I thought this “Happy New
Year” article was a clever look at habits that can keep you healthy throughout
the year. (Adapted from Alice Henneman MS RD, Extension educator at the
University of Nebraska, Lancaster. Click HERE to see her expanded version.)
H=Health. Make health a priority, rather than what you
do after everything else is done for the day.
A=Attitude. A positive attitude can help you deal with
whatever comes your way, both good and bad.
P=Physical activity. Aim for at least 150 minutes of exercise a
week. This can be broken into 10-minute increments (such as walking on a lunch
break) or 5 sessions, 30 minutes each.
P=People. Keeping up face-to-face social networks (i.e.
church, clubs, friends, etc) can keep a person less vulnerable to ill health.
Y=Your body. Schedule your medical, dental and eye exams
regularly so if there is something amiss, it will be caught early.
N=No. Learn to say “no” without feeling guilty.
That can give you more time to do what you really want to do. (If you said
“yes” to an obligation and then felt regret or anger with your decision, that’s
a sign you should have said “no”).
E=Eat healthy. There are lots of places to look for healthy
eating advice, but be sure the plan you choose has lots of variety of food
types, food colors, and does not eliminate entire food groups (that’s a recipe
for malnutrition). And if you happen to
have one or more health problems that require a special diet, consider
consulting a Registered Dietitian for help in combining all your health needs
into one plan (Check out “Find a Dietitian” HERE.)
W=Wisdom. Choose your health goals with your own body
in mind. Don’t jump in with someone else’s goal (unless it really is your goal,
too, such as running at 5 a.m. each morning).
Y=Your hands. Keep your hands clean to help avoid passing
germs and getting germs from others.
E=Enough sleep. Most people feel they do their best when
they get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. Not getting that? Click the following link for tips for better sleep, from
the National Sleep Foundation.
A=Avoid portion distortion. Restaurants and other generous folks tend to
serve portions that could feed at least two people. If you are working on your
weight, the portion size matters as much as what you choose to eat.
R=Reading materials. “Be careful about reading health books. You
may die of a misprint” (Mark Twain).
When looking for advice about a new way of eating, beware of those that:
1. Promise quick, dramatic results; 2. Rely solely on testimonials; and 3. Seem
to be the opposite of more mainstream advice.
Remember, just because something is in print or published on the
internet, it is not necessarily true.
