What small steps can you take?

It’s 2023. Have you made a New Year's Resolution? Are you avoiding committing to a New Years Resolution because you know you will break it? Rather than calling it a resolution, why not make a commitment to being a healthier version of yourself? 

‍5 Healthy habits

Studies show that healthier people accomplish five main things.

  1. Eating a healthy diet
  2. Maintaining a healthy weight
  3. Not smoking.
  4. Exercising regularly
  5. Limiting alcohol

Maybe you are already on track in some of these areas. How can you make strides toward better health this year?

‍Eat healthy

When focusing on eating healthy, you should always start with a colorful plate. Fill your plate mostly with fruits and vegetables then add lean protein. Dark leafy greens, oranges, fresh herbs, frozen broccoli and peppers are all great items to include in your diet. When considering proteins, don’t forget legumes, nuts and seeds in addition to your lean animal proteins. Be mindful of the added sugars, sodium, saturated and trans fats as well as cholesterol you’re consuming. The best way to be more mindful of what you’re consuming and ensuring you’re staying within your suggested calorie limit is to make a plate of food and sit down to eat. When you are grazing you often don’t realize how much you’ve consumed. Also, try to replace most of your liquid consumption with water. Most of us don’t drink enough water each day. Replacing calorie filled beverages with water will help you to accomplish your health goals. 

‍Maintain a healthy weight

Calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI) can help give you guidance on a healthy weight for your height. This is a guideline and you can discuss with your doctor if this guideline is appropriate for you. A healthy BMI is considered to be in the range of 18.5 to 24.9. If you are under that, you might be underweight. A higher number could be an indication you are overweight. 

‍Quit smoking

If you are currently a smoker, this is the year you can quit. Smoking has negative consequences on a lot of your health. The list of negative impacts is quite extensive starting with the color and texture of your skin and impacting many of your organs. Stop smoking so that you have more time with your loved ones. If you have struggled to beat this addition, talk to your doctor and together you can form a plan.

‍Limit alcohol consumption

Too much alcohol consumption can negatively impact your body. But even smaller amounts of routine alcohol consumption can lead to weight gain in undesirable areas. 

Some long term effects of drinking frequently include:

  • High blood pressure
  • Sleep issues
  • Changes in appetite and weight
  • Changes in mood
  • Weakened immune system causing you to get sick more frequently
  • Difficulty focusing and staying on task
  • Relationship issues where you are fighting more with your partner
  • Impact to libido

This year take steps to improve your health. This can be small changes. You can make one change at a time. Working toward improvement will leave you feeling better and proud of your success.

If you are looking to get a baseline for your health so that you can monitor improvement over time, set up a physical with Healthstar Physicians. If you need help setting up a plan to achieve better health, our team can help you with that as well. Whether you are needing a general physician or a specialist, reach out to our team to set up an appointment. We take most forms of insurance and have offices across East Tennessee.