A recent study by Ruut Veenhoven of Erasmus University Rodderdam in the Netherlands, as part of a Happiness Research Program, indicates that it is just as important to overall health to be happy, as it is to not smoke.  So does that mean that if you go around being cranky, negative, and unhappy you might as well be a smoker? Wow. That’s a pretty heavy statement, and quite frankly, I’m not too happy about it!

So, it’s not enough that I avoid cigarettes, consume little alcohol, try to eat healthy, take vitamins, exercise regularly and get my yearly pap smear; now I’ve got to smile all the freakin’ time?

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You would think that because I run a health and fitness blog, it means I don’t have trouble with motivation to get to the gym, or willpower to avoid bad foods. Not so. Cold weather hits and it’s already dark by dinner, the couch and big fuzzy blanket look much more inviting than the treadmill. Winter makes comfort foods more appealing. 

Let’s be realistic. There are also going to be times when life gets so busy, that your daily duties interfere with fitness, or when time factors prevent us from cooking all the low fat meals we’d like. The trick to getting through these spells without having to buy bigger jeans when they’ve ended, is to avoid slipping up on both fronts at the same time.  

It sounds simple enough, but think about how many times we’ve done the opposite. We aren’t doing our cardio so suddenly we figure all is lost, why not throw the baby out with the bath water and eat four pizzas this week?

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You know what the best thing about writing a blog is? When you’re going out on a Saturday night and don’t have time to write an article, you can post something written by someone else that was sent to you by one of your readers! This is one of those chain emails that is going around on the web, but I thought it would resonate with all of our readers. When I read it, I felt that it pretty much describes me and every woman I know! 

Here it is:

Whatever you give a woman, she’s going to multiply. 

If you give her sperm, she’ll give you a baby. 
If you give her a house, she’ll give you a home. 
If you give her groceries, she’ll give you a meal. 
If you give her a smile, she’ll give you her heart. 
She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.’ 
 
So - if you give her crap, you will receive more shit than any one human being can handle. 

Love and appreciate all the women in your life.

If you have some pounds to shed, it’s easy to get discouraged and beat yourself up about your physique. As ridiculous as Affirmation Girl seems, I happen to like her, because she epitomizes the entire premise of Fit After Thirty, which is to reprogram your brain to think of a new meaning for fat (f.a.t.*-Fit After Thirty), so that you can begin to visualize yourself with the new definition instead of the old one!

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