Preventing Falls - Chew Gum:
Chewing xylitol-sweetened gum after eating can make you less likely to have a fall. Japanese research found that it removes bacteria along the gum line before it can travel to the brain and disrupt your balance. Make sure to savor the flavor. Focusing on a simple experience for as little as five seconds daily can help to reconnect your mind and body, potentially making a fall less likely. A bonus is, chewing gum after eating also helps reduce inflammation.

Reduce Anxiety and Restore Balance: 
Trace your hands. When your mind is calm, your brain can better focus attention on keeping balanced. This is a simple way to ease tension. With the lightest touch, use your right index finger to slowly trace the outline of your left hand, beginning from the base of your wrist below your pinky, then up and over each finger until you reach your thumb. Reverse and repeat ten times while focusing your mind on the pleasant sensation. This type of mindfulness cuts anxiety by 39 percent, restoring the mind-body connection that keeps you steady on your feet. (Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Researchers.)

Are You Dehydrated?
Surprisingly, when we think we’re hungry, we are oftentimes dehydrated. Most people begin to feel thirsty when they’re about 2% dehydrated. Research has shown that dehydration can affect your physical and mental performance at levels as low as 1%  before you feel thirsty. Therefore, keep drinking throughout the day, even if you’re not thirsty. Drink water or decaffeinated beverages. Your body will thank you. 

Handwriting Yields Best Learning and Memory:
Handwriting – not typing -- has shown that the brains of adults and children while taking a writing-intensive exam showed that the brain is much more active when people are writing by hand compared to when they’re using a keyboard. Researchers say pressing pen to paper activates the senses, creates contact between different parts of the brain, and opens up the brain for better learning and remembering. This also applies to writing one’s goals and affirmations. (Study at Norwegian University of Science and Technology.)

Don’t walk 30 miles in my shoes; that would be boring. Spend 30 seconds in my head; that will freak you out. 

"Happiness is a choice. Happiness is a habit. And happiness is something you have to work hard at. It doesn’t just happen." ~ Leslie Jordan (actor, 1955- 2022)

"Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace."  ~ Dali Lama

"Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out."     ~ Frank A. Clark