Meditate
Meditating is as good for your body as it is for your spirit. Doing it regularly will not only improve concentration and calm your mind, but research shows that it may also relieve tension headaches, make it easier to quit smoking, improve a heart condition, ease a high-cholesterol problem, relieve depression, and help reduce fibromyalgia and chronic pain.
Try it: "As little as five minutes a day of meditation can help," says David Rakel, M.D., director of the University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine Program, in Madison, WI. "Just focus on your breath, a word or a prayer. Start simple and small, and use the breathing to guide you."
Get Happy
Positive psychology in a nutshell, the study of happiness has found that the more joy you feel, the healthier you're likely to be. "Positive emotions make us feel lighter, happier and more at ease," says Dr.Rakel. It's hard to say, though, which comes first if being happy improves health or if wellness makes it easier to feel joy. In 2008, the Mayo Clinic reported that "people in excellent health are almost twice as likely to be happier than those in merely good health."
Try it:Volunteering may increase your happiness and health, explains "mindfulness" expert Saki Santorelli, Ed.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. "There's a sense of giving back or helping out, and the mood is elevated. That happiness, inspiration or feeling of connectedness seems to improve health."
To Be Continued ....
