New
Year, healthier you
By Alyssa Sparacino
New Year’s resolutions are
a bit like babies: They’re fun to make but extremely difficult to maintain. Each
January, roughly one in three Americans resolve to better themselves in some
way. A much smaller percentage of people actually make good on those
resolutions. While about 75% of people stick to their goals for at least a
week, less than half (46%) are still on target six months later, a 2002 study
found. It's hard to keep up the enthusiasm months after you've swept up the
confetti, but it's not impossible. This year, pick one of the following worthy
resolutions, and stick with it. Here’s to your health!
Lose weight. The
fact that this is perennially among the most popular resolutions suggests just
how difficult it is to commit to. But you
can succeed if you
don’t expect overnight success. "You want results yesterday, and
desperation mode kicks in," says Pam Peeke, MD, author of Body for Life for Women. "Beware of the valley of quickie
cures."
Also, plan for bumps in the road. Use a food journal to keep track of what you eat and have a support system in place. "Around week four to six...people become excuse mills," Dr. Peeke says. "That’s why it’s important to have someone there on a regular basis to get you through those rough times."
Also, plan for bumps in the road. Use a food journal to keep track of what you eat and have a support system in place. "Around week four to six...people become excuse mills," Dr. Peeke says. "That’s why it’s important to have someone there on a regular basis to get you through those rough times."
Stay in touch. Feel
like old friends (or family) have fallen by the wayside? It’s good for your
health to reconnect with them. Research suggests people with strong social ties
live longer than those who don’t.
In fact, a lack of social bonds can damage your health as much as alcohol abuse
and smoking, and even more than obesity and lack of exercise, a 2010 study in
the journal PLoS Medicine suggests. In a technology-fixated era, it’s
never been easier to stay in touch—or rejuvenate your relationship—with friends
and family, so fire up Facebook and follow up with in-person visits.
Quit smoking. Fear
that you’ve failed too many times to try again? Talk to any ex-smoker, and
you’ll see that multiple attempts are often the path to success. Try different
methods to find out
what works. And think of the cash you’ll save! (We know you know the ginormous
health benefit.) "It’s one of the harder habits to quit," says Merle
Myerson, MD, director of the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Program at St.
Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals, in New York City. "But I always tell
people to think of how much money they
will save."
Save money. Save
money by making healthy lifestyle changes. Walk or ride your bike to work, or
explore carpooling. (That means more money in your pocket and less air pollution.) Cut back on gym
membership costs by exercising at home. Many fitness programs on videogame
systems like Nintendo’s Wii Wii Fit Plus and Microsoft’s Xbox KinectYour Shape Fitness Evolved can get you sweating. Take stock of what you have in the
fridge and make a grocery list. Aimless supermarket shopping can lead to poor
choices for your diet and wallet.
Cut your stress. A
little pressure now and again won’t kill us; in fact, short bouts of stress
give us an energy boost. But if stress is chronic, it can increase your risk
of—or worsen—insomnia, depression, obesity,heart disease, and more.
Long work hours, little sleep, no exercise, poor diet, and not spending time
with family and friends can contribute to stress, says Roberta Lee, MD, an
integrative medicine specialist at Beth Israel Medical Center, in New York
City, and the author of The
Super Stress Solution. "Stress is an inevitable part of life,"
she says. "Relaxation, sleep, socializing, and taking vacations are all
things we tell ourselves we deserve but don’t allow ourselves to have."
Volunteer. We
tend to think our own bliss relies on bettering ourselves, but our happiness
also increases when we help others, says Peter Kanaris, PhD, coordinator of
public education for the New York State Psychological Association. And guess what? Happiness is good for
your health. A 2010 study
found that people with positive emotions were about 20% less likely than their
gloomier peers to have a heart attack or develop heart disease. Other research
suggests that positive emotions can make people more resilient and resourceful.
"Someone who makes this sort of resolution is likely to obtain a
tremendous personal benefit in the happiness department," Kanaris says.
Go back to school. No matter how old you are, heading back to the classroom can help
revamp your career, introduce you to new friends, and even boost your
brainpower. A 2007 study found that middle-age adults who had gone back to
school (including night school) sometime in the previous quarter century had
stronger memories and verbal skills than those who did not. What’s more,
several studies have linked higher educational attainment to a decreased risk
of Alzheimer’s disease. "You are gaining a sense of accomplishment by
gaining new knowledge, and you are out there meeting people and creating
possibilities that were never there before," Kanaris says.
Cut back on alcohol. While much has been written about the health benefits of a small
amount of alcohol, too much tippling is still the bigger problem. (In fact, binge drinking seems to be
on the rise.) Drinking alcohol in excess affects the brain’s
neurotransmitters and can increase the risk of depression, memory loss, or even
seizures. Chronic heavy drinking
boosts your risk of liver and heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and mental
deterioration, and even cancers of the mouth, throat, liver, and breast.
Get more
sleep. You probably already know
that a good night’s rest can do wonders for your mood—and appearance.
But sleep is more beneficial to your health than you might realize. A lack of
sleep has been linked to a greater risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. And
sleep is crucial for strengthening
memories (a process
called consolidation). So take a nap—and don’t feel guilty about it.
Travel. The joys and rewards
of vacations can last long after the suitcase is put away. "We
can often get stuck in a rut, and we can’t get out of our own way,"
Kanaris says. "Everything becomes familiar and too routine." But traveling allows us to tap into
life as an adventure, and we can make changes in our lives without having to do
anything too bold or dramatic. "It makes you feel rejuvenated and replenished,"
he adds. "It gets you out of your typical scenery, and the effects are
revitalizing. It’s another form of new discovery and learning, and great for
the body and the soul."
(The original article is found in www.health.com)
