Tips for Health and Fitness: Secrets to living a happy life

Well I'm not going to suggest you any nutrition, medication or exercises here to improve your health and enjoy the life experience, rather I'll try to give you a mindset that makes you start a healthy and happy lifestyle. Although each of these (nutrition, medication and exercises) have their unique importance for improving life quality and standards, yet what is most important is your mindset and thinking approach towards achieving what you really want. As happiness always doesn't come with good health and nutrition.

I also want to clarify that I am not one amongst the richest in the world, nor amongst any of the millionaires; yet I live a healthy and happy life. I also don't believe that wealth and happiness are interconnected. As I have already said, you cannot be happier by getting more rich. Just adopt the following tips as a lifestyle and start living a happy and healthy life.

Live with your needs, lessen your wants

Needs are often very little, whereas our wants are what keep increasing day by day. Needs are confined to our physical, psychological and emotional bounds whereas wants are concerned with self-esteem and self-actualization. In reality, it is almost impossible for any human being to be self-actualized (a point of contentment beyond which one might desire nothing else) because with everyday experience, our wants keep changing thus making us desperate to pursue them.

Live in the Present, care less about the future

Although planning leads to efficient management and attaining success, but always planning about the future without focusing on management of your current affairs is the biggest mistake people are doing these days. People plan and set goals and run every now and then behind fulfilling those goals. This makes them careless about their present, they find little significance in their 'today' and are always dreaming for a better 'tomorrow'. But remember, the sacrifices that they make in their 'today' are often so expensive that they cannot buy them back in their 'tomorrow', even if they become billionaires. For example, being away from your friends most of the time would weaken your friendship, which might not be easy to hold back.

Be happy with what you have and be ready to share and help

Happiness may be an impossible target if you keep setting unrealistic goals in your life. Be contented with what you have (of the people, property and money etc.) and forget about what other's have and you don't. The simplest secret to being happy in your life is not to look-up towards people of the upper class (compared to you), but to look-down towards those of the lower class and Thank God that you are not one of those amongst the lower class. If you start thinking this way, I guarantee you happiness.

There are many people around you and everywhere in the world who are more needy than you. They lack many things that you currently enjoy in your life. For example many wake and sleep without a shelter or roof or even a bed; while you may have 2 bedrooms in your house. And still many others would be suffering from chronic diseases such as Cancer and not having the funds / capacity to take a proper treatment / medication. Therefore, you are always better than many others in the world. Just imagine this, and live with the delight and thanks for the God.

At the same time, not only be delighted, but be ready to help others whom you could. Give charity and feel the contentment inside yourself. Although giving charity could not be the only way to help. Look for other ways also you could accomplish that goal.

Don't indulge with your social circles (through social media etc.) unnecessarily at the cost of ignoring your loved ones physically in your presence. Care and indulge more with those physically nearer to you. Decrease the dependence on virtual things for seeking contentment.

Don't put other valuable things at stake for mere productivity and numbers

These days, there is increasing concern to measure success through productivity and numbers, which although not wrong is often misinterpreted by some people, who start measuring everything with the scale of productivity and numbers. This is not right at all. Your children won't show more love for you if you boost your company sales, nor would be your sibling happy to cut-off the family dinner (or another family meal) daily, for just hearing your increasing company profits.

Thus, there are many other things, that you shouldn't put at stake for ensuring your productivity and numbers. These can be giving time to your friends and family, exercising, taking rest or performing religious rituals/prayers etc. There is no productivity or number scale that can measure love, affection and sympathy. More than often, you have to win hearts to gather the love, affection and sympathy of your dears for yourself. Your wealth, property or productivity in life may not produce any such results.

So in my view, and as my experience says, your happiness and health lies in changing your thinking pattern or your mindset. Follow these tips for at-least 2 to 3 months and feel the change in your life.