The start of a new year is a great time to take stock of your health and make some healthy changes to your lifestyle.
Did you pick a New Year’s resolution? Unfortunately, many people give up on their New Year’s resolutions by February. The reason is that their goals are often too big or too vague. You are more likely to achieve your resolution if you commit to something specific that you can realistically accomplish.
With that in mind, here are 10 specific healthy habits to consider this year.
Lose 5 Pounds
If your goal is to lose weight this year, start with a specific number like 5 pounds that doesn’t sound too daunting. Then work steadily toward your goal over time, including decreasing your screen time, which contributes to a sedentary lifestyle. Get a fitness tracker to count your steps or enroll in a new fitness class.
Holy Cross Health offers a number of health and fitness classes that can help increase your physical activity and burn off some calories.
Eat More Leafy Greens
Adding more vegetables to your diet is a great way to improve your overall health. Be ultra-specific about it by resolving to eat more of one type of vegetable: leafy greens. You can add a small salad to every meal or replace the bread you use for sandwiches with romaine lettuce. Look online for inspiration about new ways to prepare spinach, kale, chard and arugula.
Go to Bed 30 Minutes Earlier
It would be nice if you could get 8 hours of good quality sleep every night, but sometimes life just gets too hectic. Try aiming to go to bed 30 minutes earlier. To help you get to sleep, consider making changes to your bedroom that improve your sleeping environment. Install blackout shades. Turn down the heat. Move your cell phone away from your bed. Download a white noise app.
Get Routine Health Care
If you haven’t gotten a primary care physical in a while, make a commitment to get one this year. Your doctor can advise on screenings, assess your risk factors for numerous medical conditions and may prescribe medications or lifestyle changes that will improve your overall health. If you don’t have a primary care physician or you’re looking for a new one, Holy Cross Health Partners offers high-quality primary care services at two locations in Montgomery County. Going to the dentist every six months is another important part of routine health care.
Run or Walk a 5K
Jogging or briskly walking are great ways to increase your physical activity. If you haven’t done this type of exercise before, training for a 5K event can help you build endurance and confidence. Search online for upcoming 5K events in your area and make a commitment by registering. Give yourself at least three months to train, and make sure you have good-quality walking or running shoes. Start slowly – run or walk a half-mile in your neighborhood and increase the distance every couple of weeks.
Start Doing Meatless Mondays
Public health officials encourage people to eat less red meat because it raises your risk of heart disease, cancer and other conditions. One easy way to meet that goal is to join the Meatless Monday movement. The idea is to eat only plant-based foods on Mondays. You can search online to find plenty of delicious meals that don’t include meat.
Pick a Day to Quit Smoking
If you’re a smoker, quitting can be hard. Like all challenges, you need a good plan. Pick a day to quit and start formulating your plan for success. Tell your friends and family members your date and enlist their support. Announce it on social media. Talk to your doctor about quitting and decide if nicotine replacement therapy like gum and the patch is right for you. Holy Cross Health also offers a free Freedom From Smoking clinic that can help you prepare for your quit day.
Buy a Water Bottle
If you drink sodas and other sugary beverages, you should try to cut back. Most sodas are packed full of sugar and contain about 150 calories with little or no nutrients. A couple of cans of soda per day can really add up. One easy way to cut back is to buy yourself a personal water bottle and keep it with you at all times. You may even want to set an alarm on your phone to remind yourself to drink water throughout the day. To keep it interesting, a fruit infuser water bottle lets you flavor your water with delicious fruits like strawberries and oranges.
Eat More Nuts
If you have high cholesterol, one of the ways to help control it is to eat certain foods that lower your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. One LDL-lowering food that is easy to incorporate into your diet is nuts. Sprinkle almonds, peanuts, walnuts and other nuts on your salad, or eat them out of the container as a snack. Just be sure to choose low-salt options.
Learn CPR
Knowing how to give CPR can make the difference in saving a friend or family member’s life. CPR is much easier to learn than it used to be – there are not as many ratios to remember, and the emphasis is now on compressions. Taking a class will allow you to practice and learn how hard to perform the compressions. Holy Cross Health offers a number of classes for giving CPR to infants, children and adults.
Holy Cross Health presents the information in this blog as a resource for our community. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice or to endorse any particular entity or service. Personal health problems should be brought to the attention of the appropriate health professionals.