How on earth can tips for healthy living be boiled down to just three?! Well, they can’t but we are going to provide three important tips that are critical to living a healthy life.

1. Laugh a lot.

I know, you were expecting me to say “eat a lot of spinach” or “bike 10 miles a day” but laughing is more important than that. There have been studies done on common factors in people who live to be over 100. A wit and a sense of humor were way up there as top factors along with curiosity (which we referenced in Healthy Living Practices) as common factors for longevity. So what are you doing every single day to laugh more? We make a habit of watching funny videos on YouTube and also identifying good comedy clubs in our area. Finding a comedy club that has breathable air, decent food and comedians who can do a routine without cuss words is a challenge but we decided that laughing was a goal worth working on.

We also have a yearly Belly Buster Party or a Belly Laugh Party as we have mentioned in previous posts. We have found too that we are hanging out more and more with people who are funny and fun to be around. No more complainers. Life is too short to spend complaining with complainers. Instead, let’s laugh more in spite of anything external that may be going on (wars, economy, unemployment, taxes, etc) that is not laughable.

2. Build close relationships.

You don’t need many, just a few good friends who bring value into your life. If you look around and find yourself coming up short on close relationships, do something about it. Take action. If you are like I was, you are the reason there aren’t close friends calling you to have a good relationship. I blamed everyone else because I thought I was perfect. I have found out that it was ME who was preventing people from getting close to me.

Vital Friends: The People You Can’t Afford to Live Without by Tom Rath is a great book that analyzes the different kinds of friendships we have throughout life. It helped me understand why I value certain people but can’t seem to want to have them near me ALL of the time, just some of the time. Different friends bring different strengths to our relationships and they all contribute to our healthy lifestyles.

3. Honor thy body with good nutrition.

If you live in the United States, you will be challenged to find healthy food to eat that honors your body. This activity, too, is worth pursuing as much as laughter. It’s so much easier to buy food from a large chain grocery store, gobble up dinner and keep on going but most of that food works Against you instead of For you. Selecting, buying and preparing really healthy food is not easy and it’s not cheap. But you are so worth it. There are many fabulous cooking sites that provide ideas and recipes that make it so easy for the rest of us. Do the work up front to identify those really healthy sites and follow their lead to honor your body with good food.

One site I really like is www.KristensRaw.com. She has done a lot of work to put together a fascinating blog on eating raw foods. Yummy. I don’t know Kristen but was referred to her site by a dear friend.

Www.Foodnetwork.com is also a favorite site I like to use to cruise for recipes. I have to put filters on the fatty foods, though, because some of their chefs do not provide recipes for healthy living. The site is so easy to use and is a favorite of mine.

Www.WholeFoods.com is also a fabulous site to find really healthy foods with high nutrition content. Whole Foods is one of my favorite places to shop. If you don’t live near one, use their website!

There are lots of (way too many) good books on eating your way to good health. One of my favorites is Honest Eating: How to Love Food, Love Yourself & Love Life. McClaren recently spoke at an event in our area and she is funny, high energy and a real hoot. She’s also done all the hard work to research ways to keep your body healthy. I recommend her book and she’d be a great speaker at any events you might want to host.

The point I am trying to make is, value your body temple. Watch what you put into it. Pay attention to the level of honor you pay to your one and only body and don’t let yourself be shocked at what you see. Eat healthy.

If you are as passionate about eating healthy as we are, you may even want to learn to be a dietitian or nutritionist. Following is a video that may inspire you.

To become a professional dietitian, get certified by earning a bachelor’s degree in dietetic nutrition or wellness consulting, take on an internship and achieve a passing score on the national certification test. Learn the importance of passion and dedication which pursuing a career as a nutritionist in thisfree video on nutrition from a professional wellness counselor. Expert: Isabelle Simon Contact: www.herbal-nutrition.net/isimon Bio: Isabelle Simon has a Bachelor of Science in Wellness Consulting, has been a practicing nutritionist for almost a decade. Currently she owns a wellness consulting business, www.herbal-nutrition.net. Filmmaker: Christopher Rokosz