Easy Keys to TOTAL HEALTH

No need for a lifestyle overhaul — studies show these small changes can keep you feeling your best!

“I have a very bad back and… when I run or walk fast my back pain goes

away. ”

Genie Francis, 56

For years, women have been bombarded with information on how to look and feel young, slim and energized — and often that wellintentioned advice involves drastic diets or exercise programs that take forever to see results. But Prudence Hall, M.D., author of Radiant Again & Forever says all that work isn’t necessary. “Thankfully, the key to total health is more about the little tweaks we can easily make on a daily basis,” she assures. Here, simple study-proven strategies to quickly optimize your health.

TO EASE ACHES AND PAINS

When you’re feeling sore, exercise is the last thing on your mind, but research in the journal Rheumatology finds that taking a two-minute break to walk briskly several times a day can ease even chronic pain by 55 percent in two weeks, plus reduce your risk of future muscle and joint pain. Study coauthor Michael Doherty, M.D., explains that each time you move, you stimulate the flow of nutrient-rich blood to muscles, nerves and joints, and that helps flush away pain-triggering inflammation.

TO FIGHT BRAIN DRAIN

Take two minutes a day to catch up with a friend — in person, on the phone or over email — and you’ll cut your risk of age-related memory loss in half, plus increase your odds of staying sharp after age 60 by 50 percent, say Cornell University scientists. The reason? Talking to someone you value kick-starts the production of compounds that fuel the growth of healthy brain cells.

TO SLEEP DEEPLY

Blissful shut-eye eludes two in three women after menopause, when the brain is less responsive to external sleep cues like nightfall. The fix: Stare at a lit candle for five minutes before bed. Scientists at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut say focusing on a flickering flame prods the brain to release calming alpha waves, reducing the risk of restless sleep by 50 percent. (Just remember to blow out the candle before turning in.)

TO BOOST MOOD

When scientists in New Zealand asked subjects to sit up straight, their draggy moods disappeared in two minutes — and follow-up studies suggest that consistent great posture wards off anxiety, blue moods and other symptoms of mild-tomoderate depression in as little as two weeks. As it turns out, the brain translates good posture into good mood and releases the antidepressant hormone serotonin in response.