the exercise I find it hard to keep that positive feeling, with it, it is a lot easier.
Joyce Cherrier

Exercise is for sure a mood changer and it’s amazing how it can turn your mood around. It’s a good to do it early in the morning if possible because it can help set a positive tone for the day.Thanks for commenting Dwayne and I hope you were ok after hitting your head! Ouch!