I’d rather lie down in a yoga corpse pose than go for a run any day of the week.  But after going for a power walk with a friend recently, something inspired me to try jogging again.  It must have been those endorphins making me feel good about exercising.

The last time I jogged was years ago and I’ve never been strongly devoted to it.  Running makes me feel like I’m about to collapse any second, usually within my first lap.  Clearly, I’m out of shape!  While I love practicing hatha yoga at home, I need some cardiovascular in my routine, so I’ve decided to give jogging a second chance.

I found a website for beginner joggers and the advice is to start slowly — just five minutes a jog for the first week, then gradually build to 30 minutes of jogging, five days a week, which is the recommended schedule.

For now, I’m doing a combination of jogging and walking a few times a week.  And I’ve applied a yoga trick that I find very helpful — I focus on my breathing.  That helps me not to pant out of control and to keep going.

To learn more about jogging for beginners, click here:  http://www.joggingforbeginners.com/.

It’s hard to focus on my office job when I’d rather be at the beach.  Of course, in this economy I’m grateful to be working, but that’s beside the point.  When I’m feeling sluggish at my desk, my instinct is to make myself a cup of coffee.  Sometimes I think it’s more of an excuse to get up than out of a real need for caffeine.  If you’re a habitual coffee or soda drinker, here are five caffeine-free pick me up pointers to get you through the day:

1) Pick up the phone.  It’s so easy to get caught up in e-mails and instant messaging these days.  Making phone calls helps to build relationships with your colleagues and gives your eyes a break from staring at the computer screen.

2) Practice yoga at your desk.  I’m not talking about anything fancy, just simple stretches and deep breathing exercises.  For yoga postures at work, check out YogaJournal.com.

3) Take a brisk walk around the office.  Make it look like you’re on your way to a meeting and be sure to have a folder in hand.

4) Get a dose of sunshine.  Go out for lunch, but if you can’t, then at least take a brief break outside.  There’s nothing like fresh air and natural Vitamin D.

5) Drink ginger tea.  The spiciness of this herbal tea helps to reinvigorate, plus ginger is widely known for its health benefits.

I have a co-worker who describes where he grew up by saying this, “I’m from Washington…” oh, yeah?! cool…I’ve been there…. “No, it’s Washington State - The Big One…You know? Not the capitol…The state, you know?” oh….hmmm….

We don’t have nearly enough opportunities to see the beauty of North America. I’ve been on roadtrips through the midwest, cross-country, up to Montreal, and even along the coast in California (by myself!). Now, I’m flying to Vancouver and along with my friend M*, heading down to San Francisco. We intend to see the mountains in Washington State, the great Pacific Coast, Portland Oregon and even hit up Sonoma Valley. Our final destination is a wedding for a friend in Oakland. We have yet to make one hotel reservation!

Stay tuned for updates!

By the way - have you noticed our new logo? It comes to us from Eric Strenger. Eric is an artist and designer and is living the good life in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He’s designed for Oxygen, Def Jam, and many others. If you’d like something designed by Eric - head to his website for contact information or to just stare at his artwork - www.ericstrenger.com. I particularly like wittle piggly. 

This comes from my recent issue of Oprah magazine, and is hopefully as inspiring to you as it is to me:

“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game’s winning shot…and missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

-From perennial optimist - Michael Jordan

This says to me: If you never risk failure, you’ll never risk success.

What does it say to you?

This year’s summer solstice will be marked by a day of tranquility in Times Square.  If you’re in New York or planning a visit, save the date:  Sunday, June 21, 2009 for the Mind over Madness Yoga-fest. Participation is free, as long as you can find enough space for your yoga mat!  For details, click on the link below:

http://www.timessquarenyc.org/about_us/events_solstice.html

Last week was not the best for me - mainly due to some cranky bosses. A well-deserving friend emailed me to let me know that she had gotten engaged, and it totally lifted my day. I even told the story to several other people. (I’m a girl…I spread news faster than Apple sells I-phones).

An immense British Medical Journal study analyzed 4,700 individuals over 20 years and determined that happiness is indeed infectious. The “Framington Heart Study” looked at each individual’s social network of friends and family to find out whether one person’s happiness could influence that of the other.

They found that being surrounded by many happy people was more likely than not to make people they know happier over time. Indeed, even if your friend’s friend has something to celebrate, it can increase your own level of happiness.

The study also says that: “A friend who lives within a mile and who becomes happy increases the probability that a person is happy by 25%.”

[Read more →]

Check out our new “Living Well Page” from all of us at Still Good News.com

Every month or so, we’ll be putting up a major feature page full of links, videos, articles and reviews. They’ll be about everything from health to entertainment.

This month - we’re hoping you want to learn more about Yoga. (no we’re not asking you to do it, just read about it…and maybe do it, too, for like…a minute or so….)

We’ve all found a lot of serenity in yoga, and even the cynical side of us has to admit it’s a good thing. For articles about “Online Yoga at Home”, “Laughing Yoga Videos”, “Finding Serenity in Yoga” and more- head to our Living Well Tab (or click here if you forgot your glasses and can’t see it next to “About”).

I recently read Deborah Norville’s bestseller, Thank You Power, and was pleasantly surprised.  In this book, Norville shares real life accounts about people who developed an attitude of gratitude despite tremendous challenges and setbacks.  Whether it’s thanking others or counting one’s blessings, gratitude is a wonderful practice.  Here are my top five reasons why it’s good to say thank you:

1) People enjoy feeling recognized.  Whether it’s a co-worker or a loved one, showing a little bit of appreciation goes a long way.

2) It’s good for your health.  Grateful people have more positive energy, which benefits the immune system.

3) Gratitude helps you get through a bad day.  Looking at the bright side can help you overcome a difficult situation.

4) Giving thanks can improve your marriage or relationship.  Singing praises sounds a lot better than nagging!

5) A daily dose of gratitude can make you happy.  Focusing on the good in people and situations is a great way to lift your spirits.

I had a yoga teacher that used to say, “Stretch to the point of sweet discomfort.”  I was always struck by the paradox of her words — can discomfort really be sweet?  There are lots of things that make me uncomfortable.  Saying no to my mom is hard, just like speaking up in a corporate meeting and singing in front of my church congregation.  Yet, all these I’ve had to do and in hindsight there is a benefit to stretching outside my comfort zone.  That’s how we grow.  It’s the only way.

I contemplated this idea as I practiced the Sun Salutation this morning, pushing myself as far as I could, without causing any real pain.  Stretching really does feel good.  When I’m done, I feel elongated and energized, ready to tackle any sweet discomforts that come my way.