PULSE ALL WELL AND GOOD AUTHORS SAY IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT CAN ADD YEARS TO YOUR LIFE.

Good health is as close as a hug, a roll on the lawn and a plate of organic food.

Instead of strict dieting, going for the burn and working 'round the clock, medical experts are now going back to basics. They are prescribing natural remedies from Pilates to positive thinking to mowing the lawn for keeping the mind and body fit.

In ``Simply Well: Choices for a Healthy Life'' (Ten Speed Press; $11.95), Dr. John W. Travis, founder of the Wellness Resource Center in Mill Valley, Calif., joins wellness consultant Regina Ryan to show readers how to maintain a state of lifelong mental and physical well-being by practicing 32 natural and enjoyable actions.

In their laid-back approach they target all the little things that hurt, including disappointments in family members, illnesses and poor career choices. They recommend stretching before getting out of bed and listening to classical music at night instead of nodding off to late-night talk shows on the tube. Try it. It's good medicine with no bitter aftertaste.

If you've never done Pilates, an exercise that is supposed to lengthen your muscles, flatten abs and improve your posture, slip the ``Pilates: Beginning Mat Workout With Ana Caban'' video into your VCR. This video and many other natural living products are available through the Living Arts catalog available online at www.gaiam.com or by calling [phone].

Also designed to get you on the wellness trail is ``Organic Living'' (Rodale; $30), a book by Great Britain's leading alternative health guru, Michael Van Straten, who nails down all those colds and allergies that run rampant in offices.

In ``Organic Living'' you'll learn that if you're constantly sick, have asthma, chronic fatigue, throat problems, dry skin or even eczema, you're probably battling ``sick building'' syndrome, an unhealthy condition most often found in open-plan offices with inadequate cleaning and dry air.

To feel better, he advises opening windows to get fresh air, creating a microclimate with green plants, humidifiers and air cleaners at every desk, switching off electrical equipment when not in use, and drinking about two quarts of water a day. Van Straten also says it's important to go outside at lunch time, even if it's raining. Remember, rain is organic!

- Barbara De Witt 

WON'T YOU TAKE ME TO...: Nike's ``Just Play'' festival series kicks off noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Niketown, Los Angeles. Come out and show Nike how you create and express yourself in sports from basketball to dancing and more. The series continues through Sept. 3 at various locations. For more information, visit www.nike.com/play.

- Daily News

SAFETY

POISON DETECTOR: Carbon monoxide poisoning is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States, responsible for 2,100 deaths a year, according to the American Medical Association.

And it's dangerous because you can't smell or see it.

To avoid turning your summer road trip into a tragedy, take along a carbon monoxide detector, such as the new portable Costar P-1 Personal Carbon Monoxide Detector. It's the size of a beeper and battery operated to sound off an alarm if your car or roadside motel is releasing health- threatening levels of CO. It's $49.95 and can be ordered online at www.qginc.com or by calling Quantum Group at [phone].

- B.D.

AWARENESS

HEART SMART: Fact: African-Americans are 1.5 times more likely to die of heart failure than whites. With this in mind, the Association of Black Cardiologists has launched an awareness campaign called ``Children Should Know Their Grandparents: A Guide to a Healthy Heart.'' Consumers can get a 30-minute video featuring doctors and patients and a guidebook about heart disease via the group's Web site at www.abcardio.org. The book includes heart disease facts, prevention tips and resources. The program is supported by a grant from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.

- Daily News

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(1 -- 4) no caption (Books: ``Organic Living; Simply Well,'' ``Pilates,'' ``Children Should Know Their Grandparents, A Guide to a Healthy Heart'')

(5) no caption (Costar P-1 Personal Carbon Monoxide Detector)