Did you know that a sense of purpose has a greater impact on your health and well being than setting a plan does !
For example, aiming to stay healthy and well in order to be able to care for family, continue working, be disease free (in my case, my purpose is continue being able to dance, be fit and continue to my train my clients and teach my classes. I want to enjoy my dogs and garden fully, travel and serve others).
A plan usually involves an end goal rather than ongoing goals eg. run at a 10k event, fit in to a wedding outfit, lose baby weight etc. ie. once the goal is achieved, efforts stop and a less healthy life style returns.
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honourable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well”, proposing that a purposeful and meaningful life yields true happiness.
Albert Einstein famously stated, “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things”, suggesting that purpose is essential for enduring happiness.
Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher taught that human flourishing and happiness (eudaimonia) are achieved by living in accordance with reason and fulfilling one’s ultimate purpose.
I think those chaps were on to something!!
It’s true, science proves that a strong sense of purpose significantly enhances health, fitness, and well-being. Studies show it reduces the risk of mortality by up to 46% and lowers the incidence of chronic diseases too.
Individuals with clear life goals engage in better health behaviours, exhibit improved fitness adherence, and experience greater daily psychological happiness.
Research highlights three major areas where purpose positively impacts your life:
- Physical Health and Longevity
- Lower Mortality Risk: An analysis of studies involving over 136,000 participants revealed that finding meaning in life heavily reduces all-cause mortality and lowers the risk of cardiovascular events.
- Disease Prevention: High emotional vitality and psychological purpose offset disease onset, offering notable benefits for cardiometabolic health and reducing stroke or diabetes risks.
- Immune Function: Purpose is linked to lower levels of biological markers associated with systemic inflammation, improving your body’s ability to heal and fight off disease.
- Physical Fitness and Health Behaviours
- Consistent Exercise: People with a strong sense of purpose are far more likely to adhere to regular physical activity and meet weekly exercise guidelines.
- Better Health Choices: Purpose acts as a foundation for daily habits. Adults with well-defined goals ( often linked to over all purpose) are more likely to eat nutrient-rich diets, maintain healthy body weights, and achieve better sleep quality.
- Self-Regulation: Setting distal (distant) and proximal (close) goals helps individuals resist short-term temptations, making consistent, proactive lifestyle choices much easier.
Mental Well-Being and Psychological Resilience
- Lower Depression and Anxiety: Over a 4-year follow-up, studies on adults aged 50 and older demonstrated that higher purpose yields a 43% reduced risk of clinical depression.
- Stress Buffering: Having meaningful goals changes how your brain processes stressors, helping you actively cope with everyday setbacks without causing long-term psychological wear and tear.
- Higher Life Satisfaction: Purpose drives daily positive emotional events, fostering a sense of accomplishment and improved self-worth.
Incredibly, a sense of purpose has been linked with a decline in both incidence of Alzheimer’s and the improved and slower decline of cognitive function and performance of individuals who have the disease!
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Studies are listed here…
- Physical Health, Cardiovascular Risk, and Mortality
- The Cohen Meta-Analysis (2016): Published in Psychosomatic Medicine, Cohen et al. pooled data from 10 prospective studies involving over 136,000 participants. They found that individuals with a high sense of purpose had a 23% reduced risk of all-cause mortality and a 19% reduced risk of cardiovascular events, comparable to the medical impact of standard statin therapy.
- The Health and Retirement Study (2019): Published in JAMA Network Open, Alimujiang et al. evaluated nearly 7,000 older adults. They concluded that individuals with the lowest sense of purpose were more than twice as likely to die during the follow-up period compared to those with the highest sense of purpose.
- The Ohara Study (2016): A massive Japanese longitudinal cohort study following over 40,000 adults found that those lacking ikigai (a sense of life worth living/purpose) had a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular mortality, specifically stroke.
- Fitness Adherence and Health Behaviors
- The Midlife in the U.S. (MIDUS) Study: Published via NCBI, this research established that individuals with a higher sense of purpose reported fewer barriers to exercise, higher baseline physical activity, and increased motivation to maintain daily fitness regimes.
- Longitudinal Behavior Change Study (2021): Published in Population Health Management, Kim et al. tracked adults over an 8-year span. They proved that a positive increase in life purpose directly correlates with a higher likelihood of meeting regular physical activity guidelines, getting better sleep, and utilising proactive preventive health screenings.
- The Falls Risk Meta-Analysis (2024): A collaborative study spanning four longitudinal databases with over 25,000 older adults found that higher purpose predicts a 10 lower risk of physical falls over a 16-year period, serving as a marker for better long-term physical mobility and functional fitness.
- Psychological Well-Being and Mental Health
- The 99-Sample Meta-Analysis (2023): A major study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology analysed data from 66,468 individuals. It confirmed that a greater sense of purpose in life features a strong inverse correlation with mental illness, displaying a heavy protective effect against clinical depression ( r = -0.49) and anxiety ( r = -0.39)
- Coordinated Individual-Participant Meta-Analysis (2024): Looking at 16 independent samples, Sutin et al. demonstrated that a sense of purpose acts as a universal psychological buffer, consistently reducing subjective stress levels across all demographics regardless of age, sex, race, or socio-economic standing.
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Dr Howard Luks MD states in his recent article (I recommend you follow him on social media)
‘What the research shows, and what I see clinically, is that people who have something pulling them forward, age differently than those who do not. And the difference is not small.’
The week to come…
Chick Pea and Cranberry Salad
(4 U Food)
I love chick peas and salad and cannot wait to try this!
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ¾ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 4 cups mixed greens or baby spinach
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 apple, chopped
- ¼ cup crumbled cheese eg feta chedder, hallumi
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
For the Orange Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Drain and rinse the chickpeas thoroughly under cold water. Pat them dry with a clean paper towels. Removing excess moisture helps the salad absorb the dressing better and improves texture.
Place the chopped walnuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Toast for 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently until fragrant and lightly golden. Be careful not to burn them. Remove from heat and allow them to cool slightly.
In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the orange juice, orange zest, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper.
Continue whisking until the dressing becomes smooth and emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. For extra sweetness, add a little more honey or maple syrup.
In a large salad bowl, combine the chickpeas, dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, mixed greens, red onion, celery, apple, feta cheese, and parsley.
Pour the orange vinaigrette over the salad and gently toss until all ingredients are evenly coated. Leave for 30 mins before serving
Yummy!
Remember your purpose, maintain your health, fitness and wellbeing so that you can fulfil it!
I can help both at classes and one to one.
All you need to do is show up!
Have a fab week,
Helen x
DYBO Live & Online – This week’s Classes are as follows:.
At All Hallows, Farnham & DYBO Studio, Church Crookham (Book in Advance only): Zoom class details further down the page.
Monday (AH)
6.30pm: Boogie Fit
7.30pm: Total Tone – with bands, handweights and mat.
Tuesday (AH)
6.30pm: 5 in 1 Fitness – with bands, hand-weights and mat. Plus Ketttle bells if you have one
7.30pm: Dance Fit & Fab
Wednesday (DYBO Studio)
6.30pm: Old Skool Step – Step, hand weights and band.
7.30pm: Barre Fit – something to assist balance like a barre, ) supplied if you attend in studio) eg. chair, worktop, mantlepiece etc.
Thursday (AH)
6.15pm: Contemporary Stretch – various equipment used at each class, contact me for info.
7.30pm: Dancespiration
Friday (DYBO Studio)
6.30pm: Friday Fitness Yoga Express
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Joining us at All Hallows or The DYBO Church Crookham Studio? – Protocols and Information
I’m so happy to be able to run Face to Face classes at All Hallows and at the DYBO Studio in Church Crookham. My primary objective is to ensure that we all have a wonderful time with effective and fun classes that are engaging, relaxed and of course, safe.
Preparation
1) Firstly ensure that you have booked by sending us an email info@dybo.co.uk confirming all the classes you wish to attend plus your payment method, be it as a member, using your voucher, or pay as you go. No on the door bookings or payments can be taken. Bookings are not refundable or transferable. I will keep records of all attending, please also keep a record of your own attendance too.
2) Preparing your kit bag/box. This depends upon the class you are attending.
Boogie Fit, Dance Fit and Dancespiration crew will only require your indoor trainers/dance shoes to change in to, sweat towel, and drink.
Total Tone and 5 in 1 crew – in order to prevent cross contamination currently I am not sharing equipment in a group exercise setting so you will need your mat, a resistance band and light hand weights/equivalent in addition to your trainers, sweat towel and drink.
Contemporary Stretch crew need a mat, band, chi ball and on the last Thursday of the Month you will need 2 x tennis balls and a sock for our Trigger Point and Myofascial release class !
3) Re borrowing equipment – if you would like to try a class or have forgotten equipment then you may borrow equipment on that occasion and please ensure that you sanitise it before and afterwards (sanitising products supplied). I can assist you with sourcing your own equipment inexpensively, moving forward.
On the night
*When you arrive at All Hallows, enter the school via the gates to the left as you face the school and follow the road around the school buildings.
*Please park in the playing courts and walk between the old school building and new sports hall, up a few steps on to the outside seating area, the studio door is to your right.
*Participants are required to arrive 5-10 mins before the class.
*Please change into your clean trainers for indoor activity as you enter, ie. slip off your outdoor shoes, place in your bag, or leave at the door , and change into your indoor trainers . This is to maintain the hygiene and cleanliness of the space, avoiding stones and glass being walked in and potentially causing injury and to protect the lovely new wood floor.
*The toilets are open to use but please arrive changed, ready for activity so as to keep use time minimal and avoiding queues.
*After a wonderful class change from your indoor trainers to outdoor shoes and sanitise your hands again if you wish.
*Please tell friends and family about our wonderful classes!
When joining me at the DYBO Studio (No.42, GU52 0YA) I will send information directly, including entrance code for the Studio and please note, advanced booking is required.
Fees, you have THREE options!
Please note that all Classes must be booked and paid for in advance and are non transferable or refundable.
Online payments only.
50 min Class – £9.00, 60/65 min Class – £9.50
10 Class Voucher: £85 (to be used within 12 weeks of purchase).
Membership: £59, unlimited classes, plus a bonus of free access to all class recordings on our DYBO TV channel, and another bonus of a £5 discount for one to one services for current membership holders.
To be paid by the 1st day of the month (at the latest) and is valid from the first to last day of calendar month.
One full month’s notice of membership suspension/cancellation is required with one membership restart permitted within a 12 month period.
Bank details are UK Fitness Academy Ltd.
Sort Code 09-01-28, Acc No. 04284324
Please email me when you have made a payment and use your name and what it’s for as a reference. eg. Jane Smith Class Voucher
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Joining us on Zoom? – Links and Information
Monday
6.30pm: Boogie Fit
7.30pm: Total Tone
Tuesday
6.30pm 5 in 1 Fitness Class
7.30pm Dance Fit & Fab
Wednesday
6.30pm Old Skool, Step & Strength – Step, hand weights and band.
7.15pm Barre Fit – Something to assist balance like a barre, eg. chair, worktop, mantlepiece etc.
Thursday
6.15pm Contemporary Stretch
7.30pm Dancespiration
Friday
6.30pm Friday Fitness Yoga Express
****** All the above classes change and vary weekly! *****
How to prepare your Zoom environment
- You need space to move 2 side steps, 4 walks forward, 4 backward. Move trip hazards and furniture as much as you can (get help, be careful!) to give you maximum space for upper and lower body movement. Roll up rugs or secure them so they don’t slip or cause you to trip.
- Plugging your device in to your TV with an HDMI cable is brilliant as it gives you a good picture of you (like a mirror) and me – as well as boosting the sound if you go through the TV/Hi-Fi sound system. If you can place your device under the TV, then even better.
- I know some of you are using your phones – try to plug in to a speaker system (even those little speakers we have when we go on holiday would help) so that you can hear better as you move back from the phone. Angie has tried Bluetooth earphones and it worked well.
- Ensure you have maximum access to your Wi-Fi in the house and as close to the router as is feasible. Take phones off the Wi-Fi system and pop them on to your 4/5G network or place on airplane mode, unless that’s what you are using to join us, obviously. Ask family to do the same for the duration of your class – keep them off the internet whilst you need the bandwidth. The more bandwidth you have, the better the picture and sound and the less likely you are to lose the feed. Your health is a priority at this time and I’m sure they can do something else for that short time!
- Ventilate your exercise space, have plenty of water and towels to hand, keep your exercise equipment close – if you need anything, let me know.
- Wear correct footwear for your activity – putting an old pair of socks over the toes and ball of your trainers will help reduce friction when exercising on carpet (if they are a really old pair, cutting the toes open and then just having them over the ball of the foot is even better). It’s up to you if you want to dance or train in bare feet but be careful if you don’t usually do this as it takes time for the muscles and connective tissue of the feet and rest of the body to adapt to barefoot training.
- Make your own gym equipment. Save laundry liquid or milk bottles – you can fill them with water or wet sand/rice etc. to add weight and make a dumbell/kettlebell. I recommend you make a few in differing weights and you have written on them so you know what they weigh and seal the caps with tape to prevent leakage. Get a heavy duty shopping bag and put weighty items in it, check they can’t fall out and you have a kettlebell alternative. Make your own hurdles, put cushions, pillows, boxes, books on the floor to jump over. Use household items as floor markers for circuit activities. The stairs and outdoor steps are great temporary steps/benches for cardio and upper body work. The garden is a great open space to make an assault course or if you can get a signal, take your class or PT session outside, but do make it safe.
Disclaimer
I declare that all of the information I have given (both written and verbal) is accurate and truthful. I know of no reason why I cannot participate fully in any exercise programme and I do not deem it necessary to consult my medical Practitioner/GP/specialist. I undertake to inform my instructor should any information change.
I understand that I participate at my own risk and that any information given is not intended to replace or represent medical advice. I agree to comply with all terms conditions and class protocols and instructions as outlined above and whilst attending DYBO classes/training.
Do not attend classes if experiencing symptoms of Covid 19, Flu or airborne transmissible infection or have tested positive.
