Top 5 Ways to Get Healthy in 2008

Year after year, millions of Americans make New Year’s resolutions geared toward improving their health. The most common health related resolutions are to quit smoking and to lose weight- partly because the same people end up making those same resolutions year after year! We have the best of intentions when we make these resolutions, but often we end up falling short, feeling bad about it, and getting nowhere. This year, make a New Year’s resolution that you can actually achieve and feel great about. These 5 healthy resolutions are achievable and will make a big impact on your health this year.

Get More Sleep
According to the American Journal of Epidemiology, the average American gets only 6.1 hours of sleep each night. Insomnia has long been connected with reduced ability to concentrate, trouble learning, decreased attention to detail and increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. More importantly, recent studies have tied chronic lack of sleep to medical problems including obesity, resistance to weight loss, diabetes and high blood pressure. Whether it means changing your schedule, avoiding stimulants in the evening, or seeing your doctor to treat your insomnia, increasing the time spent sleeping will help you live healthier.

Quit Smoking
If you are a smoker, it’s likely that you are already aware of the health risks associated with smoking. Smoking drastically increases your risk of lung cancer and emphysema, hypertension and heart disease, as well as quickening the aging process in your skin. Whether you use nicotine gum, a nicotine patch, acupuncture, or go cold turkey, quitting smoking can drastically improve your health. Keep trying!

Decrease Stress
Our bodies were wired to deal with stress in acute and brief situations, called the “fight or flight response”. Today, many people are under states of chronic stress, with no real beginning or end. During stress, our bodies go through a complex chain of biological events. The body directs all of its energy towards preparing your body to fight or flee. Heart rate and blood flow to large muscles increase. Our blood sugar increases to make sure that there is enough energy around to do what we need to do. The body suppresses the activities that are not essential for immediate survival, inhibiting the immune, reproductive and digestive systems, and suppressing growth hormone, a hormone that manages healing and tissue repair.
These biological changes can leave more suceptible to long-term problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes, not to mention the effects stress has on your sleep, relationships, and quality of life. This year, resolve to decrease your stress. Cut out one extra-curricular activity from your life, take one job off of your to-do list, or invest in a stress busting activity like exercise, yoga, or meditation. Even simple deep breathing can make a huge difference! Try each morning to take 3 deep breaths-breathe in for a count of 4, hold for 1, and breathe out for a count of 6. Cutting down on your stress may not only help you live longer, but also help you live better!


Eat your fruits and veggies
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, adults should consume 21 to 38 grams of fiber each day, but the average American only gets 15 grams of fiber in a day! Fiber is important for good health. It acts like a broom in your digestive tract, helping to clean out your gut, and is also important to maintain healthy cholesterol levels, blood sugar, weight, and hormonal balance. The largest source of fiber in our diets comes from plants- fruits and vegetables.
Another reason to load up on fruits and veggies is that they are loaded with nutrients. Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytonutrients provide our bodies with what we need to live a healthy life. Try to eat a rainbow of fruits and veggies every day. Green, red, purple, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables provide us with the diverse array of nutrients that our bodies need to feel their best.

Exercise
Maybe you’ve heard your doctor tell you to get some exercise, or you have tried to do it to lose some weight, but couldn’t stick to it. Research has shown us that exercise is beneficial for your heart, muscles and bones, but also that it can have profound effects on your mood, energy level, immune system, and can even decrease your risk of colon cancer! This doesn’t mean you have to turn into a gym rat, but make an effort to increase how much physical activity you get in a day. Take the stairs or park farther away and walk. Play with your kids in the snow! March in place of do jumping jacks during commercials. Learn a new sport, martial art, or dance. And don’t give up- it takes 2 weeks for a behavior to come routine, so stick it out and reap the rewards!

With the new year on the horizon, it’s a great time to incorporate new, healthy habits into your life. Even if you can improve your habits only a tiny bit, like replacing one fast food meal per week with a healthier one, you can make a big impact over the course of the year. Good luck!