5 basic benefits of walking

Physical health

Walking burns calories, which can help you keep your weight down. Also, walking builds those leg muscles and strengthens the heart, thus keeping the blood pressure lower. Want to live longer, don't you? Then walk! This exercise is great for decreasing the chances of stroke, heart attacks and other illnesses.

Mental health

When you are feeling blue, very often you just want to sit at home on the couch and eat a bowl of potato chips. But getting out and walking can help relieve stress and depression. So lift your mood with a stroll.

Environmental health

Yep, believe it or not, walking is green. It's good for the environment simply because you're moving your body and not moving a vehicle that uses gasoline and spews out all kinds of fumes. And if you can walk to work, you're helping to reduce traffic congestion.

Economic health

Walking can help you save money. The next time you need to head out to the convenience store for a loaf of bread, walk instead of taking the car. You just saved on gasoline!

Sleep health

Walking can even help you sleep better at night. Walking tires the body while also getting your body in better physical condition. That means you can have a deeper sleep and you'll feel more rested when you wake up.

10 tips for overcoming shyness and being more social

1. Smile: It sounds easy, and it is. The more you smile, the better you'll feel about yourself. And smiling as improves others' opinions of you. Don't believe me? Give it a try. After all, it can't hurt, and you might just brighten up your own day and that of others.
2. Stay away from personal pronouns in conversation: What? Sound weird to you? It's really not. When talking to others, using the words "I" and "me" over and over again can be a turnoff, even if just subconsciously. Focus a little more on other people, especially new acquaintances, and less on yourself. This shows other people you are interested in them, and obviously this helps with social situations.
3. Don't focus on your shyness: When you're in a social gathering, just don't think about your shyness. How do you do that? Focus on something else, maybe a person you want to talk to. Or just keep in mind how much fun the gathering can be. Thinking about your shyness just makes you ... well, it can make you shy. So don't think about it.
4. Be prepared: If you are attending a gathering and it's not something you're used to, or maybe you're not sure what to talk about with others, come up with a short list of conversation topics beforehand. Maybe you could even create a little cheat sheet and slip it into your pocket to help remind you while you're mingling. Try to avoid topics that can be splintering, often religion and politics fall into this category for many people, but you can come up with a few seemingly light topics. Here are some ideas: Children, the weather, sports, recent events, etc. But try to stick with ideas of which you are somewhat informed. You don't want to look the fool by not knowing what you're talking about.
5. Join a club: Make sure it's something with which you have an interest. Maybe a book club, or a fantasy sports league, something that gets you to interact with other people on a regular basis. This way you'll be in somewhat familiar territory, and you'll be with people who share similar interests as your own. It's much easier to overcome shyness among such a group than it is around a bunch of strangers.
6. Reward yourself: Maybe it's a chocolate bar, or a new book you've been wanting to read, or any number of little things. But when you feel you've made a new social accomplishment, treat yourself a little. This helps build up your self esteem, and it can be a lot of fun.
7. Remember to introduce yourself: Let's pretend you're at a meeting or a party where you don't know a lot of people. Normally you might just stand around talking to no one, maybe working your way to the sides of the room or over to the food table. Stop that. If you're standing next to a person you don't know, introduce yourself. This is easier said than done, but it can help break the ice with a lot of people. Yep, just by giving your name. It can be that easy.
8. Remember the details: I'm talking about other people here. When you meet someone new, try to remember more than just their name and maybe their job. Try to remember some little detail about them. Maybe one of their children plays soccer. Maybe they've finished reading a good book. Maybe they like to wear flashy clothing. Anything. The point is, the next time you see this person, you can work in a comment about the detail you remember. This tells other people that you find them important. And this means you will become of interest, and possibly important, to them.
9. Start with your friends and family: You don't have to go out of your way to tell those close to you that you're shy, not unless you're comfortable doing so. But honestly, they probably already know. But you can use relationships you already have to try to break out of your shell. Practice being social with your friends and family. Maybe spend a little more time out in public with them, even if it's only shopping or going out to eat. This is an easy way to work up to being more social in unfamiliar territory with unfamiliar people.
10. Be your own best friend: Shy people have a tendency to beat themselves up mentally. They think they did some little thing to wrong at a party. They think they said the wrong thing at a meeting. Whatever it is, most people won't even notice, and even if they did, in five minutes most of them won't remember your little slip. Don't speak negatively to yourself. Keep positive. Go forth into the world and smile. Social situations are never as bad as you think they might be.

10 more common phobias

1. Dentophobia: As you might be able to tell from the name, this is fear of the dentist. Some people are more than simply bothered with a visit to the dentist's office, but have a deep-rooted fear of such.
2. Hoplophobia: This is a fear of weapons, usually with a focus on firearms. This term pops up every once in a while in the media concerning politics, but this is an actual phobia recognized by mental health professionals.
3. Entomophobia: Are you scared of insects? If so, you might suffer from entomophobia, which is the fear of insects.
4. Ophidiophobia: Do green, scaly things that slither give you the chills? If that's the case, you might have a fear of snakes, which is ophidiophobia.
5. Cynophobia: Cynophobia is the fear of dogs. This one is sad, because dogs can be great friends, good workers and even great members of the family.
6. Hydrophobia: This is actually a symptom, not a recognized mental health issue. What it is is the fear of water, which is a common symptom of those who suffer from rabies.
7. Anatidaephobia: Fear of being watched by a duck. Okay, okay, to tell the truth, this is not a real phobia. Artist Gary Larson made this one up for his The Far Side comics. I thought it was worth throwing in to lighten the mood.
8. Technophobia: A person who is afraid of technology suffers from technophobia, and is often labeled a technophobe. This term has gained some general mainstream use during the last few decades, but it is an actual phobia recognized by doctors.
9. Panphobia: This is probably one of the worst phobias to encounter. What is it? It's the fear of everything.
10. Nomophobia: This is a pretty modern phobia, but it's real. It is the fear of being out of range of cell phone contact. As if the whole world didn't exist for thousands of years before cell phones came along.

10 common phobias

1. Arachnophobia: Everyone has heard of this one. There has even been a comedic movie about it. But in case you don't know, arachnophobia is the fear of spiders.
2. Aerophobia: This one is the fear of flying, and it has probably grown more common in recent years because of terrorist attacks and media focus upon accidental crashes throughout the world.
3. Acrophobia: This fear is somewhat related to the one before, aerophobia. Acrophobia is a serious fear of heights. If you feel you suffer from a serious phobia, contact a doctor, because there are treatments available nowadays.
4. Astraphobia: Astraphobia is the fear of lightning and thunder, basically a fear of storms. Humans are not the only ones to suffer from astraphobia, as pets commonly are also afraid of storms.
5. Necrophobia: This is the fear of the dead and death. When we stop and think about it, most of us have some fear of death, but those who suffer from necrophobia have a strong reaction, and often cannot attend funerals or visit funeral homes or even hospitals.
6. Carcinophobia: Do you fear cancer? Those with carcinophobia do. Panic attacks are not uncommon from those who suffer with a phobia, but those with carcinophobia often have to stay away from those who smoke because it will bring about a panic attack. Also, some with carcinophobia will try to stay out of sunlight for fear of skin cancer.
7. Demophobia: This is a fear of being in a crowded place. Those who have to cope with demophobia are more than just a little uncomfortable going to parties, movie theaters, etc. They definitely would not want to go to Times Square on New Years Eve.
8. Xenophobia: A fear of strangers. Xenophobes sometimes stay indoors a lot, especially at home. They often don't like to go out in public where they will be constantly confronted with strangers. Again, there is help available, some of it medicinal and some therapeutic.
9. Claustrophobia: Are you afraid of tight or enclosed spaces? If so, you might suffer from claustrophobia, especially if you have an irrational fear of such spaces.
10. Mysophobia: This phobia is sometimes known as "germophobia." And, as you can likely guess, it's a fear of germs. It is not uncommon for those who have an obsessive compulsive disorder to have mysophobia as one of their symptoms, as those with OCD sometimes focus on cleanliness.