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Thanksgiving is such a perfect time to give thanks for all our blessings. Most Americans do that, which is wonderful, but how long can we maintain that thankful feeling? I recently heard someone say, “Isn’t it amazing how Americans can spend a whole day being thankful for all they have, and then trample each other the next day, to buy more stuff?”

What if we were thankful every day? What if we looked for things to be grateful for in our everyday lives? What if when we woke up, we thought about how lucky we are to have a bed to sleep in, a clock to keep us on schedule, running water to shower, food for breakfast, and a comfortable place to eat it. I know I’m especially grateful in the mornings for coffee.

Being thankful can truly affect your health. The Harvard Health Publications, Mayo Clinic, New York Times, Science Daily, WebMD and the Huffington Post have all reported on studies that conclude that feelings of gratitude lead to better health and happiness.

When a person feels grateful, it pushes away anger, depression, sadness, and anxiety. The more thankful you become, the less room there is for negative emotions. When negative emotions are replaced with positive ones, people feel better, and, according to www.Health.Harvard.Edu, actually wind up exercising more. This starts an upward spiraling motion into a state of well-being. The New York Times reported, “Cultivating an ‘attitude of gratitude’ has been linked to better health, sounder sleep, less anxiety and depression, higher long-term satisfaction with life and kinder behavior toward others.”

So start looking for things to be grateful for. If that seems difficult, think of a large reason to be thankful and break it apart into smaller reasons. For example, if you’re thankful for your family, take time to be thankful for each person in your family: Mother, father, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, etc. Instead of feeling grateful for your home, feel grateful for the walls and roof that keep you warm and dry when it rains, the windows for letting in the light, the furniture to sit on, the dishes to eat from, the closets and drawers to store things. As you think of things, let yourself truly feel the gratitude, and then notice what happens as you do. The more time you take, the more you’ll realize how much you truly have to be thankful for.

To take it to the next level, express your feelings of gratitude. If someone holds a door open for you, look them in the eye and give them a genuine thank you. That’s so much different than looking at the ground and mumbling a barely audible, “thanks.”

If a family member does the dishes, takes out the trash or pours you a cup of coffee, tell them how much you appreciate them. It truly deepens the relationship. It’s amazing how such a simple, sincerely felt thank you can turn someone’s day around.

When someone receives gratitude, whether from a loved one or a complete stranger, it makes them feel good. It lifts them up. Everyone wants to be appreciated. Everyone. There is no exception. And it feels good to say an honest thank you. At some level, you can feel how your appreciation is received. You can never go wrong saying a sincere thank you.

If you want to fall asleep easily, count your blessings. If you want to wake up happily, count your blessings. If you want to turn your negative thoughts around, count your blessings. If you want to have a closer relationship with a family member or friend, tell them how grateful you are for them. If you want to feel more confident, tell yourself an honest compliment. If you want to make someone’s day, tell them why you appreciate them.

Make it a daily habit to be grateful. You’ll be surprised how much comes back to you.

With the holidays quickly approaching, many of us become stressed and fatigued trying to keep up with everything the festivities bring with them. During this time, it’s important to take care of yourself, physically and emotionally.

One wonderful option to nurture yourself is through yoga, which is not a religion but promotes health and peace of mind.

According to WebMD.com, “Yoga benefits chronic medical conditions, relieving symptoms of asthma, back pain, and arthritis.” Yoga also is touted as a way to improve mood, blood pressure, balance, posture, concentration, learning, memory, lung capacity and strength.

The Mayo Clinic reports on yoga that, “Certain benefits, particularly stress reduction, can be seen in as little as one day.” The reason yoga, as well as other natural/alternative/holistic therapies, tends to offer so many benefits, is that they bring the body back into balance, or homeostasis. When this happens, symptoms of disease lessen or disappear. This is why it’s important to talk to your doctor when doing any form of alternative healing along with taking prescription drugs. Learning the symptoms of overmedication is imperative because you may find that your need for them diminishes.

Most anyone can benefit from some form of yoga, even when sick or injured. It’s a matter of choosing the correct form for your situation and the right teacher to help you find the proper asanas (poses) and modifications, if necessary. If you’re unsure about where to start, talk to a yoga instructor about your situation. The instructor should be able to guide you to the right type of class.

There are many different types of yoga: Iyengar, Kundalini, Bikram, Power and Restorative, to name just a few. The different types can vary quite a bit from each other, and they can vary from one instructor to the next.

Restorative yoga is an excellent format to help one through this hectic season, because relaxation is an antidote to stress. Restorative yoga is also great for anyone dealing with fibromyalgia or cancer, going through a major life change such as the loss of a loved one or a job change, or desiring a lovely, relaxing hour. The poses are all done in a very relaxed state with the body supported with bolsters, blankets, blocks and straps so the student can completely relax into the positions.

Each comfortable pose is maintained for five to 10 minutes with eyes closed, and the body and brain quiet. The idea is to feel completely supported to allow a deep sense of relaxation. This reduces muscle tension and relieves anxiety, which benefits the internal organs.

Restorative yoga focuses on effortlessness and ease, allowing the body to move toward a state of balance. This practice calms the nervous system and invites you to release deeply held tension. This reduces blood pressure and blood sugar levels, increases the “good cholesterol” levels, improves digestion, insomnia and generalized fatigue.

Sometimes Restorative Yoga instructors have the class focus on breath, or give specific cues that bring attention to certain body parts to enhance relaxation. Usually meditative music plays softly in the background. Some instructors say a guided meditation, and sometimes have incense or scented candles in the room. Each instructor runs the class a little differently.

This holiday season, make the time, take the time, to nurture yourself. The holiday season will come and go, but your body will be with you for your lifetime. The better you take care of yourself, the more enjoyment you’ll have in life. So find something that will allow you to relax and rejuvenate every now and then. If you can do it yourself, terrific! Do it! If you could use a little help, instruction, or motivation, consider trying a yoga class.

Yoga is everywhere these days. Try a few different classes to see what suits you. People have been enjoying the benefits of yoga for more than 5,000 years. Try it and you may figure out why it’s been around for so long.

Every exercise should be done with proper form, whether it’s working with weights, doing a pushup, swimming, walking, yoga or whatever.

Good form helps us avoid injuries, get the most benefit from our efforts, and promotes good posture. Our exercise posture translates directly to our walking posture, standing posture and even our sitting posture, and may directly affect our breathing and digestion.

Often times we think we have correct form, when we really do not. Have you ever been out walking and caught a glimpse of yourself in a windowed store front or mirror, only to realize your posture (form) is far from correct? Perhaps your chin is jutting forward, your shoulders hunched, and your back rounded? When you notice, you immediately correct it, right?

This is why gyms have mirrors. It’s not to admire one’s hairdo. It’s so people can check to see if their feet are parallel to each other, or their knees are over their ankles, the shoulders even, their back straight, and so on. If you know what to look for, you can self adjust to keep yourself safe and get a better workout.

Let’s say you are interested in strengthening your legs, and decide to do lunges and squats. These are both great exercises if you do them correctly. If these are done with the knees bent forward of the toes, this can be harmful to the patellar tendon, the soft tissue that connects the leg muscles to the knee. Instead, make sure the knee does not extend past the ankle. It’s also important to ensure the knee does not collapse to the side.

A very common error is pulling on the head during crunches and sit-ups. Instead of working the abdominal muscles, the head is cranked up and down. This gives the feeling of lifting the upper torso, which is what we want, but does little to nothing for the abdominal muscles, and can injure the neck.

When working with weights, do not let gravity take over. After lifting a weight, it should be slowly lowered back down, staying in control throughout the movement. Also, do not use momentum to lift weights. This is dangerous and should be avoided. If this is happening, lessen the amount of weight you are using.

Make sure the neck doesn’t tense during exercise. This can create neck or shoulder pain and sometimes headaches. Try to keep the neck uninvolved while exercising. If this seems difficult, practice the movements with little to no weight until you’re able to do them without engaging the neck muscles. Then gradually add more weight.

I’ve seen people in a gym learn from watching strangers around them, and I’ve spoken with people who learn from magazines or the Internet. I do not recommend these forms of learning, as the information may not be correct.

If you’re looking to really take care of yourself when you exercise, consult a certified personal trainer, at least to start with. They will be able to offer you ideas about the exercises that are right for your particular body, watch and correct your form, and teach the proper technique so you can safely achieve your goals.

There are a variety of trainers right here in the Valley, with different specialties. Some like working with athletes, some with the older population, some like body building, functional fitness, yoga, the list goes on and on. Look around to find one that’s right for you.

Hiring a trainer is not a lifelong commitment, and you can try one session if you like, to see how it goes and if it’s a good fit for you. You may learn some new techniques and new exercises that can be a fun challenge for you. You may also find new motivation to exercise, and possibly even a new friend.