By Dr. James Beckerman, M.D., Providence St. Vincent Heart Clinic
– Cardiology, part of Providence Heart and Vascular
Institute
Forget
crash diets, miracle supplements and infomercial exercise gizmos. If you are
tired of feeling tired, sick of getting sick and over being overweight, here
are 12 New Year’s resolutions that will help you make real, lasting
improvements in your health.
I’m not
suggesting that you tackle all 12 at once – on the contrary, you’ll have a lot
more success if you take them one at a time. So make just one resolution in
January and keep it. Once you’ve achieved that singular success, make another
resolution in February and keep that one, too. Repeat in the following months
until this time next year, when you’ll be able to look back on a series of accomplishments
that have changed your health and life for the better.
1. Find
out where your starting line is.
You can’t run a race if you don’t know where the starting line is. Before you
start making resolutions, make an appointment with your doctor to take stock of
your current health status. Find out what your numbers are for blood pressure,
blood sugar, cholesterol, weight and body mass index, and get up-to-date on
your screenings and immunizations.
2. Live
tobacco-free.
If you smoke, quit. It’s the single most important thing you can do to improve
your health and to protect your family from secondhand smoke. A new study
estimates that secondhand smoke kills more than 600,000 people worldwide every
year, including 165,000 children. If you’ve tried to quit before, try again –
most people try a few times before they succeed.
3. Get up
and March.
Walk, jump rope, dance, swim, ride a bike, kick box, play volleyball or engage
in some other fun form of physical activity for a total of 30 minutes a day.
Physical activity helps you maintain a healthy weight, lift your mood, reduce
joint pain, sleep better, lower your risk of illness and diseases and feel
great.
4. Sleep
at least seven hours every night.
A good night’s sleep is crucial to heart health, energy, mental clarity and
overall well-being. If you’re not getting enough sleep, or if you wake up every
morning feeling exhausted, talk to your doctor about how to improve your sleep
habits.
5. Eat
breakfast every morning.
People who eat a healthy, well-balanced breakfast every morning tend to eat
less throughout the day, and weigh less as a result. Start every day with some
high-fiber grains, a little protein and a piece of fresh fruit.
6. Replace
refined foods with whole foods.
Most of us don’t get nearly enough fiber in our diets. Increase your vitamin,
mineral and fiber intake by doing an inventory of your pantry. Replace most of
the white foods (bread and bagels, pasta, rice, flour and sugary cereals) with
healthier, high-fiber brown foods (whole-grain breads and bagels, whole-wheat
or quinoa pasta, brown rice, whole-wheat pastry flour, oatmeal and
high-fiber/low-sugar cereals).
7. Eat a
salad every day.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, fruits and vegetables should
make up about half of what we eat, every time we eat. One easy way to increase
the fruits and veggies in your diet is to make a vow to eat a salad every day.
Don’t like salads? You haven’t tried hard enough. There are dozens of fruits
and vegetables out there that can be combined in thousands of delicious ways.
Go online and search for recipes that incorporate your favorite fresh
ingredients.
8. Make
water your main beverage.
Sodas, coffee drinks, milkshakes, juices, energy drinks and cocktails account
for about 21 percent of the average American’s total calories consumed each
day. That’s too much, especially if you’re not cutting back on food to
compensate for the added liquid calories. To keep your weight in check, cut
back liquid calories to no more than 10 percent of your total daily calories,
and stick with water (not diet drinks, which can increase sugar cravings) as
your main drink.
9. Walk,
lift and stretch.
A balanced exercise program should include three types of activity: aerobic
exercise (for heart health), weight training (for strong bones and muscles) and
stretching (for flexibility and balance). If you’re doing well in only one of
these areas, start working on adding the others to your weekly routine.
10. Pick
better proteins.
Choose lean proteins – such as fish, chicken, turkey and beans – most of the
time. Make fattier proteins – such as steaks and pork chops – a “once in a
while” choice. And minimize processed meats, such as packaged deli meats, hot
dogs, salamis and sausages. Look at the size of the protein portion on your
plate, too – it shouldn’t take up more than a third of your meal. The rest
should be vegetables, grains and other plant foods.
11. Use a
smaller plate.
If your plates measure larger than nine inches across, and you’re filling them
up at meals, you’re probably eating more than your body needs. Using a smaller
plate is a great way to keep portions in check. There are lots of other things
you can do to remind yourself to make better choices – I’ll share more ideas in
future issues.
12. Manage
your stress.
Stress is not only unpleasant in general – it can affect your health in all
kinds of negative ways, from disrupting sleep to making you more susceptible to
illness. If stress is affecting your health and happiness, make a concerted
effort to relieve stress by exercising, spending time with people you love,
spending relaxing time alone and adding more laughter to your life.
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