Whether you prefer a rumba beat or two-step tune, dancing makes for a great heart-healthy workout. Like other forms of aerobic exercise, it raises your heart rate and gets your lungs pumping. It also burns up to 200 calories or more per hour, reports the Mayo Clinic.
Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:
- Increased life span
- Lower rates of depression
- Lower levels of distress
- Greater resistance to the common cold
- Better psychological and physical well-being
- Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
- Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress
It’s unclear why people who engage in positive thinking experience these health benefits. One theory is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful health effects of stress on your body. It’s also thought that positive and optimistic people tend to live healthier lifestyles — they get more physical activity, follow a healthier diet, and don’t smoke or drink alcohol in excess.
Source: Mayo Clinic
No Cost Prescription: Smile & Cheery OutlookÂ
Do you have a rosy outlook and see the glass as half-full rather than half-empty? If so, your good attitude may have even more benefits than you think. A growing number of scientific studies suggest optimistic people tend to live longer and have better physical and mental health than pessimistic people. . . . Having a positive attitude can boost your physical health, no matter what might be ailing you.Â
Tips for Changing from a pessimistic mindset to an optimistic:
Think positive thoughts about yourself and others.
Don’t compare yourself to others in a competitive way.Â
Find the good in every situation, even at difficult moments.
Focus on achieving a positive outcome in all circumstances.
Strive to improve your physical health through exercise, a healthy diet, and good sleeping habits and hygiene.Â
Challenge your mind every day by learning something new.
Look for the silver lining…
Buddy DeSylva’s upbeat lyrics to Jerome Kern’s lovely tune provide an appealing call to a positive outlook on life, even in the face of adversity. Indeed, a cheerful disposition can help you get through the tough patches that cloud every life, but do people who see the glass half-full also enjoy better health than gloomy types who see it half-empty?
According to a series of studies from the U.S. and Europe, the answer is yes. Optimism helps people cope with disease and recover from surgery. Even more impressive is the impact of a positive outlook on overall health and longevity. Research tells us that an optimistic outlook early in life can predict better health and a lower rate of death during follow-up periods of 15 to 40 years.
Source: Harvard Health Publishing
Groceries & COVID-19
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t recommend disinfecting grocery items, since there’s currently no evidence of human or animal food or food packaging associated with transmission of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. If you’re concerned, put away your groceries, wash your hands thoroughly and wait a few hours to use anything you purchased. “By then, any virus lingering on a container will be significantly reduced. If you want to use something immediately, you can wipe the package down with an alcohol-based disinfectant. . . .  Rinse fresh produce before putting them away. They don’t need to be disinfected and should be washed simply with water, not soap and water.Â
 Drink water
There are three main ways for toxins to leave your body: through urine, poop, and sweat. Drinking lots of water helps them on their way (and if you didn’t pick up on it yet, plants and moving daily will too). In addition having a hydrated body is a happy body, so fill up that water glass and throw away the soda.
Pay Attention to the Essentials
Imagine you actually have the virus and change your behavior so that you won’t transmit it to your friends and neighbors. This means taking hand-washing, social distancing, and sanitizing surfaces, doorknobs, and taps very seriously. No more partying. Here’s how to wash your hands the way a cardiac surgeon does. Here’s another. Watch it. Learn. It feels good because it’s a hand massage. Become a Super-Preventer. Question, and learn. What does and doesn’t work? If you can sew, you make face masks.  Soap is preferable to bleach. Losing your sense of smell and taste may be an early symptom. How long can the virus live on surfaces? What does two metres social distance look like? See here.
Source: BlueZones
Amanda J. Deering, an assistant professor and expert on fresh produce food safety with the Department of Food Science at Purdue University, told TODAY that the produce section at most grocery stores is a high-touch area, so the virus could potentially be transmitted if one were to pick up a piece of fruit (which had been previously touched by someone who had coronavirus) and then consume that piece of fruit without washing it.
However, while Schaffner said produce is just as safe now as it was before the pandemic, he explained that proper washing is even more important today. If the item has a tough skin, like a cantaloupe, it can be scrubbed with a brush, too. He does not see any harm in eating raw fruits or vegetables, as long as they have been washed well.
Source: MayoClinic
1. Use guided meditation. Guided meditation is a great way to distract yourself from the stress of day-to-day life. There are many guided meditations available on the internet that can help you find 5 minutes of centered relaxation.
2. Practice deep breathing. Deep breathing is a great way to reduce the activation of your sympathetic nervous system, which controls the body’s response to a perceived threat. Deep breaths taken in to a count of five seconds, held for two seconds and released to a count of five seconds, can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which helps reduce the overall stress and anxiety you may be experiencing.
3. Maintain physical exercise and good nutrition. Physical exercise and nutrition are two important components in how you respond to stress. Physical exercise is proven to be a great stress reliever and also helps to improve your overall quality of life. Nutrition is important as stress can deplete certain vitamins, such as A, B complex, C and E.Â
4. Manage social media time. Spending time on social media sites can become stressful, not only by what we might see on them, but also because the time you are spending on social media might be best spent enjoying visiting with friends, being outside enjoying the weather or reading a great book.
5. Connect with others. Humans are social beings. You need to have connections with people to feel supported. Finding a sense of community . . . is important to your well-being. Enjoying a shared activity allows you to find support and foster relationships that can be supportive in difficult times.
