Meditating is as good for your body as it is for your spirit. Doing it regularly will not only improve concentration and calm your mind, but research shows that it may also relieve tension headaches, make it easier to quit smoking, improve a heart condition, ease a high-cholesterol problem, relieve depression, and help reduce fibromyalgia and chronic pain.

Try it: "As little as five minutes a day of meditation can help," says David Rakel, M.D., director of the University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine Program, in Madison, WI. "Just focus on your breath, a word or a prayer. Start simple and small, and use the breathing to guide you."

—Lorie Parch

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