365 Ways to Live Happy (9 page)

Good health requires good hygiene. Wash your hands with soap and water or use a hand sanitizer to prevent the spread of germs. It's particularly important to wash your hands before eating and preparing food and before and after inserting contact lenses into your eyes. Also, you should wash your hands after using the toilet, changing the baby's diaper, blowing your nose, handling garbage, touching any animal or animal waste, sneezing or coughing, or using any public restroom. Encourage your family to practice good hygiene along with you. You'll be happier if everyone stays healthy.

You consciously choose to eat healthier, avoid purchasing packaged foods, and buy organic whenever possible. Still, how can you be certain that your food hasn't been treated in some way with agents you want to avoid (such as those that may cause cancer). Try growing your own food. Plant a postage stamp-sized garden and do companion plantings, (that is, placing plants known to repel specific pests next to plants that attract those pests) to keep down the pest population. You don't need much space for a small kitchen garden, but if space is a major consideration, you can grow your veggies in pots and planters on the patio. Freshly picked tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables taste far superior and have greater nutritional value than their shipped and warehoused counterparts. You'll be happier eating organic food from your garden.

When you want a moment of pure pleasure, eat some dark chocolate. Not only does it make you feel good, it has specific health benefits. Dark chocolate is believed to lower high blood pressure, improve blood flow in arteries, and act as a powerful antioxidant. Dark chocolate may function somewhat like low-dose aspirin in reducing the blood's clotting ability, thereby reducing blood clots. Also, it has been shown to reduce the LDL or “bad” cholesterol oxidation. Finally, dark chocolate increases the brain's serotonin and endorphin levels, enhancing feelings of pleasure and happiness. A caveat, however, is that milk seems to block the antioxidant absorption benefit of dark chocolate, and you have to balance the chocolate's calories against the total calories you consume each day. Just nibbling a little can lift your spirits.

Put a water fountain in your home office, entry, or family room to influence the flow of positive energy throughout the house. Consider placing a found or oval fountain in the wealth corner of your home. Check a feng shui bagua chart for optimal placement. The bagua map can be found in nearly every book about feng shui or in Asian import stores. Let the gentle sound of flowing water remind you of the blessings of all kinds of abundance, wealth, and peace flowing into your life.

You know how stiff your body feels when you finally get up out of that chair after hours of crunching numbers, or going through the mail, or staring at the computer screen while trying to make sense of some business project. Think about it. A little ache or pain once in a while is one thing, but chronic daily abuse of your body is unhealthy. It takes only a few minutes to stretch. Some stretches can even be done sitting in a chair or standing in front of your desk. If you happen to have a yoga mat, take it with you on your break or lunch hour to a private, peaceful area in your workplace or outside in nature and do some stretches combined with breath work and meditation. You'll feel rejuvenated and centered and your body's flexibility will be restored.

Ever tire of sex the same way? Try some new positions. Experiment imaginatively before, during, and after sex. You can get in plenty of stretches and a decent cardio workout as well, not to mention all those pleasurable endorphins flowing. If you can't dream up any new ways to turn on, tantalize, and titillate your partner, consider the vast world of positions found in Tantric yoga practice. Read The Kama Sutra or just visit your local bookstore or
Amazon.com
for books that can provide insights. Put a little sizzle back into your relationship with some imaginative sex.

Check with your physician to ensure that you can safely start a fast. There are many types of fasts, from total abstinence of food to eating only certain types of food or juices. A fast can last for a few hours to a day or more. People who fast usually drink water or juice to keep their bodies properly hydrated. Because so many debilitating diseases are related to overconsumption of food and diets high in fat, sugar, and other less-than-nutritious ingredients, consider undertaking a fast for detoxification and rejuvenation. As you fast, your body uses its energy to cleanse itself. Many people believe that fasting can make you more energetic, enable you to think more clearly, and increase your sense of well-being and happiness.

Calm the mind by breathing deeply five times from your belly like you naturally did when you were a baby. Stop the mental thought chatter and just “be.” Experience the present moment as it eternally renews itself in infinite diversity. To be mindful is to have an awareness of the moment without thinking or talking about it. By slowing the breath and thought, you experience tranquility and happiness.

Happiness is closely linked to good health, and one way to stay healthy is to avoid exposure to all kinds of toxic agents. Read and follow safe-use labels on all products containing toxins or carcinogenic agents, including those for your garden, lawn, or landscape. You might instead choose pest-resistant plants, pull pest-infected leaves and carefully dispose of them, yank out invasive weeds before they reseed themselves over the yard, and use compost and mulch to create healthy soil. Also, choose less-toxic products such as soaps and herbicidal oils to treat troublesome pest problems.