Health-minded Paths To Happiness

Olympic gold medalist Apolo Ohno, Emmy-winning comic Paula Poundstone, and upbeat spiritual life coach Yvonne Ryba offer thoughtful routes to well-being.

- Chris Mann

Can performance-mindedOlympian, a joy-seeking comedian, and an optimistic spiritual thinker show us the way to feel-good health—even happiness—in an age of seemingly 24-7 bad news, mounting everyday stress, and resulting brain drain?

With a nourished mind, an active body, and meaningful connectedness—to community, a higher power, or even a biochemical-boosting “Hiya!” at martial arts class—health-minded happiness, they attest, is attainable and sustainable.

Mindset, nutrition, nature, and a sense of fulfillment are key to navigating this journey for eight-time Olympic medalist turned wellness advocate and tech entrepreneur Apolo Ohno, who co-founded the brain health and life-coaching company Allysian Sciences after hanging up his short-track speed skates in 2010.

“I think we all often get caught up in the rat race, and I want to help people to start understanding that we have control over our own happiness,” says Ohno, 36. “Our perception, our mind, is a huge component of how we live and the decisions we make daily. And a very strong mind-body connection is absolutely integral to making sure that we have fulfillment and are happy. I want people to recognize the power we have regardless of skill set. Very simple tweaks that you can do in your body and mind and lifestyle make the biggest difference.”

At times, the path to bliss takes creative experimenting, though. A quick wit and willing body helped stand-up comic Paula Poundstone captain her adventures as her own glee-hunting guinea pig in her insightful and endorphin-releasing level funny book The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness.