Happy Monday!

As we continue talking about giving thanks for the week of Thanksgiving, today is day 16: learn about gratitude.  The inspiration for this post comes from the book I am currently reading: Authentic Happiness by Martin E.P. Seligman.

Here we go!

In this book, Seligman distinguishes between happiness in the past, present, and future.  When discussing happiness in the present, he related it to two things: pleasures and gratifications.

Pleasures

Basically, pleasures are “immediate, come through the senses, and are momentary”.  I relate these to ‘quick fixes’ for happiness.  We easily adapt to them and require higher doses to get the same ‘fix’.  Seligman also shares that they have a sudden end.  Once the stimulus is gone, so is the pleasure.  He does list some suggestions for increasing these pleasures in a healthy way.

1. Spread them out over time to avoid habituation.
2. Savoring: “the awareness of pleasure and of the deliberate conscious attention to the experience of pleasure”
3. Mindful attention to the present.

Gratifications

These are the ‘bigger’ meanings in life which require total immersion.  Seligman says the “gratifications are about enacting personal strengths and virtues”.  This relates to the idea of flow: when you are doing something where time seems to stop.  These gratifications lead to psychological growth.  They are harder to cultivate than simple pleasures, but lead to more lasting happiness.  He sums it up in the following quote:

“Habitually choosing the easy pleasures over the gratifications may have untoward consequences”

Pursuing gratifications requires the use of our strengths and allows them to grow and develop to their full potential.  This is what helps contribute to our overall happiness in the present moment.

Now it’s time to work out!

You thought I forgot didn’t you? Today is lower body strength day! We are going to go back to our first lower body workout from day 2.

Format

Perform 8-12 reps of each exercise.  Repeat each exercise 2-3 times!  Feel free to add weight as desired.  Each exercise is linked to a YouTube video for reference

The Workout

1. Air squat
2. Alternating reverse lunges
3. Standing hip abduction
4. Glute Bridge
5. Standing hamstring curl
6. Squat pulses
7. Side lunges
8. Sumo squat with heel raise
9. Clamshells
10. Seated Quad Lift

Take time to stretch after and drink plenty of water!

And that’s all for day 16: learn about gratitude.