How to stock your kitchen

~ Michael Kinnaird ~ 2 Comments
Stock your kitchen, healthy shopping list
© H is for home

I couldn’t believe what my friend said the other day. “When you come over, we can go shopping and you can show me how it’s done.”

Brain freeze! That came as a bit of a shock to me!

What could be easier? You go round and put fruits, veg, nuts and good protein sources in your trolley, then you pay :-)

But of course it’s easy to assume that everyone knows what you know. If you’re used to having cereals, sandwiches and pizza as your staple diet, the fruit and veg aisles can look a bit daunting… Continue reading “How to stock your kitchen” →

Prevention is better than cure

~ Michael Kinnaird ~ 2 Comments
Boy running happily at beach
© Ernestkoe

Not only is nearly all chronic illness created by poor lifestyle but medicine cannot cure chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis, depression, obesity, heart disease, diabetes or cancer.

Modern medicine is based on drugs, surgery and the “pill for an ill” mentality…

It’s quite astounding when you think about the massive human resources we put into “health care” that to put it quite bluntly — doesn’t work! For trauma, acute conditions and inherited conditions, the approach can be amazing. But for chronic conditions i.e. most problems, drugs and surgery don’t cure anything…

How could they? The problems aren’t caused by lack of drugs and so cannot be solved by adding drugs. A true cure is only possible by removing the original cause and providing the ideal conditions for the body to heal itself… Continue reading “Prevention is better than cure” →

Why most diet and health books don’t work

~ Michael Kinnaird ~ Leave a comment
© Helga Weber

Do you have a shelf full of diet and health books that just didn’t work for you? So why don’t they work?

There’s more than one reason but here’s the big one:

Most health and weight loss books don’t address the ROOT CAUSE of chronic health and weight problems. And for that reason, they’re ineffective, they don’t work and so they’re a waste of your time and money.

How many weight loss books do you know for instance, that explain why you just can’t stop yourself eating ice-cream when you get home from work — or whatever your “bad thing” is… Continue reading “Why most diet and health books don’t work” →

Can dehydration cause dizziness?

~ James Riddett ~ 1 Comment
© Ivan Dervisevic

I just got back from taking my father to the doctor.

He’s in his later years now and unfortunately hasn’t lived the healthiest of lifestyles.

Amongst other things, he’s been having trouble with his hearing and dizziness. A few specialists later and no-one seems any the wiser…

His doctor today recommended he try a new clinic that was setup for people with “non-specific” complaints. The doctor told me this new clinic is causing a bit of a stir… Continue reading “Can dehydration cause dizziness?” →

What’s the difference between a neurotic compulsion and a healthy habit?

~ James Riddett ~ 2 Comments

Paul asks…

“I saw a website yesterday and from the looks of it, exercise and dietary habits can be classified as neurotic compulsions. What’s the difference between unhealthy and neurotic compulsions and healthy habits?”

© Lululemon Athletica

Our human minds are wired for conditioned responses.

This is of course, essential. Otherwise we’d need to learn to walk, speak, dress, etc every day.

Unfortunately, these conditioned responses don’t always serve our best interests…

At best, they can keep us in bad habits for years. At worst, they can manifest as neuroses or obsessive compulsions. Exercise and dietary habits are definitely not neurotic compulsions in themselves :-)

They’re simply examples of symptoms that can point to an underlying obsessive tendency. Continue reading “What’s the difference between a neurotic compulsion and a healthy habit?” →

What to do when you’re not happy with your life

~ James Riddett ~ 7 Comments
© Dhammza

It can be so hard to figure out what to do when you’re not happy with your life — to get to the TRUE causes, the REAL reasons.

Maybe you arrived here with a specific health-related problem you’d like to solve.

Perhaps you’re overweight, suffering from depression or struggling for energy…

Or maybe you just feel generally dissatisfied, that you’re not getting the best out of life? Have you ever asked yourself…

“What am I doing wrong? What’s wrong with me? I just want to be happy. When did it get so HARD?”

Continue reading “What to do when you’re not happy with your life” →

Take action

~ Michael Kinnaird ~ Leave a comment
© Rocketjim54

Getting Happy Guide off the ground is not unlike your health and happiness.

We take steps, we fall, we try again, we crawl for a bit, perhaps even bum shuffle :-) We refocus and try again.

And after a couple of years of falling on our a**, it finally seems we’re standing up. A bit wobbly but hey, we did it!

Just the same really.

So don’t be scared to take action. That’s how you learn…

It’s ironic that it’s often the most intelligent people who are scared to act. There are some folks who just don’t think too far ahead and they don’t see problems — they just do their thing. In my experience, they tend to be happier and sometimes more successful… Continue reading “Take action” →

Weight loss with NO CARDIO? Yes, it DOES work!

~ Michael Kinnaird ~ 5 Comments
© Jypsygen

If you’re overweight, perhaps lacking energy and suffering from low self-esteem, it can be a big ask to get the sneakers on and go jogging.

From that state of mind and body, following some of the weight loss plans out there can seem like climbing Everest.

In fact, my experience and the statistics tell the same story — it’s simply not going to work. So what to do? Continue reading “Weight loss with NO CARDIO? Yes, it DOES work!” →

Eat and drink the right stuff

~ Michael Kinnaird ~ 4 Comments
Healthy salmon salad, natural human food
© Ali Elangasinghe

The Happy Guide diet is a big step back to eating natural human foods — the foods we evolved to eat over millions of years; primarily fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, meat, poultry, seafood and eggs.

Our bodies thrive on these foods because they’re the foods we’re adapted to.

Some modern foods are allowed but the ones that cause the most damage — gluten grains and most dairy, need to be avoided by most people to be in the best of health.

A simple plan that gets the most out of your diet without feeling restrictive is a good way to go. And good diet habits means that preparing food becomes a no-brainer, and you get all the benefits without the stress. A typical day might be… Continue reading “Eat and drink the right stuff” →

Exercise benefits list

~ Michael Kinnaird ~ 6 Comments
Man jogging in park, getting exercise benefits
© Ed Yourdon

I came across this exercise benefits list today, and as I’ve been meaning to compile one, I thought I’d post it up.

I’ll add to it as I come across other benefits. It’s a great motivator — to just read the list and see all those benefits for your time and effort…

The biggest one isn’t there so I’ll mention it now — feeling good :-) Continue reading “Exercise benefits list” →