Monterey, CA Volunteering, Spending More Time With Friends & Family Can Reap Healthy Dividends

View From A Nonprofit Serving Seniors In Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California

I am involved in two non-profits, the Alzheimer's Association and Hands to Help Seniors, and both of them were able to raise a record amount of funds this year despite a tepid economy.  This is quite an accomplishment.  I was happy to read in the latest issue of AARP The Magazine that doing volunteer work for nonprofits has been shown to make you live longer.  A new study from UCLA found that the specific type of happiness that you get from volunteering improves your gene profile, causing less inflammation and better antibody and antiviral activity.  This doesn't necessarily have to be tied to a nonprofit, it can be anything that you enjoy doing with your free time.  "It can be as simple as investing more time with your grandchildren—whatever you care about," Steven W. Cole, professor of medicine at UCLA, told AARP Magazine.  This is great news.  Relaxing and doing what you enjoy can pay big health dividends.

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands to Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.