Four Free Ways to Improve Your Health
Yes, the headline we just wrote for this post sounds a little like those cheesy “one simple rule” online ads. But that’s our headline and we’re sticking to it.
Anyway: In her health column this week, the WSJ’s Melinda Beck lists 20 health-related things to be thankful for. Most are improvements in public health — rising life spans, decreasing malnourishment among the world’s children, that sort of thing.
But she also gives thanks that there are a few simple, free things that improve mental and physical health:
Getting adequate sleep can help you lose weight, fight infections, recall memories and think more clearly. Spending just 30 minutes a day in the sunlight to soak up vitamin D across a broad swath of the country can reduce your risk for a variety of cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and many other diseases. Volunteering to help others can lower your risk for depression and heart disease, raise your self-esteem and happiness and extend your life, according to numerous studies.
Not to be a nag, but we’d add one more: Get some exercise.
Photo: iStockphoto
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