People who are ambidextrous may experience less joint pain than individuals who prefer using their right or left hand for daily tasks. When possible, try to use both hands to alleviate the pain of using one dominant hand.

“It’s really important to do something you enjoy every day,” Rob Udewitz, Ph.D., says. Hobbies such as knitting can help reduce stress response; other hobbies — especially ones that involve working with your hands, including cooking, sewing, woodworking or gardening — can create similar calming responses. Incorporating these leisure activities can help pull you out of your funk because you’re forced to focus on something outside yourself.

Trapping your feet in heels may make catch you a little time in the limelight, but it’s your ankles, knees, and hips will require more attention after too much time teetering on too-tall heels. The angle forces your ankle joints to work overtime to keep things balanced and erodes cartilage. To help your hips and legs, lower your standard heels. A 3-inch heel puts seven times as much pressure on your foot (which also affects your ankles and knees) as a 1-incher. Cap heel height at 2 inches and opt for platforms or wedges to make your walk more comfortable and for extra stability, search for soles with shock-absorbing materials like cork and rubber.

To prevent aching shoulders and neck, work below shoulder level whenever possible or if working about shoulder level, perform the task for five minutes or less.

Copper kettles looking a bit green?  Bring it back to its original luster by opening your refrigerator.  Grab the ketchup and paint it on the copper.  Let it sit a few minutes, wipe clean and rinse with water.  The copper will shine!

Exfoliating scrubs or peels are like tough love for your complexion: A bit of abrasion can sends dead skin cells packing and exposes a softer skin underneath. But too much exfoliation can take instigate acne, make skin more vulnerable to irritation and cause rashes, breakouts, bacterial infection and scarring. If feel your skin can usually stand the extra scrub, you should still bypass products with rough particles and opt for ones featuring smooth beads made from jojoba wax (a moisturizing plant oil) or beeswax. Check with you dermatologist, and if your scrub feels too harsh, save it for dry spots like knees and elbows. Moisturize to help prevent irritation, wait a week between exfoliating treatments, and limit at-home peels to once every 2 weeks. If you feel burning (a little sting is normal), immediately rinse with water, apply moisturizer, and toss the peel.

No matter how much you love your suitcase-sized purse, eventually you’re going to feel the effects weighing on your muscles and they may begin to tear. Fast-forward 5 to 10 years and you’ve got shoulder numbness and tingling from pinched nerves, back pain, and arthritis of the neck. To combat the effects, sort through your purse (you’ll be amazed at all of the random things you’ve accumulated).  Switch sides every 10 minutes when walking around, and every hour or so, drop the bag and roll your shoulders backward and then forward to relieve muscle tension. Consider switching to smaller bags at least a few times a week to lighten the load and the wear and tear.

Researchers found that classical music, particularly Baroque, works well. Music with adagio movements of 60 beats per minute produced heightened alpha brain wave activity similar to that found during deep states of mediation and relaxation.

Any peeling paint or stain left untreated will grow to be a bigger headache next year.  Stay ahead of the game by fixing small spots before winter sets in. On a hot, dry day Sand off loose or peeling stain and/or paint.  Wipe or wash area clean.  Paint primer on wood and allow it to dry, then stain or paint the wood.

If the soil holds together without packing densely, it’s just right. It means the soil is slightly moist, and forms a weak ball with rough surfaces, no water staining on fingers, and a few soil grains break away. If the soil crumbles apart when you open your fingers, it’s too dry. When it’s too wet, it forms a ball with well-defined finger marks, light to heavy soil/water coating on fingers, ribbons between thumb and forefinger.