Jan. 11, 2026

Happiness Comes Before Your Health Plan

This episode of Uncle Marv’s Unhealthy Podcast flips the script on health by starting with mindset and happiness instead of crash diets or extreme workouts. You’ll learn seven science-backed happiness habits, including investing in relationships, practicing gratitude and kindness, moving your body, savoring good moments, and living in line with your values.

Show Notes

Marv lays the foundation for the show’s focus this year. Instead of starting with diets, gym memberships, or sugar detoxes, he kicks things off with mindset and happiness, drawing from a research-based article on the seven secrets to happiness.

You’ll hear how tiny, everyday choices—checking in with a friend, taking a short walk outside, pausing to enjoy a quiet meal, or volunteering in a way that matters to you—slowly “upgrade” your happiness sources. The episode wraps with a powerful reminder: if your life feels miserable, your health plan doesn’t stand a chance, so your job is to find one way to be happy on purpose and let your health grow from there.

=== Takeaways

Hear why happiness should come before diets, macros, or gym memberships.
Understand the difference between pleasure and purpose, and why purpose drives long-term well-being.
Learn seven research-backed happiness habits, from relationships to mindfulness.
Discover how small interactions beat doom scrolling for your mood and stress levels.
Get simple, low-cost experiments you can try this week to feel better.
See how movement in short bursts can shift your brain chemistry without living at the gym.
Learn how savoring tiny good moments retrains your brain to notice what’s working.
Hear practical examples of aligning your life with your values—service, growth, creativity, and more.
Understand how basic mindfulness and loving-kindness practices reduce stress and build resilience.
Walk away with a clear, realistic way to “be happy on purpose” in everyday life.

=== Mentioned entities with URLs

Article – “Seven Secrets to Happiness Based on Scientific Research”: https://linkly.link/2X4Bh
14,000 Things to Be Happy About (Book): https://amzn.to/4qzIFOJ

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