Essentials of Health and Well Being

Well-being, which is another way of saying good health, can be enhanced in small, easy and pleasant ways. Well-being is a state of mind as well as body. Achieving it can be a simple, joyful experience. Try the following suggestions to enhance your health and well-being.

1.Take a walk

• One 40 minute walk can dramatically lower levels of tension and anxiety. If you're interested in losing weight or keeping weight off, try brisk walking. Studies have proven time and time again that walking is a safe, effective way to shed pounds. Walking is also easy on the joints, and whether you do it alone or with a friend, it's a great way to take a long, appreciative look at the world around you

2.Stretch

• Stretching feels so good! Stretching also keeps your body flexible so it will do what you want, when you want. Studies show us that regular stretching can also lead to weight loss! Here is how it works: When we stretch, we engage muscles that become more developed over time. Muscles take up less space in our bodies than fat, and they also burn a lot of calories to survive. So, stretching effectively turns our bodies into fat-burning machines. Stretching is also a stress reliever. A little stretching tidbit: Regular stretching can actually increase your height!

3.Drink a Glass of Water

• Water is free, it has no calories, it keeps your joints working smoothly and your intestines doing what they're supposed to do. Water also keeps you feeling full so you won't overeat. If you supply your body with fresh water continously, you can purge your system of impurities and keep your skin youthful. Water will even diminish or possibly eliminate monthly water retention. In addtion to all of this, when you're drinking enough water (about eight glasses a day), you will notice the return of real, appropriate thirst. In short, water is a good friend to make and keep.

4.Take a Nap

• Before there was electrical lighting, people actually slept on average, ten hours a night. These days we barely average seven hours and, as a result, we are a sleep-deprived nation. Sleep-deprived brains make mistakes. Studies show that if you shortchange your night's sleep by an hour and a half, you can lose as much as one third of your alertness the next day. And contrary to popular belief, lost sleep cannot be "made up for". A nap can improve your mood and your mental sharpness.

5.Take the Stairs

• Yes, you've heard this one before, but the advantages of regularly walking up several flights of stairs are considerable. Gluteus maximus and quadricep muscles can become noticeably toned in a matter of days. (Bigger muscles burn more calories). Eventually, heart and lungs strengthen and resting heart rate lowers. Don't be afraid to get a little bit tired! It goes away faster with every flight.

7.Jump in a Puddle

• Remember how much fun jumping used to be? It can still be just as much fun! Besides, you're a grown-up now; no one can tell you not to jump! Technically speaking, the hopping motion of jumping is good for your leg muscles, and that laughing motion is great exercise for your facial muscles. So jump in that puddle, get wet and get exhilarated.

8.Smile

• A smile can subtract years from your face and say more about you than hours of conversation. Smiling can also tone three groups of facial muscles, and firm, supple muscles make for a healthier complexion. Smiling can stimulate glands, hair follicles and blood, all of which nourish and revitalize your skin. And a smile is a wonderful thing to behold. Be generous with your smiles! Smiling is contagious, in an oh-so-healthy way; you'll do others a health favor!

9.Skip

• Skipping elevates your heart rate, gets your blood pumping and does wonders for your metabolism. Plus, it gets you where you're going faster. It has a magical way of putting smile on your face, too. Remember when you were a child and you skipped when you were feeling happy? That really doesn't change with age. In addtion, athletes often use skipping to boost muscle strength and endurance. If a 30 minute walk lowers tension and anxiety, just think what a 30 minute skip can do.

10.Do Nothing

• Just sit and be alone, in total quiet. Turn off the television and/or radio. Ignore the telephone. do not try to solve anything. Don't make plans for anything. Just let your mind go blank and your body go limp. Become reacquainted with that still, silent place that is your essence. Visit this remarkable place as often as you like. Stay as long as you can. Few activities are more refreshing.

11.Whistle

• Whistling can be good for your heart and lungs and it's also a great tension reliever. A little upbeat, pleasant, inspiring music via a whistle can lighten even the heaviest of moods, help lower your blood pressure and reduce the release of stress hormones. Whistling a familiar tune can take our mind off your troubles. And even the smallest shift toward positive thinking can change your body in powerful ways. Whistle while you work...and walk, play, bake, cook -- whenver!

12.Eat an Apple

• Just one apple gives you much more than a refreshing, crisp snack! Apples are an excellent source of carbohydrate energy, and they contain antioxidants that may help protect against cancer, heart disease and strokes. one medium apple gives you five grams of fiber in the form of pectin, a great cholesterol reducer. Eating one after a meal can eliminate 95 percent of the bacteria that causes tooth decay.

13.Write a Letter

• Share your thoughts and feelings with a friend, and you've forged an intimate connection to better health. The simple act of writing can be inspiring and uplifting, plus it helps you organize your thoughts, which leads to action. What better way to reconnect with someone you care about? So boost your spirits -- and give a loved one the joy of finding a hand written letter in the mailbox for a change.

14.Go Bowling

• Swing the bowling ball back, and you stretch your biceps and contract your triceps. Bend forward, knee almost to the ground, and let the bowling ball roll. Your heart rate will increase, your blood circulates faster and you just did a deep knee bend. Bowling is a fun way to get a little exercise...while enjoying the healthful benefits of laughter and good company.

15.Call Mom

• You'll feel great; she'll feel even better. Mom is probably still the one who knows you best and has the smartest advice for you. And in the cycle of life there will come a day when you want to call her and cannot. So look around -- do you see a telephone? You know what to do.

16.Ride a Bike

• Indoors on a stationary bike or outdoors, cycling can be one of the best aerobic exercises there is. A 30 minute ride helps condition heart muscle, lower blood pressure and boost levels of healthy HDL cholesterol. Make your outing fun by cycling with friends or picking a scenic spot. And don't forget to warm up and cool down by stretching, walking with your bike or pedaling slowly.

17.Giggle

• Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, those chemicals in the brain that induce feelings of euphoria. A good giggle can also suppress the production of corticol, a hormone released when you're under stress and one that can influence blood pressure, causing your body to retain salt. Laughter is legal, moral and non-fattening. Laughter, and better yet a good giggle, is also contagious, and engaging in laughter frequently will contribute to a happier world around you.

18.Breathe

• Fresh air can be one of the best health tonics available, plus it's free. Breathing revitalizes every part of your body. Breathe the right way -- inhaling and exhaling fully from your diaphragm -- and you'll send oxygen zipping through your bloodstream. And the relaxed, rhythmic sensations of correct breathing can reduce tension and anxiety.

19.Make Something

• Create, or draw a picture, redecorate a room, make a flower arrangement, write a poem, cook a meal, bake some cookies -- the genuine feeling of accomplishment you get from creating something can be a great secret of health and longevity. Plus the act of creation is inherently empowering. Transfer that take-charge feeling to other areas of your life and you've got a great recipe for success.

20.Be Happy for Others

• Sharing somebody else's success brings us back to a feeling of community, and celebrating as a community is one of life's finest pleasures. Take a moment to call and say congratulations, or "I'm so happy for you", and mean it! Jealousy should have no place in your life. Jealousy is a useless, destructive emotion with no positive outcome.

21.Eat Tomatoes

• Tomatoes have been linked to a 40 percent lower incidence of stomach, colon and bladder cancer. And tomato eaters often have higher blood levels of lycopene, an antioxidant that protects cells from damage. Although these red beauties are wonderful fresh off the vine, cooking tomatoes with fat, such as olive oil and cheese, seems to release lycopene in a form more easily absorbed by the body. And don't forget...the tomato is actually a fruit, not a vegetable!

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