Being healthy isn’t all about just hitting the gym and eating right, although it helps; there is much more involved in the health equation. It is recommended that you get at least 30 to 60 minutes of exercise per day at least five days per week. I understand that exercising is a huge time commitment and that life is busy, but try to follow the recommendations the best you can.

Remember, if you are not breaking a sweat, you are not working hard enough!

So, putting exercise aside, being healthy mentally and physically requires a lot more than just getting the heart rate up. Below are 10 simple ways to a healthier you! Each of the following will help increase your energy levels and in turn, better workouts and more productive days will be the result.

Washington, D.C. may be more famous for political gridlock, but apparently the capitol city knows how to get one thing done correctly – fitness.

The second annual list of America’s fittest cities published by the WellPoint Foundation has been released, and Washington, D.C. has landed itself in the top spot. It made its way up from fourth place in 2008.

The WellPoint Foundation collected data from the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. There is only one other year to compare the statistics, but what the second year allows the researchers is to evaluate the progress or regression of the areas examined.

According to the background information provided, Live Happy is a positive psychology iPhone app based on the happiness research of psychology professor and author of The How of Happiness, Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky. The app includes personalization based on short quizzes and research-based activities that can increase happiness. These activities include:

Goal Setting/Evaluating/Tracking
Expressing Gratitude Directly
Keeping a Gratitude Journal
Replaying Happy Days
Keeping a Savoring Album
Envisioning Your Best Possible Self
Nurturing Relationships
and Remembering Acts of Kindness

How many times have we said this to ourselves: “If only I could lose 10 pounds, then I would be happy,” or “I can never be truly happy as long as my back continues to hurt.”

What it takes to be happy may not be a consequent of losing weight or having a pain-free lumbar spine, but rather, making the choice to be a happy person irrespective of weight or pain may determine just how healthy we can be.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Rick Foster, one of the co-authors of Happiness & Health. Rick and fellow author Greg Hicks discuss their breakthrough research and findings on what it takes to find the two things we covet most in life: Happiness and Health. Rick and Greg are also the authors of the bestselling and international sensation How We Choose to Be Happy.

Continue reading to see the interview.

What do you do for others that you do not do for yourself? Do you clean more deeply when visitors are coming? Even though most people enjoy the results of a put together home, many are a bit more lax when just the family will see the contents. Do you only use the soft towels when you have guests? Do you get something fast and less healthy when it is just you? Are you more likely to cook with the freshest ingredients when you have a dinner guest? How would your family dinner be different if Jillian Michaels was coming for a visit? Are you more likely to go to exercise every day when your high school reunion is approaching?