Many people who fall, even if they’re not injured, become afraid of falling. This fear may cause a person to cut down on their everyday activities. When a person is less active, they become weaker and this increases their chances of falling. Today, take some time to check around for some of the top 10 tripping hazards in your home and office environments and look for ways to eliminate or reduce your risk.

• Throw Rugs
• Clutter
• Steep/Long Stairways
• Poorly Lit Areas
• Pets
• Unstable Chairs & Tables
• Low Toilet Seats
• Extension Cords Across Walkways
• Sloping Driveways
• Cracks in Sidewalk/Patio/Driveway

A number of articles on the subject suggest that puzzles provide various health & wellness benefits including:

• Enhancing visual perception
• Honing coordination
• Improving memory
• Developing critical thinking
• Increasing dopamine production in the brain
• Heightening creativity
• Stimulating the whole brain

So what are you waiting for? Get playing! There are even apps out there with brain games and digital puzzles that are free to download and use. A few of our favorites include Elevate, Lumosity & Puzzle Page.

Do you have a bookshelf queued up with books you are wanting to read? Hopefully, you have integrated some self-help, inspirational, motivational or personal development type books on the list! These kinds of books can help in the following ways:

1. They set the tone.

A self-help book will infuse your brain with uplifting messages and positive, life-affirming concepts. This puts you in an optimal mindset for your day and promotes positivity.

2. You start to believe in yourself.

You build confidence in knowing that you can do, be, and experience more than what you are now. If you feel stuck, the ideas in these types of books can encourage you and help you bust through your perceived limitations.

3. You are inspired to take positive action.

Reading inspirational books inspires you to create goals and projects that accelerate your growth. Good self-help/motivational books are more than reading material, they provide you with a call to action.

4. You make better choices.

Reading self-help books can make you become more aware, so when life throws something at you, you are equipped with tools to respond differently and handle situations better.

If you want to start changing your life, the wisdom from a good, inspirational book or even a short, uplifting article each day can challenge, strengthen and motivate you.

There’s a powerful story that has been passed around and, while we aren’t entirely sure where it originated or whether it is true, it is definitely thought-provoking and inspiring.

The anecdote varies, but its essence remains. The story goes something like this:

I noticed my friend would wave to people when we were out walking together.

I noticed my friend would wave and smile at people when we would drive places together.

My friend was always waving and smiling at strangers.

Most of the time the people gave her funny looks.

Much of the time they neither smiled nor waved in return.

I finally asked my friend why she did this and she responded, “I’ve read a lot written by people who’ve attempted suicide and weren’t successful. These people consistently said if just one person had smiled or waved at them they would have felt *seen* and might not have tried to kill themselves. So I smile. And I wave.”

This story may oversimplify depression and suicide but on mornings when we wake and wonder “What can I do for someone else today?” – the answer really can be as easy as “smile and wave.” Whether the story is true or not, it highlights the lack of connection many feel and underscores how feeling “seen” (no matter how briefly) may make all the difference in a person’s life.

At the point where we begin to feel thirsty, our body is already in the beginning stages of dehydration. Additionally, as we age, our ability to sense thirst becomes less reliable so it’s important that we don’t sit back and wait for our body to tell us when it needs to be hydrated. Sipping water throughout the day will help us maintain proper hydration levels and also reduce the risk of increased trips to the bathroom because it gives our body time to absorb the water more efficiently.

How hydrated are you? As gross as it may sound, the easiest way to know for sure is to check out how yellow your urine. If you are hydrating properly, your urine should become lighter throughout the day as you drink more water.*

NOTE: *Some medications and vitamin supplements influence the yellowness of urine, so if you feel like you are hydrating properly but still see extremely bright yellow urine, please double check with your provider to confirm if one of your medications or supplements may be causing it.

Our environment can have a positive or negative effect on our overall health and wellness. If our environment is in order, it can create feelings of peace and calm, if it is constantly cluttered or in chaos, it can bring on feelings of stress, panic and frustration.

• Looking for important forms in a landslide of paperwork and unsorted mail?
• Trying to find tools that weren’t returned to their proper place?
• Tripping over toys and clutter as you walk from room to room?

The Earth is like a gigantic battery that contains a natural, subtle electric charge—a special kind of energy present in the ground. For safety and stability, most everything in the electrical world is connected to it, whether it is an electric power plant or your refrigerator. That’s what the term “grounded” means.

Being grounded also applies to people. When you are electrically grounded, you feel:

• Centered
• Solid
• Strong
• Balanced
• Less tense
• Less stressed

While the research on grounding is relatively new, the practice is timeless. Past societies went barefoot or wore leather footwear made from hides that allowed the energy from the Earth to rise up into their bodies. They were grounded.

In modern times, we rarely go barefoot outside or wear natural leather shoes that allow you to absorb the ground’s energy. For many decades, people have increasingly been wearing rubber and plastic-soled shoes that act as a barrier to the Earth’s energy, insulating them from electrical contact with the Earth. People also generally don’t sleep on the ground anymore, as many cultures have done throughout history. They live and work above the ground, even far above the ground in high-rises.

The good news is, you can reconnect. Weather and schedule permitting, go barefoot for a half-hour or so outside and see what a difference that makes on your pain or stress level. Sit, stand, or walk on soil, grass, sand, or concrete. These are all conductive surfaces from which your body can draw the Earth’s energy. Wood, asphalt, and vinyl are not conductive.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 10,000 steps per day, or 150 minutes of activity per week. This can be done in long sessions or even bouts of 10 minutes at a time. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to add in a few extra steps during the day that make reaching your goal easier. Start small and gradually build on – being intentional about walking 5-15 minutes more than you normally do on a given day. Remember that walking, even if it’s only for 5 minutes, is better than doing nothing. Friendly competition can also make exercise more fun and help increase motivation. Challenge some family or friends to see who can get the most steps in one week.

Here are a few other tips on how to add a couple more steps into your day:

1. Use your lunch break for a short walk, even for just 10 minutes.
2. While watching TV, use commercial breaks to walk in place.
3. Take the stairs when you can.
4. Park farther from the entrances of stores, and once you get inside, make a lap of the perimeter before going shopping.
5. Try to make it a habit to stand up and make a lap around the floor once an hour or so to break up time spent sitting.