International Day of Happiness 2020
Today, Friday the 20thof March, is International Day of Happiness, where people come together with a united goal to improve human happiness and overall quality of life. International Happiness Day was introduced by the United Nations in 2013 and this year’s theme is Happier Together, with a special focus on what we have in common rather than what divides us. This is of no greater relevance than right now as we face up to the new reality of COVID-19, demonstrating strength and unity to protect the more vulnerable amongst us and the NHS we all hold so dear.
Regardless of the timely context, this is a theme which all of us at KiActiv® are firmly behind, and we believe that understanding what makes us feel empowered and happy within ourselves is a really positive step towards improving people’s general health & wellbeing on a widescale. Positive feelings of happiness are vital to both our physical and mental wellbeing and finding what makes us happy is extremely personal to the individual.
Physical activity plays a key role in the prevention and treatment of many health-related conditions and has long been referred to as a ‘miracle cure.’ There is a growing pool of evidence highlighting the positive impact of physical activity on improving people’s mental health & wellbeing, which in turn can lead to mood and quality of life improvements.
A review of the available literature looked into the effects of physical activity on improving mood, self-esteem, and cognitive function, as well as the impact it could have in reducing anxiety and depression. The collective results were astonishing and highlighted the true power of physical activity in improving individual’s health outcomes both physically and mentally.
Individuals who participated in as little as 20 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each day were shown to significantly improve:
- Mood
- Cognitive function
- Self-esteem
In addition to this, physical activity can reduce both anxiety and depression, showing the huge impact which staying active can have – regardless of your age or mobility.
The positive effect of physical activity in improving our general health and wellbeing and making us happier within ourselves echoes the core values here at KiActiv®.Every movement you make matters and through approaching physical activity with a multidimensional view, the opportunities to stay active are endless.
It’s likely there are already activities in your day which provide a good source of movement. This could be anything from housework to washing the car or even going for a walk – ultimately the greatest benefit will come from activities you do regularly, so it’s important to do the things you enjoy.
