Feeling under the weather? Just don’t have the energy to hit the treadmill? Try this: Tell yourself you only have to exercise for five minutes. If you don’t feel right after five minutes, stop and don’t feel bad about it. Nine times out of ten, you’ll feel better, and keep going.

Canyon Ranch in Tucson and Lenox offer the wonderful Ashiatsu Deep Barefoot Massage, a relatively new form of the ancient art of Ashiatsu (ashi meaning foot and atsu meaning pressure). The distinctive techniques of Thailand, China, India and the West combine to make this massage unique.

In Ashiatsu, the therapist uses his or her feet to create a completely relaxing and physically beneficial experience for guests. Holding onto bars attached to the ceiling to allow just the right amount of balance and pressure, therapists use foot strokes to apply flowing, deep pressure on strategic points along the spine and legs.

Balanced meals with carbohydrates, protein and small amounts of healthy fat are satisfying and prevent big spikes in blood sugar – the same goes for snacks. Almost all sources of protein include some fat, so if you just think about combining carbohydrate and protein, you’ll have your bases covered. So instead of just having crackers or apple slices, top them with a little natural nut butter or cheese – you’ll have more energy and be less likely to overeat at your next meal. And you’ll be doing good things for your overall health.

Balanced meals with carbohydrates, protein and small amounts of healthy fat are satisfying and prevent big spikes in blood sugar – the same goes for snacks. Almost all sources of protein include some fat, so if you just think about combining carbohydrate and protein, you’ll have your bases covered. So instead of just having crackers or apple slices, top them with a little natural nut butter or cheese – you’ll have more energy and be less likely to overeat at your next meal. And you’ll be doing good things for your overall health.

It’s not always easy to get along with the people you live with. Sometimes the ones you are closest to can be the most aggravating. While there is no magic pill to create harmony in the home, simply listening can do wonders for family relations.

“The power of listening closely to another person diminishes bitterness and conflict. When we really listen to others, it’s pretty difficult to fight with them,” says Ann Pardo, director of Behavioral Health at Canyon Ranch in Tucson.

It’s not just for parents or adults either. The listening trick can even work for kids.

“Teenagers sometimes have a hard time listening because their world is so full of anxiety and they have too much mental chatter going on to be able to listen. But when you do find a teenager who really listens, it’s like they’re from another planet,” Ann says.

Being a good listener may sound easy at first, but people still sometimes fail. When that happens, Ann says to forgive them when they don’t listen, particularly family, because it’s usually due to too much technology, too much speed, and too many tasks to be done in too short of time.

Well, it looks like your Mom was right after all when she told you to stand up straight and stop slouching.

About eight out of every 10 people will experience a back or neck problem at some point in their lives. Approximately 90% will recover spontaneously. Unfortunately, once you have experienced a problem, recurrence is common.

Almost all neck and back pain result from poor posture, so remember Mom’s advice. Don’t become another back-pain statistic.

Happiness at work is an important aspect of reducing stress, and there’s a movement afoot to bring the principles and practices of mindfulness to the workplace. So what would the Buddha do at work? He’d simply do his job well. A great American spiritual teacher puts it this way: “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

If you don’t like what you see when you look in the mirror, it might be because you’re comparing yourself to the picture-perfect images of super models splashed all over magazines, billboards and commercials.

Many people develop self-esteem problems when they realize they can’t be like the images they’ve been inundated with all their lives.

“We all spend huge amounts of time comparing ourselves to others,” says Ann Pardo, director of Behavioral Health at Canyon Ranch in Tucson. “Unfortunately our culture is extremely misinformed about weight and body image. Few people understand that mental and physical fitness are what really matters.”

It’s important to have healthy self-esteem because it affects many areas of your life. People have healthier relationships, become more resilient, enliven their spirits and, as a Washington State University study found, cope with negative situations better when they feel good about themselves.

Self-esteem improves when you concentrate on a “whole person” approach to life and not just worry about weight or looks. Learning how to live in your body with joy helps your self-esteem skyrocket. And it’s more than just having confidence. Self-esteem means believing that you have the right to experience success and personal fulfillment.

Does a stone seem like a soothing object to use in a massage? Well, it is. The Canyon Stone Massage is, in fact, highly popular because it is utterly relaxing and effective.

Smooth, rounded basalt stones are heated in water then lubricated with essential oils and applied to the body as an extension of the therapist’s hands. The heat within the stones penetrates your muscle tissue inducing deep relaxation without overheating.The result is will make you say ahhh.

What have you done lately to nourish your spirit? Your inner life need attention just as your body does. Think about what you can do in your own neighborhood.

Yoga or meditation classes help foritfy the spirit. Find a nearby yoga studio and buy passes or a month’s membership. Most studios will offer a variety of classes ranging from beginning yoga to meditation classes.