20 ways to get healthier, calmer, stronger & happier

Shape, Sept, 2004 by Tricia O'Brien

One piece of advice experts love to give to anyone contemplating a major life change is: "Take baby steps." They know that trying to improve your life in one go makes it difficult to succeed--and any minor slip-up, be it a decadent dessert, a week of skipping the gym or a friend's forgotten birthday, can send you into a spiral of self-flagellation. By focusing instead on meeting one simple goal at a time, you might find that you've dropped a size, deepened your relationships, improved your 5k time--or that you simply smile more often.

Organize a soup exchange. Get together with a group of friends and swap your favorite winter warmers. "Soup is simple to prepare and can easily metamorphose--just serve it over brown rice on another day," says Lori Reamer, director of nutrition at Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires Health Resort in Lenox, Mass. What's more, soup's flavors often improve over a couple of days, so when you reheat the leftovers, your concoction may taste even more delicious.

Follow the two-bite principle, suggests Linda Spangle, M.A., R.N., author of Life is Hard, Food is Easy (LifeLine Press, 2003). "Have two bites of anything you want [that's unhealthful] and then pass on it." Those first nibbles have the most flavor and give you the most pleasure--and you'll often find they're enough to satisfy a craving.

Breathe right. Take five minutes to energize yourself with this simple aromatherapeutic breathing technique from Maria and Kent Burden, co-authors of Yin Yang Fitness: The Whole Package of Health (Amberwood Press, 2003): Hold your favorite tea bag (dry, not brewed) near your nose (try autumnal flavors like cinnamon, apple spice, ginger or a peppermint blend), then inhale through your nose for a count of four, holding your breath for a count of eight, and finally exhaling for a count of four. Repeat 10 times. You'll feel instantly more revved.

Visualize success, advises John R. Martinez, M.P.T., vice president of physical therapy for Plus One Physical Therapy in New York City. Before, say, giving a presentation, take three minutes to visualize things turning out wonderfully. "A calm feeling will come over you that prepares you and sets your body in the right tone," Martinez explains.

Rearrange your desk -- it will save time and will establish a visual path for the workflow through your office, says Julie Morgenstern, a professional organizer and author of Making Work Work: New Strategies for Surviving and Thriving at the Office (Simon & Schuster, 2004). Create three areas: "In," "In Process" and "Out." The In area should be at the corner of your desk closest to the door and should contain only things that are brand-new. Once you've started work on something, it goes into the In Process area (the largest in the system), which should be within arm's reach. The farthest end of your desk is the Out area; this includes letters and packages to mail or interoffice. Taking just half an hour to create this simple system will help you stay calm and in control, Morgenstern says.

Admit when you don't know. We're constantly pressured to have answers to and opinions about everything, says Mike George, author of 1,001 Ways to Relax (Chronicle Books, 2003). Such pressure can make us painfully conscious of the gaps in our knowledge. Accept your blind spots, and realize that knowledge is not the most important thing--wisdom is, and often this is best gained by asking questions, listening and engaging others.

Choose creative calcium sources. An 8-ounce serving of fortified soy milk, 16 ounces of fortified orange juice and one Luna bar give you close to the 1,000 milligrams of bone-building calcium recommended daily. The mineral also eases PMS symptoms and improves sleep, says Carol L. Otis, M.D., a Portland, Ore.-based sports-medicine doctor and co-author of The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide (Human Kinetics, 2000).

Declare an e-mail-free zone for an hour, Morgenstern suggests. "For many businesspeople, e-mail has become a terrible addiction that interrupts their thinking and their ability to concentrate," she says. "If you instead spend the first hour of your day doing your most critical task, you will feel a sense of accomplishment."

Know your breasts. When doing a breast self-exam, says Ellen Mahoney, M.D., a breast surgeon in Arcata, Calif., and a member of LLuminari, a network of health and wellness professionals, "I ask women to imagine what the lump would look like if the skin weren't in the way--butter, gravel, Bubble Wrap? If the breasts feel the same all over, it's just the way they're made. The only area to be concerned about is the one [area or lump] that's different from the rest." But even if you feel something odd, don't panic. Watch it and if it doesn't go away after two menstrual cycles, see your doctor for a physical exam and ask about a mammogram or ultrasound. Don't let it go if your physician dismisses your concern, either; you're the world's best expert when it comes to your breasts, stresses Mahoney.

Select a stretch of the day. Write the stretch on a Post-it note that you place on your keyboard; then do the stretch for 20-30 seconds (no bouncing) every time you think of it (aim for two or three times a day), says physical therapist Martinez. Stretch these five areas to get you through your first workweek: wrists, neck, shoulders, calves, back.