Happy Endeavors
A how to guide
I'm Susan Scanlan
Aspiring Happy CamperJoin me on my quest to live a life filled with happpiness!
I’M Susan Scanlan
Aspiring Happy Camper
Let me be your guide to: Happy Endeavors
A Year's Quest
A year of happiness challenges broken down into monthly themes. See how five friends fared.
Developing Positive Habits
To make a behavior a permanent habit, you must practice it for 30 days in a row.
A Happy Recipe
Choose a theme that interests you. Read about different ways you can increase your happiness, according to scientific research. Decide which suggestions you want to try.
Set Goals
Turn a couple of the suggestions that you liked into actionable goals. Do this by starting each goal with a verb.
Check Progress
Use a calendar to check off the goals that you completed each day. Include a face that shows how you feel about your day. A smiley, straight mouth or frown will work.
Review Goals
At the end of the month, add up all of your checks for a goal. Divide it by the total number of days in the month. Decide which goals you want to contiue working on and which you have mastered.
Why be happy?
Healthwise, here is what happy people are experiencing:
- Lower blood pressure and heart rates
- Stronger immune responses
- Lower stress
- Longer lives
- Less aches and pains
- Better ability to combat diseases and disabilities
Goals are integral to happiness
Goals have been shown to motivate. By setting them, you will come up with strategies that will help you achieve. If the achievement is challenging, you will have a feeling of satisfaction when you accomplish the goal. If the the goal isn’t challenging, the feeling will not be the same.
“This one step – choosing a goal and sticking to it – changes everything.” Scott Reed, Author
Get Started by Energizing
Look at you daily routine. Check out the dropdown menu. Determine what slows you down. Perhaps your diet isn’t the greatest or you sit all day at a desk. Identify a couple areas where you need improvement. Now you are ready to make a couple of monthly goals.
1. What are you drinking?
- Water – Good! How much?
- Alcohol – Not so good – How much?
- Soda – No nutritional value.
- Coffee – Good as long as sugar isn’t added.
- Tea – Might stain your teeth, but OK.
2. What are you eating?
- Fruits and veggies
According to the CDC, a daily intake of 1.5-2 cups of fruit and 2-3 cups of veggies is recommended. - Gut friendly foods
We are talking about foods that the “good” bacteria in your gut likes to snack on. They include high fiber foods like legumes, berries, and whole grains. Yogurt and kefir are also beneficial because they contain pre and probiotics. - Added sugars
Keep it down!
Guidelines for Women – 24g/day or less
Guidelines for Men – 36g/day or less - Added salt
FDA daily recommendation is 2300g or less/day. - Processed foods
These are foods that have been altered from their natural state. The most processed foods are frozen and pre-made meals. It issue with processed foods is that they have added sugar and salt.
3. How much do you move around?
Sitting
Do you sit for long periods of time either at work or at leisure – say watching movies? There are a couple of reasons why this isn’t so good.
First of all, it increases inflammation. To combat this, get up every 10-15 minutes and do something. Even if it is just to get a cup of coffee, this will get your muscles moving.
Secondly, chairs with backs weaken out backs and abdominal muscles. So try spending some time sitting upright without the help of the chair back.
Exercise
The American Heart Associaation would like you to get 150 minutes/week of moderate activity OR 75 minutes/week of vigorous activity. Moderate activity is defined as brisk walking such that you can carry on a conversation. Vigorous activity is defined as jogging or running where you can only say a few words before you feel the need to stop and take a breath.
4. How much sleep do you get?
The World Health Organization and National Sleep Foundation recommend 8 hours of sleep per night for adults. They would also like you to wake up naturally, without an alarm. Perhaps you meet these standards on the weekends or on vacation? Not good enough. Less that 6-7 hours sleep causes the following:
- Decreased immune responses
- Doubled the risk for cancer
- Higher probability to develop Alzheimer’s
- Increased risk of hardening of coronary arteries
- Increased risk of depression
Read more
Testimonials
“She always accepts the situation as it is and tries to make the best of it. Most of the time this includes trying something new.”
“I can’t belive that they made a SNL character based on my Aunt Sue. They didn’t even change the name.”
“Susan is always encouraging me to take on new challenges. On game day, she is a cheerleader with her cowbell.”
“At first she seems normal, but then if you let her do her thing, she can entertain herself and others in a quirky fun way.”
About Me
I try to look at the bright side of life, but frankly am a realistic person. Sometimes a positive outcome may not be possible, but a goodish one will suffice.
I don’t dwell on the past, but look forward to how I can make the future better. That’s why this project is perfect for me. There are so many things I can do to make the rest of my life a happy one. I am willing to explore different behaviours and habits to try. I invite you to come along on my journey.