Health, Wealth & Happiness
Health, happiness and wealth depend upon each other. To reach your goals of a happy retirement, do not overlook the value of a health retirement. More than 80% of today's retirees say health is the most important ingredient for a happy retirement (valuing good health even over financial security).
June's Tip for a Happy Retirement -
Why You Should Read Every Day
Do your daily reading habits consist of checking your emails, Facebook updates, or the directions on your microwaveable dinners? Or do you take time to read books or articles of substance?
There are some serious benefits to reading every day. Here are 10 of them, from lifehack.org:
1. Mental Stimulation
Studies have shown that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress of (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimer's and Dementia, since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power. Use it or lose it!
2. Stress Reduction
Losing yourself in a great story helps your stress all slip away. An engaging article will distract you and keep you in the present moment, letting tensions drain away and allowing you to relax.
3. Knowledge
Need we say more?
4. Vocabulary Expansion
Also vital for learning new languages.
5. Memory Improvement
You may not even think about it, but as you read a book you have to remember an assortment of characters, their backgrounds, ambitions, history and nuances, as well as the various arcs and sub-plots that weave their way through every story.
Every new memory you create forges new synapses (brain pathways) and strengthens existing ones, which assists in short-term memory recall as well as stabilizing moods. How cool is that?
6. Stronger Analytical Thinking Skills
You put critical and analytical thinking to work by solving mysteries before they are revealed, analyzing details in critiquing the plot, deciding whether it was a well-written piece, if the storyline ran smoothly, etc.
7. Improved Focus and Concentration
In our internet-crazed world, our attention is drawn in a million different directions at once as we multi-task through every day. Reading centers all your attention on the story and reminds your brain how to focus.
8. Better Writing Skills
Similar to vocabulary expansion, well-written works have a noted effect on one's own writing.
9. Tranquility
In addition to the relaxation that accompanies reading a good book, it's possible the subject you read about can bring immense inner peace and tranquility. Reading spiritual texts can lower blood pressure and bring an immense sense of calm, while reading self-help books has been shown to help people suffering from certain mood disorders and mild mental illnesses.
10. Free Entertainment
There actually IS such a thing as a free lunch! Head down to your local library and get lost in the glory of the sheer volume of books available to you. If you don't have a local library, or if you are mobility impaired and can't easily get to your library, most libraries now have their books available in some type of ePub format so you can read them on your e-reader, iPad, or on your computer.
There are also many sources online where you can download free e-books, so go hunting for something new to read!
What to Read Next?
If you need some ideas about what to read next, lifehack.org provides you with a starting point:
-- and remember, we will be giving you recommendations once a month, starting in July!
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