Elective Actions

Use today as an excuse to exercise your body, mind, and spirit:

• Leave your car in the driveway and walk or pedal to work. Or round a track or sprint up stadium steps at a nearby school.

• Dust off mental cobwebs by challenging your mind. Play a trivia game that tests your knowledge or try to recall the names of US presidents. If you get stuck, look them up. Or just pick one to learn more about — studies show that simply reading regularly may slow cognitive decline.

• Just as activating your brain and body helps maintain health, spiritual stimulation helps you maintain balance. Write down 3 habits you know need pruning, and 3 virtues you’d like to promote… then work on both — offer to help a neighbor, perform a good deed for a stranger, or extend an olive branch to someone with whom you’ve butted heads. If you subscribe to a particular belief, increase your prayer or meditation time with readings or quiet reflections.