The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
—Mahatma Gandhi
If you’re among the many teens who volunteer to help others, your good deeds may also be good for your heart health.
One fascinating study tells the story. For this study, researchers enrolled more than 100 high school students with similar heart health profiles and randomly assigned them to one of two groups.
One group volunteered with children every week for two months. The other group was placed on a “wait list” for volunteering.
Compared to the wait-list group, the active volunteering group significantly improved three key measures of heart health: blood levels of cholesterol and interleukin-6 (a key marker of inflammation) and body mass index.
Plus, the volunteering teens who were the most empathetic and altruistic or had the biggest improvement in negative mood benefited the most.
4 rewards of volunteering
The rewards are great when you volunteer to help others, but only when you take action. Here’s some inspiration to get started today:
1. Focus on what matters to you. Volunteering is a great way to choose a cause that’s meaningful to you.
2. Learn a new skill. Volunteering can help you learn a new skill or take on a new challenge (and maybe earn extra credit along the way).
3. Build on other healthy habits. Volunteering is a perfect complement to other lifestyle habits needed for a strong heart, habits like eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight and avoiding smoking cigarettes.
4. Make a difference in your community. Volunteering can help you make an impact in your community and boost your sense of pride and satisfaction.
In other words, be present in your interactions, it’s a present that goes a long way.
Every day, make someone smile. Your heart will thank you, and so will your friend.
You’ve Got This!
Lorna & Kathleen (The EatingFor Team)
P.S. Like this tip? For more, check out You’ve Got This! 45 Doable Tips for Teens to Feel Good, Look Good & Succeed. Available at IngramSpark, Amazon.com and other online retailers.