About.com Health: Research on Optimism and Your Health

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Health From Elizabeth Scott, M.S., your About.com Health Editor March is Optimism Month, and this is important news for your health! That's because those with an optimistic outlook on life are healthier and happier, they find more success in life, and they even live longer! To harness the power of optimism in your life, you need to look no further than this newsletter: we have research on optimism and health, and proven get-optimistic strategies below. You have the rest of the month to focus on optimism to make it a habit, so now is the time to get started! Enjoy your week, Elizabeth Scott How Can Your Outlook Affect Your Health? As mentioned, optimism affects health in many ways! Here is some of the most prominent research on the effect that optimism has on your body and your mind. The Top Benefits of Optimism Optimists Report a Higher Quality of Life than Pessimists Positive Thinking: Benefits for Seniors Optimism Benefits in a Nutshell Search Related Topics:  optimism  inner peace  resilience Optimistic Thinking: Realistic Strategies That Work For many people, optimism does not come automatically. Others can attain a certain level of optimism, but could benefit from more. Wherever you are on the optimism spectrum, the following tips can help you to raise your personal setpoint for optimism and have more positive reactions to everything you experience. 5 Ways To Be More Optimistic How To Practice Positive Thinking How To Identify and Address Distorted Thinking Search Related Topics:  adult add  add and work  add and relationships Affirmations: Are They Really Effective? You may have heard of positive affirmations as a an effective tool to gain confidence and banish insecurities. Have you wondered if they can really work? The answer is that they can, but they need to fit certain criteria. The following are effective affirmations for your health, and guidelines for creating your own affirmations that work. Affirmations for Social Anxiety Positive Affirmations for Body Image Create Affirmations That Will Work For You Search Related Topics:  affirmations  positive thinking  optimism Maintaining Optimism When Times Get Tough The goal of optimism is not to deny difficulties or ignore problems; if your intuition tells you that this is a bad idea, you're right. Here's how to be realistically optimistic, remaining fully aware of potential difficulties and managing them with a greater sense of empowerment, hope, and resilience. Emotion-Focused Coping Research on Optimism and Resilience Coping Strategies for Panic Disorder Distraction, Self-Soothing and Other PTSD Coping Search Related Topics:  coping with panic disorder  self-help techniques  panic disorder symptoms Related Searches Health Personal Best Health Tips Health Symptoms Health Research Social Health Featured Articles Simple Ways To Build A Better Diet Sleep More Soundly Tonight What's The Best Workout For YOUR Personality Type? Are You Drinking Too Much Alcohol? Heart to Heart The C-Word   More from About.com Run Your First 5K Even couch potatoes can be ready for a 5K with just a couple months of training. Read more...> Help! I'm Too Busy Time and stress management tips to help you feel as though you have more time. Read more...>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Health newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. If you would like to unsubscribe from all newsletters sent from About.com, please send an email to optout@about.com with "Unsubscribe" as the subject line. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2014 About.com   More Optimism Resources Understanding the Psychology of Positive Thinking The Link Between Happiness and Health Quiz: Are You An Optimist?   Follow us on: Advertisement

About.com Health: Simple Ways To Build A Better Diet

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Health From Elizabeth Scott, M.S., your About.com Health Editor Many of us have a few dietary habits that are putting us at a disadvantage, either by negatively affecting our energy levels, mood, or waistline. If there aren't bad habits in your diet, there might be some missed opportunities that could lead to greater health. This week, we encourage you to reexamine your eating habits and make at least one change in what you eat--adding fruits and vegetables, cutting out some sugar, or other minor tweaks that add up to a healthier you. You'll be glad you did! --Elizabeth Scott How Are Your Current Eating Habits? Sometimes we don't realize how our eating habits are affecting us. Sometimes we're not fully aware of what we're actually eating. Becoming aware of your current situation is an important first step toward changing it! Here are some resources to help. 10 Reasons to Eat a Healthy Balanced Diet Convincing Reasons To Keep a Food Diary How To Start Eating Healthier Search Related Topics:  nutrition and health  weight management  healthy foods Easy Substitutions That Lead To A Better Diet Diets that don't allow us to eat our favorite foods can often feel like deprivation, making us crave what we can't have. However, you can often swap out one food for another and greatly improve the nutritional value of your meal without really missing what you lost. Here are some simple substitutions to keep in mind. Low-Carb Substitutes for High-Carb Food 10 Sugar-Free Substitutions 20 Ways to Cut Fat in Foods Healthy Recipe Ingredient Substitutions Best Ingredients To Add To Your Meals Some of the best health-diet strategies simply involve adding healthier foods to your regular meal rotation. By doing this, you naturally eat less of the unhealthy fare because you're filling up on better choices, but you never feel deprived. Here are some foods to add to your diet to pack in the nutrition and crowd out the filler. Nutrient Density: It's What Makes Superfoods So Super Superfoods That May Help Prevent Cancer 6 Superfoods To Eat This Week 6 Superfoods To Eat This Week Detox Foods to Eat Search Related Topics:  nutrient density  basic nutrition  Diet Saboteurs: What Foods To Avoid Though nobody likes to feel deprived, but reducing your intake of certain foods can have very positive effects on your health. Here are some foods to minimize in your diet, or avoid altogether. Moderation: When Eating Something Bad is Actually Good Food To Avoid When You Have IBS 5 Healthy Foods That Aren't Necessarily So Avoid Eating Too Much: What to Know About Portion Size Search Related Topics:  weight loss diets  fad diets  healthy foods Related Searches Health Diet Foods Low Sodium Diet Weight Loss Health Best Health Tips The Best Diet Featured Articles Sleep More Soundly Tonight What's The Best Workout For YOUR Personality Type? Are You Drinking Too Much Alcohol? Heart to Heart The C-Word Warm Up To This Advice   More from About.com Run Your First 5K Even couch potatoes can be ready for a 5K with just a couple months of training. Read more...> Help! I'm Too Busy Time and stress management tips to help you feel as though you have more time. Read more...>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Health newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2014 About.com   Healthy Eating And You Combat Social Anxiety With Healthy Eating Kids' Weight Management Video: How Do Eating Habits Affect Depression?   Follow us on: Advertisement

About.com Health: Sleep More Soundly Tonight

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Health From Elizabeth Scott, M.S., your About.com Health Editor Many Americans are going to lose an hour of sleep in the middle of the night next weekend due to Daylight Saving Time (DST), and there will be consequences to losing that hour. Many people get fewer than the optimal amount of sleep each night even without losing that hour, so focusing on sleep is important for everyone. This week is National Sleep Awareness Week, which is the perfect time to re-examine your sleep habits and perhaps make a few changes that could have a significant impact on your health, your state of mind, and virtually all areas of your life. This week, we encourage you to take at least one step toward improving the amount or quality of sleep you get. This newsletter explains why this is important and how to do it. Have a happy, healthy week! --Elizabeth Scott The Importance Of A Good Night's Sleep Getting too little sleep can affect your life in many ways, both obvious and subtle. You may feel sleepy mid-day, you may be less mentally sharp than you need to be, you may be more prone to stress, and you may experience other health consequences that can affect you now and in the future. Health Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep Sleep Myths and Facts What Are the Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation? Search Related Topics:  insomnia  sleep hygiene  better sleep Common Sleep Saboteurs--And Simple Ways Around Them Sleep can be affected by many different things, including busy schedules, conflict, and stress. Here are some of the top threats to a good night's sleep, and what you can do about them. The 10 Worst Ways to Ruin Your Sleep When the Odd Couple Sleeps: Five Steps to Fix Nighttime Relationship Conflicts 30 Days to Better Sleep Search Related Topics:  circadian rhythms  better sleep  sleep hygiene Top Tips For Better Sleep Now that we know how important it is, here are the top recommended guidelines for better quality sleep. Pilates Exercises for Better Sleep 10 Tips for Better Sleep Shortcuts to Better Sleep Tips for Better Sleep With ADD Search Related Topics:  insomnia  sleep hygiene  better sleep Beat DST Sleep Deprivation--Start Early! If you live in an area that observes Daylight Saving Time, you don't have to be tired next week! Here are some strategies that help you to prepare by planning ahead, and adjusting easily. Negative Effects of Daylight Saving Time Kids' Sleep and Daylight Saving Time Be Prepared For Daylight Saving Time Related Searches Get Better Sleep Health Benifits Help Sleep Health First Natural Sleep Aids Featured Articles What's The Best Workout For YOUR Personality Type? Are You Drinking Too Much Alcohol? Heart to Heart The C-Word Warm Up To This Advice This Year's Biggest Health Headlines   More from About.com Run Your First 5K Even couch potatoes can be ready for a 5K with just a couple months of training. Read more...> Help! I'm Too Busy Time and stress management tips to help you feel as though you have more time. Read more...>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Health newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2014 About.com   More Healthy Lifestyle Resources Benefits of Rest and Recovery After Exercise Yoga for Insomnia Better Sleep With IBS   Follow us on: Advertisement

About.com Health: What's The Best Workout For YOUR Personality Type?

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Health From Elizabeth Scott, M.S., your About.com Health Editor Welcome to our new weekly About.com Health Newsletter! You are receiving this because you were subscribed to either Health, Healthy Mondays, or Women's Health. We have combined forces to provide you with the most up-to-date health and wellness information with expert advice each week from all across the About.com Health network. We trust you will find this content helpful and look forward to hearing your feedback! As for the topic of fitness, we all know that exercise is important for physical and emotional health, longevity, stress relief, and overall wellness. (Read more here about the benefits of exercise.) It can be challenging to fit exercise into an already-busy lifestyle, however, and make it a habit that lasts through the years. One of the best ways to stick with a workout program is to choose one that fits well with your personality, lifestyle, and goals. That's right, not all workouts are as easy to stick with for each person, so the workout habit your best friend swears by might not work as well for you, but that doesn't mean that there's not a perfect-fit workout there for you as well! This week, we encourage you to find out more about your "fitness personality" and discover what might be easiest and most enjoyable for you to stick with. The next steps will be much easier after that! Enjoy your week! --Elizabeth Scott Quiz: What's Your Fitness Personality? Group classes, home gym, morning jog, or something else--which is the best type of workout? That depends on you! (Specifically, your lifestyle, personality, and goals.) This quick quiz from About.com's exercise expert, Paige Waehner, can help you to analyze yourself and your needs to determine what type of workouts will work best for you. This quiz is fantastic because not only does it provide you with self-exploration questions and an analysis of how you tend to approach exercise, but it provides you with several options for effective workouts that would be most appealing to you; it's a great way to get ideas! Learn more * More: What Kind of Walker Are You? Search Related Topics:  exercise quizzes  fitness personality  getting started Social, loner, or free spirit? Do you have a workout style? Here's another useful quiz that uses simple questions and self-scoring to provide you with a better understanding of how you best perform--in a group, on your own, or under more spontaneous circumstances. You'll also find ideas for what types of workouts work best for you, and, when necessary, tips on what to avoid. Elizabeth Quinn, About.com's expert in sports medicine, can help you to find a workout that really fits with your life. Learn more * More: What Type of Trainer Are You? 10 Signs You Might be an Annoying Fitness Freak Self-righteous? A nag? A know-it-all? Or something else? Here are some of the more irritating personality types we find in the fitness world, how to tell if one of these describes you, and what to do about it so you don't sabotage yourself and drive those around you right out of the gym. This fun-loving resource from our exercise expert can help you to get along more easily with others so you'll have more workout buddies in your future. Read more * More: Gym Safety: Spotters, Workout Partners, and Personal Trainers Search Related Topics:  fitness freaks  exercise enthusiasm  healthy lifestyle Vote in This Week's Poll: What's Your Fitness Personality? Read more * More: How do you prefer to exercise? Search Related Topics:  fitness personality  motivation  exercise excitements Related Searches 24 HRS Fitness Gym Health Fitness Yoga Health Gym Health Clubs And Workout Gyms Near Me Featured Articles Are You Drinking Too Much Alcohol? Heart to Heart The C-Word Warm Up To This Advice This Year's Biggest Health Headlines Choose to Lose   More from About.com Run Your First 5K Even couch potatoes can be ready for a 5K with just a couple months of training. Read more...> Help! I'm Too Busy Time and stress management tips to help you feel as though you have more time. Read more...>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Health newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2014 About.com   More Health Resources American Heart Month: 8 Tips For Your Ticker Does The Cold Weather Cause The Flu? Get Social With Us! Find Us On Facebook   Follow us on: Advertisement