What's all this happy stuff about?
Happiness is a broad term that means different things to different people, but we know that most people seek to be happy. Whilst Happiness has many different definitions, it’s often described as involving positive emotions and being satisfied with your life as a whole – from experiencing enjoyment and getting a sense of satisfaction through to feeling that your life has meaning, purpose and value.
Research shows that a big part of how to be happy depends on your mindset, the habits you practice and the way you live each and every day. You can choose to be Happy.
True happiness is associated with a sense of fulfilment, plus a feeling of achievement that is attained through actively striving for, and making progress towards valuable goals.
Having friends and social relationships, especially sharing group exercise, has been shown to be a leading cause of happiness.
When we exercise, the body releases chemicals that boost your sense of well-being and suppress hormones that cause stress and anxiety.
Feeling and being well is a passion of ours, and this is why on this site you’ll find Coaching Classes across Strength, Conditioning, Mobility and Flexibility with a focus on body-weight techniques.
We know that being happy doesn’t just make us feel better, it improves our emotional and physical health. Besides feeling good, positive emotions do good things for our brains and bodies.
When people strive to be happy, it brings them so many benefits; by having a sense of meaning, purpose and fulfilment, happiness brings out the best in people.
To be truly happy, to have a sense of contentment with your life, this needs to come from within. In other words, true happiness is internal.
Two of our other favourite ‘Happy Practices’ are around the concept of GIVING (charity work) and CREATIVITY (making things for pleasure).
A sense of community is associated with life satisfaction, and often found when ‘giving’ to others; and the creative process is in itself, a source of joy for most people.
We’ve included them on this web site to provoke ideas should anyone want to dig deeper.
Whatever you choose for yourself, give to another. If you choose to be happy, cause another to be happy. If you choose to be prosperous, cause another to prosper. If you choose more love in your life, cause another to have more love in theirs.
Neale Donald Walsch
Salty Sea Panda Founder, Paula 'Panda' Lain, explains how this site came about...
I meet and share time with many different people, across all ages and all walks of life. The one question I regularly get asked is ‘why are you so happy’? (and sometimes ‘why are you so annoyingly happy ha ha!)
Of course I have moments where I feel different degrees of sadness; around the loss of dear people close to me, when events cause pain to others and feeling useless when I can’t help. And yes, I get grumpy too, usually when I am tired or hungry. But in the main, I am happy.
When I looked into this a little deeper, I started to appreciate that being in a loving relationship and with a supportive family of course contribute massively to my well being, but there are other factors that also play a big part to my general positive status.
What I’ve learnt is happiness is not just the result of positive outcomes; nor is it derived from pursuing pleasure (which can be momentary – like enjoying an experience or eating something delicious).
To be truly happy, to have a sense of contentment with your life, this needs to come from within. In other words, real happiness is internal.
I’ve learnt that it’s great to know what our core personal values are as these shape how we interact with the world around us. These are how we differentiate between ‘good’ and ‘bad in our community, culture or society i.e. ‘ideal’ standards such as dependability, self-respect, integrity etc.
Then by working towards goals which are reflected in one’s values, we can, to a certain extent, determine how happy we feel >>>
So for me, by trying to improve my body, helping other people where I can, and enjoying the process of design, I choose to wake each morning with my mind set to ‘happiness’.
There are many ways to create happy moments in life, but I wanted to specifically bring together my personal favourites – Moving, Giving & Creating.
This site is for anyone who wants to explore ideas around happiness and who might find the info around fitness, helping others and creativity useful as a catalyst to also feel happy. If that’s not you, then maybe share links with someone else (giving without even realising ha ha!)
Lastly why is this offering called ‘Salty Sea Panda’? Well, it’s a bit of fun combining my nickname and my love of the sea – oh and it’s that daft, you might just remember it and feel happy!
Paula Panda Lain x
Happiness comes in many forms...
Choose to Move
Exercise makes us happier by releasing endorphins, lowering stress levels and relieving anxieties...
Choose to Give
Giving makes us happier, especially
when we freely choose to give. By giving to others adds meaning & purpose to
our lives...
Science has confirmed that being kind to others can make us happier. There are many community based things we can do for and with other people; here at Salty Sea Panda we focus on 'local' with the RNLI, 'national' with The Princes Trust and 'overseas' with World Vision.
Choose to Create
Studies show that creating something can make you happier; enjoying someone else’s creation has the same effect...
When you use creativity as your focus, this elevates your mood, clarifies your ability to problem solve and increases open mindedness. Here at Salty Sea Panda we link creative expression and positivity through many outlets, in particular photography, illustration, sewing, building & restoration projects.
Charity 'Giving'
Relationships
Professional Qualifications
Being
Happy
Motivating
People
What does your Fitness Journey look like?
Whether you’re starting something new, re-kindling your love for exercise or already training, our sessions will support your goals.
We tailor our coaching to help Boxers, Fighters (MMA, Krav Maga, BJJ etc.), CrossFitters, Runners, Triathletes and more…
We can help combat posture and mobility issues for anyone who has to sit for hours in one position such as Pilots, Emergency Drivers, and let’s face it, any one with long hours at a desk job!
1-2-1 private lessons, on Zoom, face to face locally and as Groups.
Meet your Fitness Coaches
We’re here to help make your exercise fun, motivating, engaging and transformative. Our aim is to help people build confidence, feel empowered, be healthy and happy.
Panda Lain
Ian Lain
Things to read
Let's choose happiness
together.
What does your Fitness Journey look like?
Whether you’re starting something new, re-kindling your love for exercise or already training, our sessions will support your goals.
If you want to have a chat, please just drop us a line!