• Never hit the snooze button again.  According to a study from the Archives of General Psychiatry, sleeping too much can reduce your lifespan.  The study of more than a million people found that those who sleep more than eight hours a night have a significantly higher death rate than normal.  But, sleeping less than four hours also increases death rates. People who sleep between seven and eight hours per night were shown to live the longest.  If you feel the need to hit the snooze button, go to bed 15 minutes earlier.
• Get a pet.  According to Dr. Karen Allen at State University of New York, pets reduce stress and lower blood pressure.  If you’re allergic to cats and dogs, get a goldfish.  Aquariums reduce stress levels too.  The number one thing that ages us is stress.
• Take a nap.  According to the book Secrets of Longevity, people who nap at least half an hour a day are 30 percent less likely to develop heart disease than those who don’t.
• Eat more berries.  They contain the highest levels of antioxidants than almost any other food.  That means they slow down aging and memory loss.

• “How could you do this to me?”  It’s not really about you.  They didn’t fail Spanish or get a navel ring to upset you.  Most teens are caught up in their own little world.  And the last thing on their mind is you.  So get into their world.  Jane Nelson, coauthor of Positive Discipline for Teenagers, suggests asking: “What are you trying to accomplish by doing this?”  Turning an argument into a real conversation will give you the chance to find out more about the adult your teen is becoming.
• “That boy is too old for you.”  That will just make him more intriguing.  But don’t ignore it!  Studies show that a girl who has a relationship with a boy who is 2 or 3 years older is more likely to be intimate - and more likely to regret it.  But psychologists say that if you ban the boy, they’ll find ways to meet up anyway.  Instead, tell her that she can see him only in your home, under your supervision.  Teens say parents are the number one influence on their decision to wait until they’re married.
•  “You need to lose weight.”  First, they probably already know and feel self-conscious about it.  And secondly, there’s really no nice way to tell someone they’re fat.  Before you say anything, be sure your child really is overweight.  Doctors say that teens pack on a lot of healthy weight during adolescent growth spurts.  Usually about 15 pounds for girls, and 31 pounds for boys.  So, check out the Body Mass Index calculator for kids at kidshealth.org.  If they are overweight, set a good example.  Exercise more yourself, and create family opportunities to burn calories together.  Also, since you’re the one buying the groceries, don’t bring junk food into the house.

• For instance:  Why do you have to ask him 3 times to fold the laundry when he’s only a few feet away from you?  There’s a legitimate reason:  It turns out that women’s voices have a more complex sound quality than men’s – so guys have a harder time focusing on what you’re saying.
• Why does a man always win a marathon?  Because men have a greater lung capacity – 30% greater. So they can run longer without running out of breath.
• When it comes to comfort food – women eat it when they’re sad, but men eat it when they’re happy.  Comfort foods trigger an uplifting brain chemical, called serotonin.  And women crave comfort foods to pull them out of a bad mood.  Whereas men like to exaggerate a good mood so they eat when they’re happy.  And their favorites are pasta, and pizza.  For women, the #1 comfort food is ice cream.
• So why is it that women have to worry about wrinkles at age 30, but men don’t have to until they turn 40?  That's because a man’s skin is 20% thicker, so men don’t show their age as quickly.
• Why do women cry their eyes out at the end of a sad movie,  while men will sit there stone-faced?  Well, men do have feelings, but they don’t have as much prolactin – a hormone responsible for tears – as women do.
• Finally, why is it so hard for guys to open up?  Because emotions are only connected to 2 areas of a man’s brain – compared to 9 areas in a woman’s brain.

To hear the interview, click on Gary's picture.

• Rule #1:  Make your goal realistic.  For example, if you think you can go for 5 days without eating any junk food, then make that your first diet goal.  Dr. Mary Vernon, president of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, says that once you meet that goal, pick something new to accomplish.
• Rule #2:  Pick more than one reason to lose weight.  If your only reason for dieting is to look good in your swimsuit, you’ll have a hard time making a lifelong change. Instead, think about how your weight loss will affect you in bigger ways, like your health.
• Rule #3:  Have a plan for when you fall off the wagon.  James Newman, a nutritionist at Tahlequah City Hospital in Oklahoma, says one meal doesn’t define your diet, so don’t label yourself as a failure. Instead - follow any “cheat” meal with at least 5 healthy meals. That way you’ll be eating right more than 80 percent of the time.
• Rule #4:  Use your mind to determine whether you’re really hungry. For example, the next time you’re craving Cheetos or chocolate, imagine eating an apple, or a piece of salmon.  Bio-chemist Dr. Richard Feinman says that if the apple or salmon doesn’t sound good, you’re not really hungry.
• Rule #5:  Learn to be smart about your hunger:  Before taking a bite of food, ask yourself, “Will this move me one step closer to my goals, or further away?”  90 percent of the time you’ll make a better choice.
  

• Travel alone.  Whether you're trekking through Australia’s Outback or enjoying a cruise through Mexico, traveling by yourself builds a sense of confidence you can't get any other way.  That’s because when you’re in an unfamiliar place, you have to make your own decisions and rely on yourself.  You can’t rely on someone else to get you from point A to point B, to feed you, to bail you out when you get lost.  You have to act wisely and be alert every day, which will build valuable self-reliance you’ll treasure - even when you find a partner.
• Wallow in the ache of a broken heart.  Getting dumped feels awful, but it's the only way to develop the empathy you'll need to be a better partner.  When you honestly tune-in to the grief someone has caused you, you're less likely to carelessly hurt another person.  So, consider this an important lesson that’ll serve you well as you maneuver through the dating pool.
• Spend a weekend with a married couple your age.  On lonely nights, you probably envision marriage as a cozy arrangement in which spouses snuggle on the couch and watch TV, listen to music or simply hang out.  Spend 48 hours with a real couple and you'll learn that in between the snuggling comes bickering, chores, silent treatments and maybe even a slammed door or two.  It’ll show you what married life is truly like, so you won't over-idealize what it means to be in a relationship.
• Be completely single for at least three months.  Jumping from one relationship to the next is a bad move.  When you're on your own, you really get to know yourself.  The more you know yourself, the more likely you are to find someone who's right for the real you.