I used to be vigilant about exercising every morning... and it felt great. I started my day out with energy and a sense of accomplishment. After adopting my son, however, my schedule has changed and my morning exercise has become sporadic at best. I've vowed to get back on the bandwagon when he returns to school next week, though. Our schedule will be changing naturally -- so it's a good time for me to get my morning self in gear again.

Divine Caroline offers some great inspiration with five reasons to start the day with a workout:

• Better performance at work.
  
• A metabolism boost throughout the day.
• A better night's sleep.
• Increased likelihood to stick with it.
• A happier outlook.

Check out the original article for details. Then, set that alarm clock a little bit earlier and get your move on in the am.

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FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

I don't do well with sitting still. Truth be told, it makes me tired. If I keep moving, I stay awake. So in general, I keep moving. On occasion, I do give in to relaxation. I love pedicures, a good massage, vegging in front of the TV at night, and sometimes, I might even be caught sitting silently, soaking up the peace around me. If done properly, this practice is known as meditation.

Meditation means sitting quietly and focusing on one neutral thing, like your breathing or a single repeated word. The long-term goal of meditation is to become less dependent on the ego and its constant cravings for novelty, attention, power, sex, food, and so on. Proper meditation makes us more centered and less stressed out. It can make people happier, maybe even smarter. One study showed that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex -- brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. This shift decreases the negative effects of stress, mild depression, and anxiety. Meditators also enjoy less activity in the amygdala, where the brain processes fear.

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Sometimes thinking about changing your lifestyle in order to be happier or healthier seems like a daunting task. I know that times when I decide I'm unhappy with my habits and end up on a mission to make changes and improve my overall well-being, I tend to give up easily because I get in the mind frame that I have to change absolutely everything at once.

Of course, overhauling your entire life in a day isn't necessarily the best way to make changes for the better. A few small steps can be taken each day, week or even month to improve your life. Eventually all of these little alterations will add up to some major life changes.

I like this article from the Canadian Living website because it gives a list of 10 things you can do in the month of October to improve your well-being. There's nothing very difficult to accomplish on the list -- suggestions include eating more berries, doing push-ups, taking the stairs and trying out pomegranate -- but I bet if you made the commitment to try them all throughout the month, you'd find that you feel a bit happier, more relaxed and healthier overall.

If you want to see all 10 tips and find out just why they're all good for you, take a peak at the entire article here.

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Getting off on the right foot in a new year is just as much of a mindset as pledging to hit the gym every day. In other words, keeping positive attitudes about the upcoming months can do wonders. That's what columnist David Bach is conveying with his Five Principles for Happiness in 2007.

It's all about starting fresh in order to focus the new year, and he begins by telling us to give ourselves a break. He has a very good point: if we keep living in the past about what we could have done or should have earned, then we can't move forward! No regrets, as the mantra goes.

Another principle for happiness according to Mr. Bach is being honest with yourself. Try answering questions like "What would you do with your life today if you weren't afraid of failure?" Yeah, they're personal, but many individuals (including myself) can vouch for the mental clarity that comes from finding out what is really working in his or her life.

These are only two of his principles for happiness, so if it sounds like some kind of zen meditation then I think you will be pleasantly surprised after reading the rest. After all, it's a brand new year so why not try something new?

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