The Happiness Workshop.

You may think that happiness is all about what you think and feel. Not so. Recent research suggests that your physical state dramatically influences your mental state. Your body will make you feel miserable if you don't treat it well. Follow a healthy lifestyle and your brain and body will support you in being happy. If you want to be happy:

1. Choose happy nutrients

Dietary research now suggests that there are specific foods that help boost the feel-good brain chemicals serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. So it's worth increasing your intake of these foods. Choose foods rich in refined carbohydrate, such as cereals, pasta, rice and starchy vegetables, and rich in amino acids, such as chicken, fish, beef, nuts and pulses. If you constantly feel unhappy, it may be worth taking a food intolerance test to check for substances that trigger bad moods.

2. Take exercise

It's been shown that movement boosts mood by releasing those same feel-good brain chemicals. If you don't already take regular exercise, start now. Try to do at least 20 minutes, three times a week. Don't panic - you needn't put yourself through agony. If you don't fancy competitive sport, try dance or swimming. If you're pressed for time try to walk to work.

3. Don't overachieve

Don't be temped to eat nothing and spend hours in the gym in your quest for a healthy body. Studies suggest that dieting and over-exercise will not only harm you physically, they can also lead to psychological disorders such as depression. It's far better to learn to trust your inner signals in order to get a healthy and happy body.

What is the stress factor??

Life is busy. Stress is your body's way of signalling there's something wrong and can lead to a range of physical ailments and mental symptoms. For true contentment, you need to reduce the stress in your life. Improve happiness and curb stress levels by: 

Learning how to say no. Modern life is very demanding and you may feel discontented because you are overachieving. Keep a commitment diary for a week and see exactly what you are asking of yourself. Then be brutal. Cut out what you don't have to do. Renegotiate with partners or colleagues to decrease your workload. Stop feeling guilty and take more time out.

Stretch. Stress studies show that people sometimes get tense not because they're doing too much, but because they're not doing enough. So if you feel you are underachieving - or turning into a couch potato - get moving. Ask for more responsibility at work. Take up a new hobby. Set yourself a challenge for the coming year. If you're fulfilling your potential, you'll feel more content.