I recently read an article that I found very enlightening called “Pleasure vs. Happiness” by Sam Yang. Many people mistake these two things to be one and the same. Although they often overlap, pleasure and happiness are two very different things. Many unpleasurable things can create happiness while many pleasurable things can interfere with happiness. Some simple examples of unpleasurable things that in the end make you happy can be things like school or your job. You may not enjoy these thing all of the time but you’re ultimately happier because of them. An example of something that you may take pleasure in but interferes with your happiness could be some sort of addiction. This comparison of pleasure and happiness fits well in all aspects of life, especially in the topics of nutrition, fitness, and health.
Let’s take nutrition. Many people eat lots of unhealthy food because they take pleasure in it or it comforts them. Unfortunately these unhealthy foods cause us to create an unhealthy mind and body. Research has shown that an unhealthy diet has a direct correlation with negative mood and behavior. Additionally, an unhealthy diet will harm your physical body and decrease your longevity. So although these foods can create temporary pleasure and comfort, they may ultimately interfere with your happiness.
Now let’s look at fitness. Not even I, someone who loves fitness and exercise, takes pleasure in every workout, but we have to look at this like the other major aspects of our lives such as work or school. I may not always enjoy going to school but it will make me happier in the future knowing that I have gone through it. By exercising we create a happier and healthy future for ourselves. Research has shown that the benefits of exercise are great. Including creating healthier bones, joints, hearts, and minds. Exercise can even be a remedy for things like depression. These are simply the long term benefits, I can’t tell you how often I hear clients say that they didn’t have a good day and didn’t feel like coming in for their workout, but once they completed their workout they felt better about the day because of it. By spending a couple hours a week doing something that may not be pleasurable in the moment we can insure a lifetime of happiness.
I know this is harder said that done, but try to do things in your life that will make you happy rather than just give you short term pleasure. As I said earlier, this is not to say that there aren’t things that give you both of these at the same time. I am just saying to focus on what makes you happy. Not only in the topics I’ve talked about, but it all aspects of life. If you can accomplish this, I promise that you will live a longer and happier life!
If you need help making the sometimes (ok maybe all the time) unpleasurable part of health and wellness happen, such as consistently working out each week or making good pleasurable food choices, please reach out! We can help make what may seem unpleasurable now become pleasurable! We guarantee you will see awesome results of ENERGY, weight loss and you will feel good in your clothes! We are here for you and just request a Free Consultation. We will give you a call and see if we are a good fit for you personally!
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