Though most couples are wary of the stress and conflict that can arise during vacations, spending time together can strengthen a relationship. In fact, romantic getaways are said to help couples reconnect, rekindle their passion, and build on their relationship. These romantic getaways are believed to not only benefit relationships, but overall health as well. According to travel studies, nine out of 10 Americans say they feel happier after vacationing and 77 percent believe that their vacations improved their health.

Here are five romantic destinations to consider:

1. Dreamy nightlife. New York City has a long, romantic cinematic history of romantic meetings on the top of the Empire State Building or even breakfast at Tiffany’s. But there are also tons of restaurants and hotspots that make for a romantic evening. Try an sunset carriage ride around Central Park, a romantic meal for two at One if by Land, Two is by Sea, or the classy drink at the unique Apotheke bar.
2. Lovely landmarks. Rome, Italy is known as the “Eternal City,” the home of ancient romantic poets. While touring the legendary landmarks take special notes of the beautiful fountains. You can make wishes together at the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) and the Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain). It is believed that throwing three coins in the Trevi Fountain will lead to marriage.
3. Romantic dancing. Do you and your partner love to dance? If so you should consider an exotic trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, the home of the tango, one of the world’s most romantic dances. While traveling you can book tickets to watch a tango show. Or consider a Buenos Aires tango tours where you can tour the city, dine while watching professionals dance, and take tango lessons together.
4. Spiritual serenity. If you and your partner really need to take a peaceful and serene vacation together consider Bali, Indonesia. Try visiting one of their beautiful temples on the coast. Or why not consider a relaxing soak in a jungle hot spring? There are also world-class spas in Bali that offer things like stone massages, aromatherapy, beach yoga, and spiritual meditation.
5. Historical significance. When it comes to romantic destinations, Paris, France always tops the list. If you want to travel to a picturesque historical city, Paris, the city of love, is the place for you. Consider international treasures like Moulin Rouge and the Eiffel Tower. There are also new romantic attractions to consider like Le Mur Des Je T’aime (The Wall of “I Love You’s”).

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Over 1.5 billion people in the world today are suffering from hypertension and over nine million people die due to hypertension complications like heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and diabetes. In fact, every year 24 percent of American women and 25 percent of American men die due to heart disease. Even though this condition is well known and preventative, only half of Americans with hypertension (about 47 percent) have their condition under control.

There are many risk factors for hypertension. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, everyone’s risk for high blood pressure increases with age. Other risk factors include smoking, drinking too much alcohol, getting little exercise, and eating an unbalanced diet (with lots of salty foods). Family history and genes are a risk as well.

Want to know how to you reduce your risk of high blood pressure? Are you struggling to control your condition? Here are a few Mindful tips:

1. Eat the right nutrients. A healthy diet can greatly reduce your risk of hypertension. Monitoring your intake salt is a start, but it’s also important to include nutrients that have been known to prevent high blood pressure. Include more calcium, magnesium and potassium in your meals.
2. Beware of stress. Being constantly stressed can affect your health and even lead to hypertension. To reduce your risk, remember to get lots of sleep and to simplify your busy schedule. Consider meditating or taking long baths to help you relax.
3. Stay active. According to the American Heart Association, it’s important to get “at least 150 minutes of moderate intense aerobic physical exercise every week.” That’s the equivalent to two and a half hours of exercise every week. With this amount of physical activity you can reduce your chances of getting hypertension.
4. Quit smoking. There are tons of heath side effects in regards to smoking and increased risk of hypertension is one of them. Finding the strength to quit is important for preventing this disease.
5. Visit the doctor. Some people may have hypertension without knowing it because they do not go to the doctor. Schedule regular check ups and get further assistance from a professional.

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Music and Memory started in 2006 when founder, Dan Cohen, had one simple wish: if he ever ended up in a nursing home, he would want to be able to listen to his favorite music from the 1960s. When he found out that none of the 16,000 nursing homes in the U.S. had iPods available to elderly residents, Cohen started volunteering and creating personalized playlists at a local New York nursing home. With booming success and funding from the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation in 2008, Cohen bought more iPods and expanded the program.

Today, Music and Memory has webinars and consulting services that train elder care professionals and family caregivers on the benefits of music for seniors with Alzheimer’s. With these services (and donated iPods), caregivers learn how to create personalized music libraries (sometimes 100- 200 songs for each residents) and when and how to best use this music with patients. With these unique services, Music and Memory has expanded. Their music programs have been implemented in more than 60 facilities throughout the U.S. (like California, Wisconsin, and New Jersey) and Canada (like New Brunswick and Ontario).

Alzheimer’s, a disease that affects memory, comprehension, language, and judgment, affects four to five million Americans today. While there currently isn’t a cure for dementia, studies have found that music can have a dramatic impact. Research shows that music therapy can improve speech performance and reduce anxiety and depression in Alzheimer’s patients. And in general, studies show that music can help “Alzheimer’s patients remember things required for their well-being and maintaining their independence.”

Many have testified that music changed the lives of their patients or family members that suffer from Alzheimer’s. Some residents in the music program are reported to do the “wheel chair boogie” and begin to take an interest in the world around them after listening to their iPod. Testimonials like these were used in a documentary, Alive Inside: The Story of Music and Memory, which was screened in New York in April 2012. You can see a clip of the documentary above.

Music and Memory is determined to bring musical health and emotional benefits to the 1.5 million residents in American nursing homes. Would you like to help this non-profit? Consider donating your old iPod/ MP3 player or make monetary donations that will go towards buying iPod shuffles (one iPod shuffle can be donated for $49) . To learn more about this organization consider visiting their website here.

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When Robyn Rosenberger started sewing capes she made them for her son, nephew, and dog. But after reading the blog about a young girl named Brenna, who suffers from an extremely rare skin disorder called Harlequin Ichthyosis, Rosenberger felt inspired. She asked Brenna’s mom, Courtney Westlake, if she could send her a cape for Brenna. And that was the beginning of TinySuperheroes.

Homemade TinySuperheroes capes are donated to children suffering from illnesses or overcoming disabilities. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 5.2 percent (or 2.8 million) of American children between the ages of five and 17 have disabilities and thousands of American kids suffer from terminal illnesses. So far TinySuperheroes has helped children who are overcoming medical challenges like cancer, cerebral palsy, chronic lung conditions, epilepsy, and heart disorders.

These capes are given to kids that “exemplify strength and determination as they overcome great adversity.” They’re made with donations and are created by Rosenberger and her volunteers. The capes are a simple gesture, but they truly bring joy to the kids and their parents. Once the children have become accustomed with the cape their pictures are taken and their inspirational stories are posted on the TinySuperheroes blog to help bring hope to others.

On April 15^th several children were admitted to the hospital due to injuries from the Boston Marathon bombing. Most of these kids experienced trauma like head wounds, leg fractures, broken femurs, and other injuries. Fortunately, Rosenberger and Zaarly (the company that processes Rosenberger’s orders) are committed to doing their part to help. Rosenberger sent capes to the hospitalized Boston Marathon victims thanks to donations from Zaarly.

Know of a worthy kid that could use a personalized superhero cape? You can nominate a child through the TinySuperheroes website. All you need is their name, email address, and short blurb you can write yourself about what makes these kids so super. If you rather not nominate a child you can still help. You can sponsor an Extraordinary TinySuperhero by donating money for their cape. It only costs $33.

To learn more about TinySuperheroes click here and to learn more about the capes they donate and the superhero capes they sale click here.

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National Women’s Health Week is coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health. It “encourages communities, businesses, the government, health organizations, and other groups to promote women’s health.” This is very crucial because though women are more likely to visit a medical provider than men (78 percent compared to 67 percent), overall Americans are making fewer visits to the doctor. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that both healthy Americans and Americans with poor health have reduced their doctor visits.

The top two leading causes of death for American women are heart disease (24 percent) and cancer (22 percent). Other medical conditions women should be wary of include: stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes. While genetics and other factors do contribute to these medical conditions, most can be prevented with proper health care.

To celebrate National Women’s Health Week, consider these Mindful tips from the U.S. Department of Health:

1. Schedule checkups. Start by regularly visiting the doctor. Consider making an appointment for this week and request preventive screenings and tests for serious medical conditions. This is important since screening for things like cancer can prevent premature death by up to 35 percent.
2. Exercise. Whether it’s swimming, yoga, walking around the neighborhood, or recreational sports, staying active is important for your health. But don’t go at it alone. Studies show that exercising with a partner or group yields the best results. So get your family, friends, and even your pets in on the action.
3. Eat healthy. Making healthy eating choices now can keep you from developing serious medical conditions later. Consider cutting the salt and unhealthy fat from your diet and replacing them with fruits and vegetables. You can find Mindful recipes here.
4. Invest in your mental health. Don’t just focus on your physical wellbeing, your mental health is also important. Stress and lack of sleep can all take a toll on your mental health. Fortunately, there are Mindful stress-busting tips to consider like doing yoga. Having trouble sleeping? Consider Mindful tips like creating a sleep ritual.
5. Kick unhealthy habits. We all have habits that we would like to quit, but some habits like smoking and binge drinking can greatly affect our health. This week analyze your habits and consider taking steps to break them. Find Mindful habit-breaking suggestions here.

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In honor of National Bike Month there are tons of events being held across the country. There are bicycle parades and rodeos in states like Minnesota.  States like Hawaii are hosting “Bike to Work Day.” complete with energizer stations at local stores. Looking for bike classes? In New York there are bike-riding classes for kids and in South Carolina there are safe traffic maneuvering classes. There are tons of other ways to get involved in your local community.

To celebrate National Bike Month, here are some Mindful Living biking facts:

1. Tons of Health benefits. Riding a bike can do wonders for your health. Bicycling can help you burn calories, tone muscles, improve mental health, boost your immune system and even lengthen your lifespan.  And the best part is that it doesn’t take long to reap the benefits. Riding consistently throughout the week (to work, the grocery store, etc.) can help you lose 13 pounds in your first year.
2. Save money. One of the great things about riding a bike is that it saves you money. The price of gas has gotten lower, but it can still drain the family finances. Paying to maintain a car is far more expensive than caring for a bike. And fewer cars on the street also mean less road wear (like potholes), saving taxpayer money.  In all, it’s been reported that bicycling could save Americans $4.6 billion.
3. Protect the environment. Limiting the amount of CO2 into the air is one of the biggest environmental benefits of using a bike. Cars and other motor vehicles make up 31 percent of the total carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. and “a short four-mile bicycle trip keeps 15 pounds of the pollutants out of the air.”
4. Strengthening a community. National Bike Month events aren’t the only ways bikes bring communities together. Some neighborhoods or schools host community bicycle events for the kids. There are also groups that bicycle to work together. Thinking about training for a bike race? There are local training groups you can try.
5. Great for the kids. With the pleasant weather we’ve been having recently, National Bike Month may be the perfect time for adults to give young kids their first bicycle lesson. It’s a fun, bonding experience too. And with childhood obesity have doubled in the past 30 years, it will also be a great way for kids to get exercise.

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During the Memorial Day holiday (from Thursday to Monday), more than 34 million people will be traveling over 50 miles away from home. There are definitely great things to see from festivals and state parks to museums and historic sites. But there’s definitely something to be said about the benefits of staying home. You can skip all the lines and the traffic and just spend time with the people that mean the most to you.

Need some ideas for your Memorial Day Cookout? Consider these Mindful tips:

1. Decorate. Attention to details adds so much to a party. Decorative plates, a bright tablecloth and colorful candles are all you really need. You can let the kids go wild, blowing up balloons and creating paper streamers. Or go a step further with hanging paper lanterns, Tiki torches, and flags.
2. Go green. Consider making green changes like using real silverware (not plastic) and cloth napkins (instead of paper napkins). Consider using an electric grill to cook the food. Or, if you’re committed to grilling outside, consider the FlameDisk, which uses ethanol (made from corn) and can be used in charcoal grills.
3. Host a cooking competition. A little friendly competition can be great fun. Everyone has their own special recipe that they think is the best, having a cook-off is a great way of putting those recipes to a test. You can have a theme like a chili competition or a burger taste test. You get to try different foods, plus it’s also a great way to ensure that everyone brings an edible contribution.
4. Games for the kids. Finding fun activities for the kids is easy. With a little chalk your kids can draw and have fun on the sidewalk and the driveway. If you don’t mind them getting wet, consider a water balloon fight. Try classic games like a horseshoe-throwing contest or craft projects like creating the American flag with Popsicle sticks.
5. End on a sweet note. Desserts make a great conclusion to any party or cookout. Consider ice cream with red, white and blue sprinkles or skip the sprinkles and add grilled peaches. You can buy bomb popsicles or make your lemonade popsicles. For a healthy option consider making red, white and blue parfaits with strawberries, yogurt and blueberries.

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