14 Principles for Finding Pure Joy

By Bevin Cummings

We all want that radiant inner glow and sense of calm that come with true happiness. Achieving it, however, takes practice. Try one of these tips each day for the next two weeks, and see if your bliss quotient spikes.

1. Have a laugh. Your friend who's always got jokes could be good for something more than just a giggle. She may also be good for your health. Humor activates parts of your brain linked to pleasure and happiness, according to a Stanford University study, So give her a ring and listen to her latest comic rant about her crazy coworker. No comedians in your crowd? Drop some old school Eddie Murphy onto your mp3 player.

2. Take a risk. So you never learned to bake a pie from scratch, skip a stone across the top of a lake, or read sheet music. It's not too late to try. Taking on a challenge can be a powerful self-esteem booster--especially if you find something you're good at, says a University of Missouri study.

3. Mind your manners. When you're tempted to lash out in anger--perhaps the phrase "You know what your problem is?" is about to spring from your lips to a family member's ears--take a breath and count to five. (We know that's short, but ten would be a pretty awkward length of time.) When you act on negative impulses, you risk the regret and frustration that can linger after your outburst. A calm reply, however, brings the joy of knowing you took the high road.

4. Get some. Although research can't confirm whether having sex makes people happier or if happier people have more sex, wouldn't you like to conduct your own experiment? Either way, making love triggers your body to release feel-good chemicals called endorphins that will give you a temporary (but worth it) natural high.

5. Put on a smile. No one ever found happiness by focusing on the player who fooled her or the stacks of credit card bills in her mailbox. Instead, beat the blues by flashing a smile and putting some spring in your step. Turns out, your mood will follow suit, according to a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

6. Be sentimental. Place a favorite picture in a beautiful frame to remind you what's most important in life. Whether it's a shot of you crossing the finish line of your first half-marathon, your daughter blowing up balloons for your grandmother's ninetieth birthday party, or a boat gliding across a lake at dawn, keeping a beloved photo nearby will be a reminder of good times and make a difficult day suddenly bearable.

7. Sing it, sister. It doesn't matter what you sound like. Research shows that belting out a tune can balance blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and brain activity. So find an upbeat song and get loud while you're in an elevator by yourself, driving in your car, or simply in the shower.

8. Work it out. Break a sweat in a kickboxing class, move to the drumbeat in an African dance lesson, or grab a jump rope and hit the sidewalk with some kids. Studies show that a 30-minute workout can reduce tension and boost your mood. (Not to mention all the calories you'll burn. That's gotta make anyone happy!)

If You Do Only One Thing…

9. Give thanks. When you're feeling low, write down what you're grateful for in a journal to remind you that things really aren't so bad.

10 Reach out. Feeling down? Touching a loved one and being touched have been shown to help relieve depression and anxiety. So hold your man's hand, give your mother a hug, pat your coworker on the back for a job well done. You'll benefit, too.

11 Ask yourself out on a date. Don't wait around for someone else to sweep you off your feet. Do it yourself. Catch that movie you've been dying to see, make a spa appointment, or grab dinner at an upscale restaurant. Bonus: You avoid a potentially awkward kiss goodnight.

12 Give back. Research shows that people who volunteer in their communities have better health and feel good about themselves. So make an impact in your own backyard: Help a girlfriend's kid with his homework, pick up trash to keep your neighborhood clean, or donate some of your free time to a charity organization in your hood.

13 Nurture friendships. With a busy schedule, sometimes it's hard to make time for friends. But don't sleep on your girls. Pick up the phone and make a brunch date, plan a wine party, or go for a sunrise walk with your sister circle. People with well-developed friendships not only live longer but also have an increased resistance to illness--a clear happiness sapper. Making time to have a chat over coffee with your favorite girls will keep connections strong and allow you time to vent your frustrations without holding back too.

14 Get empowered with flowers. If you're not receiving any floral deliveries these days, buy yourself a bouquet. Studies show that the presence of flowers can heighten feelings of satisfaction with life. Choose an uplifting color like yellow tulips to brighten your day.

Hints from Hotel Housekeepers

Director of housekeeping at Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa in Honolulu

• Before you start work on any other rooms in your house, spray cleanser on bathroom surfaces and in the toilet. This will help loosen the dirt while you're tackling other tasks.

• Clean in a circle around the room; dust and pick up as you go and you won't have to backtrack.

• Place fresh flowers and greenery in as many rooms as possible.

LORIS MARVIN
Assistant rooms executive at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida

• Scent is surprisingly important. When things smell fresh, you automatically think, This space is really clean. At home, I use a fabric freshener (like Febreze) on everything.

• Skip the all-purpose cleansers in favor of products designed for specific jobs. I like Zep 40 foam (available at hardware stores) for windows and mirrors; it leaves surfaces completely streak free.

By Alice Oglethorpe, Good Housekeeping

How to Look 15 Pounds Thinner

A former style columnist offers tips on fat-camouflage underwear, shoes, tops and jeans

Get this. When it comes to disguising how fat you look in a bathing suit, women are better off in a string bikini than boy shorts and a bra top. Even certain perfumes (notes of cinnamon and lily of the valley) will make you smell thinner, plus-sized model Danica Lo writes in her tip-packed new book How Not to Look Fat. Lo's credentials on the subject are encouraging. At five foot six, she's never dipped below a size 10. On most days, she's a size 14. She understands the heartache of feeling fat. In high school, she bailed on her prom when she couldn't find anything to wear.

She describes herself as lazy and says she might see the inside of a gym twice a year. "I hate working out," she writes. "Think about it. What are fat people supposed to wear to the gym?" This is not a rhetorical question. Gym wear is given full consideration in chapter 14. Lo, a former style columnist for the New York Post, has ideas on how to instantly appear "five, ten even fifteen" pounds thinner in everything from photographs to the dreaded Halloween costume. A French maid costume "may look skimpy," she writes, but it "covers the upper arm and butt," and "adding an apron can cover up a tummy pouch." If a snap-happy friend at the party catches you off guard: "Hide your double chin in one second flat by pushing the back of your tongue up against the soft palate in the back of the roof of your mouth," she writes. "This tenses up the muscles of your jaw and minimizes chin flab hang-down."

Chapter one strikes at the essentials: underwear. If you feel fat, a thong isn't going to help. It's time to invest in a drawer of "good old granny panties," she writes. "There are lots of great bum-belly-blubber-cinching-underthings for every budget." And "just for you" she says, she's tried on dozens of pairs, giving special consideration to the must-have perky tush, and test-driving for lumpiness. Hanes Body Enhancer Maximum Control Underwear resembles pantyhose and will compress your waist and hips by 1.5 inches all around, she says. And JCPenney's firm control high-waisted thigh slimmer "left me looking like I had the best butt in town."

Chapter two covers the top half, which will "make or break your look," she writes. "As a rule, the most flattering top you can buy is a solid-coloured deep V-neck, three-quarter sleeve in slightly stretchy fine-gauge knit that skims your figure and ends right at the top of your hip." Lo continues with three pages of neckline illustrations. "Mock turtlenecks aren't flattering. Period."

Next up is back fat. "Busty? Good. Booty? Good. Back fat? Eh, not so good," she writes. "To camouflage back rolls, step away from the jersey and head straight for the knits. From cashmere to cotton to merino to viscose knits, because of their thicker texture they are more forgiving." And if you can't hide it, decorate it with a shawl.

As for jeans, you're pretty much on your own. "Shopping for jeans is like trying to find Mr. Right — a totally aggravating, exhausting and depressing experience." Nevertheless, Lo suggests avoiding "Mom jeans" — "those high-waisted, poofy-topped jeans that exacerbate all the problem parts. Avoid pleats, tapered legs and high-cinched waists." Blue Cult is the current favourite brand among Hollywood celebrities, she says. "The back pockets are slightly raised and there are magic seams above each cheek that make your rear look like two perfect, perky peaches."

Moving to dressier pants, Lo writes: "You already know that pleats are the work of the devil's spawn but creases are like an angel singing. A clean, knife-sharp crease straight down the front of each leg is terrific for elongating and slimming the leg." The pants chapter ends with a warning in purple capital letters: wear heels with pants.

Lo's shoe chapter also includes three pages of illustrations, so if you're not sure what the "universally flattering" d'Orsay pump looks like, you can refer to her "dictionary of shoes." Lo's rule is the chunkier the leg, the chunkier the heel. Steer clear of shoes with ankle straps, she says. They sever the leg from the foot and make legs look shorter and wider. For street sneakers, pick Converse. "They make your feet look tiny."

"Exercise if you must," writes Lo, but for instant slimming, she swears by a 45-minute spa treatment known as Electro Muscle Stimulation. "After one session, I lost two inches from my waist and lower abdomen …. Then I ate pizza every day for two weeks straight."

By Julia McKinnell

Egyptian Secret for Dandruff and Hair Loss

Researchers say that this Egyptian herbal blend helps treat dandruff, seborrhea, and maybe even balding. The primary ingredient is ginger, a powerful anti-inflammatory agent.

Learn the secret Egyptian anti-dandruff, anti-hair-loss formula from master herbalist James A. Duke, PhD.

INGREDIENTS

2 gingeroots, grated
3 tablespoons sesame oil

Dash of lemon juice

1. Juice the grated ginger and mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of the ginger juice with the sesame oil and lemon juice.

2. Massage the blend into your scalp, leaving it on for 15 to 30 minutes before rinsing. Repeat three times a week. Refrigerate leftover formula between uses.

Helpful Hints:
A nightly scalp massage is a key to effective treatment, since this will improve the circulation through your scalp.

Five Minute Relaxation Technique

All you need is a few minutes to experience a calming break. Use one of the following easy, no-equipment- necessary relaxers any time you feel stressed.

Warm your hands. Stress can make you feel cold, especially in the throes of winter. Run your hands and wrists under warm water for a few minutes, says Bradley Frederick, D.C., director of the International Institute of Sports Medicine in Los Angeles. After patting them dry, wrap them around a mug of steaming tea.

Gently hold a pencil between your teeth without biting. This action prompts you to relax your facial muscles, which helps relieve tension, says Fred Sheftell, M.D., director of the New England Center for Headache in Stamford, Connecticut.

Press on your temples for three to five minutes. Massaging nerves in this area is an acupressure technique that relaxes muscles in other parts of the body, says Emmett Miller, M.D., author of Deep Healing: The Essence of Mind/Body Medicine.

Breathe slow and deep, emphasizing the exhalation for the most calming effect. Breathe in through your nose to a count of 4; pause slightly, then breathe out through your nose to a count of 6, prolonging the exhale. Pause briefly, and repeat -- several times, if possible. Use this breathing technique as a quick relaxer and tension diffuser -- not unlike counting to 10 when you're angry.

Take a few minutes to think positive, restful thoughts -- a little mental time-out. You could pause to remember why you're doing all this shopping, cooking, and decorating anyway -- because you love your friends and family, and you're lucky enough to spend time with them over the holidays