The following was produced in partnership with GM BuyPower Card. When you use your GMBuyPowerCard to purchase health and wellness essentials, you can getEarnings towards the purchase or lease of a new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicle*, or use Earnings towards statement creditsofup to $250 a year on qualifying vehicle care and certain GM extras**for your current GM vehicle.

Managing a household of little kids is a full-time occupation: Wake, wash, dress, feed, repeat. With all that needs to be done, finding time to take care of your own physical and psychological wellness can feel impossible. These quick and easy wellness tips can help you help yourself.

1. Commit to 27 minutes of daily mindfulness. Thats the amount researchers found resulted in measurable changes in the gray matter of peoples brains, increasing density in areas responsible for feelings of compassion and decreasing it in areas related to stress and anxiety. You dont have to practice mindfulness for 30 minutes straight sit quietly and contemplate your breathing for 10 minutes in the morning and a few more at night.

2. Walk in the woods.One study shows that a 20-minute stroll through your local park can lower your heart rate and blood pressure, and increase the feeling of happiness. Scientists have found that natural environments activate our parasympathetic nervous system (feelings of relaxation) while suppressing the sympathetic system (fight-or-flight feelings). If the park is too far, consider filling your favorite reading nook with more plants.

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3. Add turmeric to your cooking. You might know it as the spice that turns curry dishes yellow, but turmeric also helps with lifes ills. To wit: Studies have found it to be a powerful anti-inflammatory (good for sore muscles), antioxidant (can help you feel and look younger), and a protector against heart disease. Whew.

4. Sprinkle lavender essential oil on your pillow. Just a drop or two can help induce a sense of calm.

5. Set up a relaxation zone in your home.Its important to have a stress-free space in your life, so make sure theres a comfortable, distraction-free space in your home where you can exercise, nap, and relax.

6. Limit blue light before bed. If youre checking texts and email right up until lights out, youre setting yourself up for a lousy night of sleep and not necessarily because youre stressing about work. The blue light emitted by your tech devices sends signals to your brain that inhibit the production of melatonin, a chemical that makes you feel drowsy. Put away your phone and laptop an hour before bed to help your night be a restful one.

7. Carve out your own space. Contrary to what early 21st-century architects thought, it turns out that open seating plans can inhibit productivity. Workers in open offices spend an undue amount of time making phone calls from stairwells and empty conference rooms instead of sitting at their desks, research shows. Find yourself a little piece of personal space at work or home where you can take a minute for yourself to just breathe.

8. Build the perfect breakfast bowl.Oats + walnuts + berries + cinnamon + milk = Awesome way to start your day

9. Do the plank. Planks are an essential, effective workouts move, if you do them right: Start lying face-down on the floor, torso propped up on your elbows. Engaging your core, raise your body up onto your forearms and toes, making sure your body forms one long line from shoulders to feet. Hold this position as long as you can, working your way up to 90 seconds.

10. Manage your money. Money worries are one of the biggest sources of stress for parents. Saving for college, home mortgages, and big-ticket items like a new family car can cause serious angst. Create a priority list with your partner of purchases you want to make this year, then figure out how much of the household budget youll need to set aside each week to help you reach your goal.While youre at it, make sure your credit card works harder for you. The GM BuyPower Card, for example, can offer Earnings toward a new GM vehicle.*

11.Exercise for 51 minutes a week. For as little as seven minutes of sweat a day,you can reduce your risk of dying by 33 percent,according to research. Walk, jog, ride a bike, or jump rope. Anything that gets your heart rate up counts. If thats not motivation enough, scientists found that people who exercised for 10 minutes a day were, yes, happier than those who did not. So, you know, get after it!

12. Eat earlier. If youre trying to drop a few pounds, consider pushing up the hour for your evening meal: People who ate dinner earlier in the afternoon felt less hungry while raising their bodys fat-burning potential, according to a new study.

13. Stretch. Start with this great lower back stretch: Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Spread arms out to either side for support. Gently let your knees drop to the right side while you rotate your head and torso to the left. Return to center, repeat the stretch on the opposite side

14. Do a crossword. Challenging your mind can stave off the accumulation of a compound known as beta-amyloid in the brain, responsible for diseases such as Alzheimers. Puzzles are a great way to do just this, so be sure to include the whole family.

15. Bring your neighbor flowers.Why? Because generosity sets off a neurological chain of events that results in feeling happy. Heres how it works: When you perform an act of kindness toward others, it activates the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) in your brain. TPJ is associated with feelings of empathy. In turn, the TPJ sends signals to the area of your brain known as the ventral striatum, which is responsible for producing feel-good emotions designed to encourage you to continue being generous.

16. Eat dark chocolate.Scientists in London have discovered that certain psychoactive ingredients in dark chocolate act as a buffer against depression, lowering feeling of sadness by 70 percent in people who snacked on the sweet compared to those who did not.

17. Do 40 push-ups in 60 seconds. Thats the benchmark for superior heart health in a study of 1,104 active men: Scientists found that those who could drop and do 40 in under a minute were 96 percent less likely to develop heart disease than those who squeaked out 10 or fewer. The push-up test was even better than the traditional treadmill test in determining cardiovascular health in the study.

18. Get a family dog. Mans best friend is also mans best motivator: New research shows that people with dogs exercise 58 percent more every week than those without, and also have significantly lower markers for heart disease and diabetes. Bonus: You now have at least one member of your household that wont talk back to you.

19. Have a guys night in. In your 20s, it was all about the boys night out. But youve moved on (thats a good thing) and while you still enjoy an occasional night out with the lads, its more relaxing (and less of a wallet drain) to have the gang up to your spot for a chill evening of good food and a throwback game of foosball.

20. Learn these five yoga animals.

Downward Dog: Create an inverted V-shape with your body by hiking your hips in the air while keeping hands and feet planted on the floor.

Cat-Cow: On all fours, toggle between arching your back and raising your face toward the ceiling and rounding your spine and dropping your head toward the floor.

Pigeon Pose: From a low lunge, place your hands on the floor and lean sideways, allowing the hip of your front bent leg to contact the floor. Create an L-shape on the floor with your front leg, keeping the back leg straight behind you. Lean forward to feel a stretch in your hip.

Cobra Pose: Lie face-down on the floor. Place your hands on either side of your shoulders, elbows bent. Push up through your palms, lifting chest off the floor and straightening your arms.

21. Power nap.Keep your snooze to 20 minutes: More than that and your brain heads off into deeper sleep stages known as REM, which will leave you feeling groggy and out of sorts when you wake up.

22. Wear yellow. Its the color we associate with energy and optimism (possibly because it reminds us of the sun) and wearing it could give your mood a boost. Another option: Paint the walls of your bedroom or bathroom in the feel-good hue.

23. Listen to music. For an instant pick-me-up, crank up the techno tunes or dance beats in your car on the way to work. Just 12 minutes a day of upbeat music can bring about a lasting positive effect in your mood over a two-week period.

24. Go heavy at the gym. To see real change in your muscle growth, you need to add at least one heavy lift dayto your weights workout. That means instead of your usual four sets of 10 reps, youll be looking to do three sets of 3 to 5 reps. Guys dont like to do it because the low volume makes it feel like its not a real workout. But give yourself three weeks, and your biceps will be telling you otherwise.

*BuyPower Card Earnings may not be used with fleet vehicle incentive programs or with some other offers and discounted sale programs such as the GM Employee Discount Program, GM Company-Owned Vehicle Discount and GM Supplier Discount Program. Other exclusions may apply.

**Starting August 20, 2019, redeem your Earnings for statement credits of up to $250 per calendar year, January 1 through December 31,for qualifying purchases on vehicle care and GM extras. Qualifying purchases on vehicle care and GM extras includecustomer paid Certified Service, parts and accessories purchased at an authorized GM dealership, as well as eligible GM subscription services, including most purchased OnStar and Connected Services plans and SiriusXM subscriptions. Does not include data plans. To redeem, log in to yourBuyPowerCard Earnings account and select the Redeem page. Redemptions must be made within 90 days from the date yourqualifyingpurchase was made. Please allow up to 3 business days after purchase for this transaction to appear on yourBuyPowerCard Account. Your statement credits are usually applied to your balance within 2 to 3 business days after redemption. All redemptions are final. Available on an openBuyPowerCard Account in good standing. Combine with most other offers. Other exclusions may apply.

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24 Wellness Tips for Mindfulness, Happiness, and Fitness - Fatherly