C'mon Get Happy

Ok, I'm  not a Partridge Family fan, but I want talk about Happiness today.  Happiness is King.  Ask your friends, family, anyone on the street what they want in life.  Some may say they want to win the lottery, find true love, have a great job, have a healthy family, vacation home, etc.  What do all of these things have in common?  People feel that these things will bring them Happiness.  It is the elusive end all, be all.  Aristotle said: “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence”.  

Happiness often feels like that thing that is just out of our reach - 'if only I had _____,  THEN I would be happy'.  I don't know about you, but that sounds exhausting to me.  Constantly searching for happiness?  Screw that, I'm lazy.  I don't want to spend my life chasing this elusive concept that always seems to be just out of reach.  I can't even get my ass to the gym half the time.  What if there was a way to be happy NOW?  

I recently listen to an interview with Marci Shimoff, author of Happy for No Reason.  She explained that science has discovered we all have a happiness set-point.  What this means is, we were built with an inner thermostat that dictates our level of happiness regardless of what good or bad things happen in our life.  For example, a person can win the lottery, be happier for a few months, maybe even years, but eventually they will return to their original happiness set point.  Or, on the other hand, we've heard tragic stories of people becoming paralyzed after car accidents.  They have a miserable time for a few months or years, but eventually, they return to their original happiness set-point.  This often seems so courageous and heroic, but it is really just a natural, scientific fact. Some of us are born happy, some of us aren't.  Let's take a closer look.

This happiness set-point has been broken down scientifically into 3 sections.  50% of our happiness is dictated by genetics.  10% of our happiness is dictated by our circumstance.  Yes, 10%.  And 40% of our happiness is dictated by our habits and behaviors.  Oh, and by the way, there is a field of science called epigenetics that is based on the concept that we can even change our GENES with our behaviors.  So, 90% of our happiness is in our own hands.  Yes, this means that we cannot blame your life on anyone or anything else.  Damn.

So what does this mean?  For me, it means that depression, chronic unhappiness and sadness are not a deficiency in anti-depressant medication.  It means that 1 in 5 women are on anti-depressants not because there is something internally WRONG with us, but because we just don't understand how our minds, bodies and souls are meant to function anymore.  Sorry guys, I don't know the stats for men, but I'm sure they are equally as depressing.  Ha, really.

The good news is that there are ways to raise your happiness set-point.  Marci Shimoff's book, Happy For No Reason, outlines 21 different ways to do so.  Go ahead, read the book.  The thing is, these are just suggestions.  The real power lies in the understanding that we are in control of our own happiness.  Nothing external can make us feel better or worse about ourselves.  Only WE can decide how we want to feel.  Easy?  No.  The beginning of an awesome, rewarding, and inspiring journey.  Um, yes.

Below I have included a quiz from www.happyfornoreason.com.  Wanna talk about it?  Comment on this post.  

Enjoy,
Shay Jawson

The Happy for No Reason Questionnaire

 

The following Happy for No Reason questionnaire is modeled after the tests that Positive Psychology researchers use to determine people's happiness levels--with one important difference! Most happiness questionnaires are "state-dependent"; that is, they ask you to rate your happiness according to what's going on in your life (job, career, relationships, and so on) and how satisfied you are with your life circumstances. Those questionnaires measure Happy for Good Reason. This questionnaire is completely unique; it measures Happy for No Reason, or your happiness level from the inside out.

 

As you answer these questions, think about how they apply to you in general.

 

Rate each statement on a scale of 1 to 5:

 

1 = Not at all true

2 = Slightly True

3 = Moderately True

4 = Mostly True

5 = Absolutely True

 

1. I often feel happy and satisfied for no particular reason.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
2. I live in the moment.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
3. I feel alive, vital and energetic.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
4. I experience a deep sense of inner peace and well-being.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
5. Life is a great adventure for me.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
6. I don't let bad situations keep me down.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
7. I am enthusiastic about the things I do.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
8. Most days I have an experience of laughter or joy
   1      2      3      4      5
    
9. I trust this is a friendly universe.
   1      2      3      4      5
    
10. I look for the gift or the lesson in everything that happens.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
11. I am able to let go and forgive
    1      2      3      4      5
     
12. I feel love for myself.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
13. I look for the good in every person.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
14. I change the things I can and accept the things I can't change.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
15. I surround myself with people who support me
    1      2      3      4      5
     
16. I don't blame others or complain.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
17. My negative thoughts don't overshadow me.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
18. I feel a general sense of gratitude.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
19. I feel connected to something bigger than myself.
    1      2      3      4      5
     
20. I feel inspired by a sense of purpose in my life.
    1      2      3      4      5

 

Scoring section:

If your score is 80 - 100: To a great degree, you are Happy for No Reason.

If your score is 60 - 79: You have a good measure of being Happy for No Reason.

If your score is 40 - 59: You have glimpses of being Happy for No Reason.

If your score is under 40: You have little experience of being Happy for No Reason.

 

Whatever your score, don't be discouraged. Science tells that we have control over at least 40% of the factors that determine our individual happiness levels. So, it doesn't matter where you begin; what matters is that you do begin. Reading my book Happy for No Reason will enable you to be happier right away. Once you've been practicing the seven steps and the Happiness Habits listed in the book, take the questionnaire again. After that, assessing your Happy for No Reason score on a regular basis will help you chart your progress.

Cholesterol and Fat are NOT the Cause of Heart Disease

I don't think there is a topic out there that I feel more strongly about than this one.  Why?  Because so many people, for so long, have been straight up lied to.  Am I accusing all medical doctors of being liars?  Not exactly.  Medical doctors were taught the same misinformation that they then spout off to their patients every day.  It is a nasty myth that has been repeated so often that everyone began to take it as FACT.  But if we dig deeper, we discover that: Cholesterol and Fat are NOT the Cause of Heart Disease!

I could talk for hours about this issue, but I recently found this AMAZING video that eloquently describes the entire issue in about 13 minutes.  It is a clip from the movie $TATIN NATION, that came out in September 2012.  I just purchased the hour-long documentary on DVD, and I plan to host a movie night at Brookfield Chiropractic so those who are interested can learn more. 

HERE is the link to the 13min clip that I urge you to watch TODAY.  http://vimeo.com/56446427

SPECIAL OFFER:
If you have struggled with low-fat diets, are afraid of heart disease, or just want to learn more about how to shop and eat healthy, please contact me.  I have a certification in Comprehensive Nutrition, am a Metabolic Typing Advisor, and I am PASSIONATE about helping people discover their true health through nutritious, real FOOD.  For a FREE, private consultation in the Waukesha area, please call me at 608-347-1398.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Shay Jawson
Health Coach
608-347-1398

Second-chance Yoga

Today I rediscovered Yoga.  Most people are familar with yoga, maybe have tried it a few times: downward dog, mountain pose, cat-cow, sun salutations, etc.  I have a DVD that I've used probably twice, I've been to a few classes, but never really got into it.

But I'm getting older, stiffer, and more out of shape.  My 'ayurvedic type' tells me I shouldn't do too strenuous of exercise, which is a great excuse not to go to the gym or buy new running shoes.  But I have been trying to de-stress my life, and yoga sounded like it might kill 2 birds with 1 stone, which is one of my favorite things to do.  Relaxing gentle exercise.  Sold. 

So I got my act together, and bought a weekly pass to YogAsylum.  It was $33 for an unlimited week of classes, and they offer about 35 classes per week from 6am - 7:30pm.  Really lovely place on Brookfield Rd and Captiol Dr in Brookfield, WI.  Sweet people, pretty decor.  I took the 7:30am class, and we did Yin yoga.  They describe it as a meditative, restorative, and relaxing practice which addresses the connective tissue of the lowback and hips.  Sounds awesome.  The class was small, instructor nice, relaxing music, cumfy pillows, blah, blah blah. 

So why did I feel like it was the most amazing and centering experiencing I've had in a long time?
TIMING people.  Timing is everything!  I didn't care about yoga a few years ago because I was more interested in working long hours, drinking pots of coffee during the day and coctails at night.  I obviously wasn't focused on getting 'centered'!

What we need now is inexplainably different than what we needed 2 weeks ago, 2 months ago, 2 years ago.  Where we are now is a compliation of experiences that have built on each other to bring us to a new and exciting place every.single.minute.  What happened in the past can shape how we see the present moment, but it DOES NOT dictate how we have to act, what we like or dislike, or how we view the world.  All of those things change, every day.  If you didn't like art class when you were 7, that doesn't have to mean you hate art.  If you screwed-up your presentation to corporate 5 years ago, it doesn't mean you suck at public speaking.  These things might sound obvious, but if you quiet down for a few minutes a day and listen to the chatter in your head, you would be amazed the wierd shit we tell ourselves without even realizing it.

Sometimes we shut doors on opportunites, ideas, people, just because it's the wrong time in our life.  We aren't ready.  So be it.  Just don't be afraid to open that door again when the time is right.

Balance Schmalance

So lately I have been thinking about the quest for ‘balance’ in life.  It is such a powerful buzzword these days.  We want to achieve balanced health, balanced hormones, balanced emotions, balance in our homelife, balance between work and home, etc.  I feel like we use the word so often that it has lost its meaning.  One definition of balance is ‘to maintain equilibrium’.  And in our never ending effort to improve ourselves, we translate that into a personal challenge.  But have you ever really felt perfectly in balance?  Is it something you achieve on a daily basis?  Unlikely.  Instead, it has become this godly, unreachable state that we all crave – the happiness that is just out of our reach.  A perfect marketing ploy to keep a whole lot of women searching, seeking, buying up the new book, program, product, magazine, vitamin, or exercise package that will bring them a little closer to perfect balance.  We have come to believe that there must be a point at which you no longer have to worry or struggle – if you only try hard enough, you will eventually be bathed in a state of effortless bliss. 

I’m going to let you in on a little secret.  Balance is bullsh*t.  It is a fascade.  It’s the mirage in the desert that disappears the moment you get close enough to grab it.  Let’s stop torturing ourselves!  Why do we give so much power to this idea of a perfect state of equilibrium that we know deep inside is unreachable?  Have we fallen in love with the struggle?  Are we all a bunch of martyrs?  I think not.  We have just bought into the lie that we aren’t good enough the way we are.  That we need to be more in all aspects of our lives.  And that we better try harder to make this happen. 

For us over-achieving, forward-thinking, powerful women, this might be a huge part of our identity.  It might be what has led us to the success we are already enjoying, and we couldn’t imagine any other way.  But the idea of not being good enough cannot sustain itself forever.  You will reach a point where no matter how hard you try to be more, better, smarter, healthier, prettier, faster – you just aren’t enjoying yourself.  And all of a sudden, the journey has lost its luster and you feel like no matter what you do, you are letting yourself down.  But what would happen if we got the hell out of the way and trusted that life has its own inner balance?  What if we just honored the fact that life gets along just fine without our meddling hands in the pot?  Imagine a life where you get what you want without worry or stress.  This requires trust. 

3 Ways to Build Trust in Life:

1.       Shut down your Inner Critic.  When you are thinking about your dreams or considering a major change in your life and your inner critic starts chiming in with how risky it will be, what bad things might happen, and how you will probably fail, tell it to SHUT THE HELL UP.  Ask your inner critic to take a hike, just to give you a breather.  Once it leaves (undoubtedly slamming the door behind itself), write down all the great things that might come to be if you follow your dream – write down how it would make you feel to follow your dream – and just sit with this feeling for 10 minutes.  Your critic will come back, and your doubts will return, but you gave your dreams a moment of peace.  And that is powerful.  

2.       Give Up.  When you are tired of pushing and striving and trying – give up.  You are not in control of everything.  Even if it feels like everything and everyone in your life is relying on you to be superwoman, you have the right to take a break.  Call in sick and lay in bed all day.  Sleep, watch TV, cry it out.  When you let up the gas pedal, you give your inner self a chance to loosen the noose and breathe a little bit.  When you see that the world does not crash down around you, you begin to trust that things are going to be just fine.  The more this scares the crap out of you, the more important it is.  Give up every once in a while, it’s good for you.

3.       Find your Forest.  Yep, back to nature.  Whether it is a field, forest, ocean, desert, or dirt road, get lost on your way home from work once in a while.  Spend 15 minutes standing in your ‘forest’, eyes closed, breathing deep.  You are part of this nature, and that nature exists whether you stand there or not.  It is the everlasting, oblivious of time or space or place.  Take a hint, and make like a tree.  Connect with this community that doesn’t judge or want or expect a thing from you.  Admire how nature gets along just fine without worrying about a thing.  Balance happens when you get out of the way.  Just stop and watch every once in a while.

When The Shit Hits The Fan...

So I have recently talked with two friends who have gone through terrible pain in the past year.  I have been so moved by their grace in dealing with their situations, that I was compelled to WRITE.  It's a little deep, my friends, so please excuse me. 

Why is it, that when I hear that a friend has received terrible news or is experiencing a tragedy in their life, I feel almost excited for them?  I know deep down that I am not a sick sadist, and that I only wish the best for those I love.  But there is something wonderfully powerful about pain...

Pain cuts through the bullshit we surround ourselves with and shoots straight to our core.  Pain is beautiful because it is honest - for at least a brief moment, our ego doesn't have the power to cover up, justify, shame, criticize, or victimize - we are just laid bare.  I now understand why artist find so much beauty in pain.  To see beauty in pain is really to pay homage to our creator - pain cuts through the facade we build upon our true selves, our essence, the perfection were created in.  Pain exposes our inner being, and THAT is beautiful. 

But, of course, it is not easy to see this when you are in the throes of pain.  Our ego was born to make us 'feel better' - to cover up the pain.  Many people do this by pretending everything is OK.  They do this to protect themselves and their loved ones.  Protect them from...the truth.  Others wallow in the pain - are consumed by it.  It defines them, and it becomes a crutch, an excuse to avoid life, to avoid moving forward.  But this is merely an illusion that we create to protect ourselves.  The pain exposed the beauty of our true self, but we fight it.  It hurts to be cut to the core.  We worked hard to deny our true selves, damnit.  How dare pain expose such a thing.

But to bravely remain exposed and to proudly believe that, in fact, the truth will set us free...therein lies the power.  Many people live their lives having been changed by painful events in the past.  This is unavoidable.  But to honor the past, to appreciate what it has done - that is the true gift.  When that pain entered your existence, it cut through the bullshit we unknowingly carry with us.  And it shot like a lightning bolt down to the core of your true self.  It forged a path, and, with a blaze of light, it illuminated that which some of us spend lifetimes struggling to uncover - our spirit, our inner being, or true self.  By exposing our true essence, it is almost like pain has the power to show us the hand of God.

How can we not be thankful for this amazing gift.  When the shit hits the fan, we have the opportunity to have our lives turned upside down - a fresh start, with a fresh perspective.  Call me a naive optimist, an opportunist, a sadomasochist, or a crazy asshole.  But pain cuts straight to the truth, and the truth will set us free. 

I must admit, when I am suffering pain, it feels nearly impossible to access such lovely perspective and strength.  But I know it is possible, because I have witnessed it.  Friends, you are inspiring!  We must keep each other in our prayers.

Whole Grains Ain't What They Used To Be...

I was searching for recipes for my Sunday cooking day and I found this blog. 

http://www.elanaspantry.com/gluten-free-recipes/snacks/

Now, I'm not trying to suggest you go gluten-free/grain-free (although chances are good that you would feel better,  have more energy and less digestive upset!) - it's just that once you remove the grain, you are left with amazing, nutrient-dense, healthy food.  That is, when it is done right.  And Miss Elena does a pretty good job on her blog.  If you have ever tried a gluten-free diet, you are familiar with the amazing urge for something CRUNCHY.  When popcorn just doesn't cut it anymore, you can try:

• Rosemary Fig Crackers
• Sesame Crackers
• Fig Tapenade with Walnut Crackers
• Granola

Almond flour is used a lot in grain-free recipes, and it is an amazing ingredient.  Just put raw blanched almonds in a food processor and pulse until they are powdery.  It makes pretty decent baked goods, and it is a lot easier on the digestive tract than grains for many people.  Pure protein and low carb!  Not the same as regular bakery products, but worth a try.

Here is an article about whole grains that can shed some light on their 'health' factor.  Knowledge is power, and it is hard to deny the science behind modern grain story.  You may read it and weep, but you will be better off knowing this crucial information:

http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/be-kind-to-your-grains

Hi, my name is Shay, and I'm gluten intolerant.

Sometimes I feel like I need an AA-style support group for being gluten intolerant.  But, as many recovering alcoholics choose to feel, I think it was meant to be this way.  I love scouring the internet for healthy gluten-free recipes that any bread-eatin' fool would enjoy.  So, YES, I stole this one from paleodietlifestyle.com. 

Paleolithic diets typically do not include any GRAINS, SUGAR, REFINED OILS, or DAIRY.  This means it is inherently gluten-free!  The paleo or caveman diet is based on the idea that our human bodies evolved to consume meat, fat, vegetables, and small amounts of fruits, nuts and seeds.  The agricultural revolution was amazing for producing large amounts of food for the hungry masses, but our genetic make-up wasn't ready for the influx of indigestible grains, not to mention highly refined sugar and hydrogenated oils. 

Paleo's all walk to the beat of a different drummer - which means they basically make up their own rules.  Which is how we should ALL treat our diet and lifestyle choices.  You are a unique individual with different needs, and it is YOUR job, and your job alone, to determine what works best for you. 

But there is no harm in taking guidance from other awesome nutrition renegades like those at paleodietlifestyle.com.  Check out this awesome treat.

Spicy Party Nuts

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup almonds;
• 2/3 cup pecans;
• 2/3 cup hazelnuts;
• 1 tsp chili powder;
• ½ tsp cumin;
• ½ tsp black pepper;
• ½ tsp salt;
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted;

Preparation

1. Once again, this is another easy Paleo snack to throw together for the festivities.
2. Toast the nuts in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. This should only take a few minutes, and you don’t need to use any cooking fat.
3. In a small bowl, combine all the spices, along with the salt and pepper. Give it a good toss to make sure everything is well combined.
4. Once the nuts have toasted and taken on a golden brown hue, remove them from the heat and drizzle them with the oil. Make sure the nuts are all coated well in the oil and then sprinkle with the spice mixture. Finish it off with another good toss and they are ready to be served.