Smile your way to better health

We all have our days where it’s hard to keep on a smile, but here’s a pretty good reason to cheer up: Happy people may be less likely to suffer from heart attacks, strokes and rheumatoid arthritis, and studies suggest that positive thinking may even be associated with improved immune response.

Here are a handful of ways to stay smiling, optimistic and maybe even healthier!

• Donate to charity. If you don’t have the financial means to donate money, there are plenty of good organizations that would be more than happy to put up with you for a couple hours.
• Take pride in your health and take care of yourself. One small step you could take towards this that could make a huge difference is replacing soda with water. If you’re a big pop drinker and drink two 20-ounce bottles of the stuff a day, cutting that out will save you over 400 calories every day! If you drop a few pounds, you may enjoy the added bonus of having more energy throughout the day.
• Pay it forward. It’s amazing how the little things count. Leaving your quarter in the grocery store shopping cart, giving a compliment to a stranger or even holding the door and giving a warm smile could make someone’s day. It will give you some “warm fuzzies” as well.
• Go ahead and giggle. Simply thinking about something amusing and laughing causes your brain to release “happy” endorphins.
• Be grateful. Most people are pretty blessed. Take some time each day to write down or say out loud some of the things you’re grateful for. We bet you won’t have a problem thinking up new things each day that you appreciate.