3 Secrets to Help You Be Happy Every Day

When was the last time you did something for yourself?

Here's the catch – I'm not talking about housework, errands or cleaning out your email inbox.

The irony is, when we pursue our best, most beautiful life, we often forget to take a few minutes to feed our mind, body and spirit. How we spend our days is ultimately how we will spend our lives, so why not take a few minutes out of your day to tune into what makes you happy?

Here are my favorite simple practices to treat myself every day:

1. MORNING MEDITATION

Ok, take a deep breath. There's been a lot of buzz on meditation, but I've found the art of living in the moment is so simple. Try this delightful pick-me-up to release tension and revitalize your entire body. Here's how to do it: Sit comfortably on the floor or your bed, soften your joints and focus on your breathing for a few moments. Breathe deeply through your nose and feel your belly expand. Hold for a moment, then release slowly through the mouth until you feel your lower belly contract. Begin this exercise with 5-10 breaths at a time, keeping your spine lengthened and shoulders relaxed. And if the concept of meditation seems a bit too "new-agy" for you, think about it as a moment to take a break, breath and stabilize yourself.

2. GREEN MOJITO BLEND

I'm a firm believer that radiant skin starts with nutrition. This super-green blend is perfect for the health conscious woman who doesn't like to compromise on taste.

Green Mojito Blend 

This healthy juice crush fights dull and lackluster skin with a hit of high-energy greens. Green juices have an anti-inflammatory effect that can calm an upset stomach and boost immune function.

Calories: 166

Servings: 2

Ingredients

1 ½ cups coconut water

Handful of spinach

1/2 pineapple

1/2 green apple

1 cucumber

2 pitted dates

Small knob fresh ginger

Handful fresh mint leaves (20-25 leaves)

2-4 ice cubes

Directions

1. Pulse all ingredients to a blender until smooth and creamy.

2. Pour into a glass and garnish with sliced lime and mint. Enjoy.

3. JOURNALING

This daily ritual is so good for the soul! Keep your calendar or planner separate - your journal is dedicated to your wildest dreams (and making them happen). I love to collect beautiful photographs and surround myself with inspiring words.

– Lorna Jane (Source).

A great success: Beautiful You Cancer Charity Spin-A-Thon

Some of the Spin-a-thon Team

Amanda and Debbie (founder of Beautiful You Cancer Charity)

Out of a passionate plea from Amanda Mensforth Fitness Instructor at Dolphins Health Precinct to help women and their families that are living with cancer. Her vision of a spin-a-thon with a cause was developed. 

Focusing around the charity Beautiful You. “Beautiful You” is a program that focuses on helping women and their families living with cancer. Their aim is to provide practical, financial or emotional support. Wanting to help families lead a normal life and trying to make a difference no matter how small. 

Through her passion and enthusiasm Amanda rallied her team, and then called in friends, canvassed local businesses and rallied teams on Facebook turning Saturday 21st into a wonderful success. Dolphins Health Precinct donated the room and facilities for the day, local shops and businesses donated prizes, gave donations and the teams donated their sponsored energy. It was amazing to see the joy and passion that comes from giving, the smiles on everyone’s faces showed on the day. 

The days' effort is still being collated but from the quick calculation on the day it has exceeded expectations (approx. $6000). Well done to Amanda and the teams and thank you to all who donated their time, money and prizes to this wonderful cause. 

Every dollar donated does make a difference. If you would like to donate to this wonderful charity please go to this link www.beautiful-you.com.au.

Are You Sabotaging Your Sleep?

Editor's Note: The following is a guest post from Greatist--a health and fitness resource for the young, savvy, and social. They also happen to be one of the few sites that lists all of their research sources so that you know where the research is coming from. For more information, visit Greatist here.

By Shana Lebowitz

After a marathon meeting day at work or a blowout with a significant other, it may seem impossible to enjoy eight hours of blissful sleep. But those tough times may be when we really need the rest, since skimping on sleep actually makes it more difficult to handle stress. So stop tossing and turning. We've got the best tips on how to get a good night’s sleep even when you're stressed.

Beat the Bedtime Blues -- Your Action Plan

Don't work in bed, or even in the bedroom. Turning the sheets and pillows into a makeshift desk makes it harder to see the bed as a place for rest. And definitely put away the laptop, phone, and any other technological devices well before bedtime. The artificial light coming out of these gadgets can mess up the body's natural sleep cycles.

Go to sleep at a reasonable hour. (And make it a habit.) Especially when we're overwhelmed with work, it can seem tempting to stay up all night putting the final touches on a project. But pulling an all-nighter can make it much harder to focus the next day. And consistently staying up 'til sunrise may impair learning abilities and contribute to higher anxiety levels. (Now that's something to get stressed about.) Stick to a regular bedtime and things may look better in the morning.

Wind down. It's important to take some time to unwind between shutting the computer screen and crawling under the covers. Try taking a warm shower or sipping some herbal tea. If nagging worries are keeping you awake, write them down in a journal. Or mellow out as you're drifting off with some Enya or classical tunes.

Take a power nap. If the stress monster kept you from getting a solid night's rest last night, try dozing off during the day. Ten to 20 minutes should be enough to wake up feeling refreshed and more alert. Just make sure to keep naps to the afternoon, so you'll still be able to sleep soundly at night.

(Source).

Worth Shouting About

Have you heard? Dolphins Health Precinct is about to launch the latest in group fitness classes. 

“We are so excited that Dolphins will be the first fitness centre to launch these classes,” said Tina Fotu, group fitness manager for DHP. Tina said the new programs were designed to bridge the gap between land and aquatic programs with Dolphins selected as the perfect venue to launch them because of their indoor heated pool and group fitness studios. 

Dolphins Health Precinct members will be the first to sample the new programs that are expected to make a positive impact in the fitness industry. “Working out in water has thankfully evolved,” Tina said. “The ongoing challenge for the fitness industry is to dispel the myths associated with aqua fitness. “Every class we teach is an opportunity to demonstrate that aquatic fitness is a dynamic and challenging form of exercise suitable for all abilities and fitness levels. “RIPPLE EFFX programs are going to be a huge hit with our members and we are very excited about being the first facility to launch them. “We know our members are going to love new programs, the formats are easy to follow and extremely effective. “We have such a mix of young and young at heart members here at Dolphins so having classes that cater for all ages and fitness levels is wonderful.”