We all know that eating right and exercising can boost our chances of a long, healthy life. But sometimes it seems as if the changes we have to make to live a healthier life are simply too overwhelming. The good news is that just a few little changes can have a significant impact on our health. Here, the little changes that can make a big difference…

Learn a word a day. Pick a word out of the paper or dictionary every day. Or have a word e-mailed to you daily (Dictionary.Reference.com/wordoftheday). Put it on an index card, and drill yourself. This type of cognitive calisthenic keeps your brain sharp.

The brain continues to regenerate nerve cells throughout life. This process, known as neurogenesis, helps older adults to improve memory and other cognitive functions as they age.

Example: A 2006 study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association compared two groups of older adults. Those in one group were given training in memory, reasoning and mental processing. After just 10 sessions of 60 to 75 minutes each, the participants had immediate and long-lasting improvements, compared with those who didn’t get the training.

If learning a word a day doesn’t appeal to you, pick an activity that you enjoy and find mentally challenging.

Examples: Reading history books, learning chess or memorizing poems. When the activity starts getting easier, move on to harder challenges.

People who do this can regain as much as two decades of memory power. In other words, someone who starts at age 70 could achieve the memory of the average 50-year-old.

Take a trip. Go on a cruise. Take a bus tour. Go to a reunion. All of these are great ways to connect with people. Why bother? Because emotional connections add years to your life.

Example: Studies published in the last 10 years show that people in happy marriages have less heart disease and live longer than those in unhappy relationships or who are divorced or widowed. Being happily married at age 50 is a better predictor of good health at age 80 than having low cholesterol.

The same benefits occur when people maintain any close relationship — with friends, children or even pets. People who are emotionally bonded with others suffer less depression. They also tend to have less stress and lower levels of disease-causing stress hormones. And inviting new people into your life can help you cope with the dislocations — due to death, divorce, retirement, etc. — that occur over time.

Emotional connections don’t just happen — people have to work at them. Think of the friendships that are important to you. If you are like most people, maybe a few of these relationships are active, but others have gone dormant for a variety of reasons. Ask yourself why some relationships have lapsed and what you can do to revive them. If you have lost touch with someone special, send an e-mail or pick up the phone.

We all have “relationship opportunities” that we can take advantage of. Talk to the stranger next to you at a concert or a sports event. If you volunteer, invite one of your coworkers for coffee.

Take a nap. It’s a myth that older people need less sleep than younger adults. They often do sleep less, but this is mainly because they’re more likely to have physical issues, such as arthritis or the need to use the bathroom at night, that interfere with restful sleep.

People who don’t get enough sleep often have declines in immune function, which can increase the risk for cancer as well as infections. They also have a higher risk for hypertension and possibly prediabetes.

A short nap — no more than 20 to 30 minutes — can make up for a bad night’s sleep. But beware of excessive napping. A long nap or more than one short nap per day can ruin a good night’s sleep. Napping late in the day, say, after 3:00, also can interfere with a night’s sleep.

Climb the stairs. It takes very little time but is a great way to get your heart and lungs working. Most exercise guidelines recommend at least 20 to 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. That much exercise, or more, is clearly beneficial, but short amounts of activity can have a significant impact.

In a study of 5,000 people over age 70, all the participants had some physical limitations, but those who got even minimal exercise (defined as the equivalent of walking a mile at least once a week) were 55% less likely to develop more serious physical limitations (defined as severe joint pain or muscle weakness) that could compromise independence.

Watch the birds. For many people, contact with the natural world has a restorative effect. A few minutes observing birds at a feeder or watching a sunset can restore our equilibrium. The natural world has a pace that reminds us that life does not have to be lived in a rush.

Taking a few moments to destress is worth doing because an estimated 60% of all doctor visits are for stress-related disorders.

Connecting with nature also can boost our performance. A study at Kansas State University gave 90 women a five-minute typing assignment. The researchers found that those who worked with a bouquet of flowers nearby outperformed those with no flowers.

See a funny movie. A good guffaw is more complicated than most people imagine. Laughter involves 15 facial muscles, along with the lungs, larynx and epiglottis. It even seems to protect against heart disease.

A study at Loma Linda University School of Medicine found that volunteers who watched a humorous video had reduced levels of the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine. These and other stress-related chemicals have been linked with increased inflammation and an elevated risk for heart disease as well as cancer.