How To Achieve Your New Year Health Goals
Originally posted 1/6/23
Well, the new year is here. As it has been for many new years in the past, we tend to take an overarching look at our lives and decide; “This is the year I conquer that mountain.” If that mountain for you is your health, as it is for many other humans facing the new year, then I am talking to you today. We aren’t going to dive into the debate between resolutions or goals or dreams or plans. I want to get into the biggest question I ask myself every late December. “What will it take to get healthy in the New Year?” That's a big question, no doubt, and the answer to that question will be different for everyone. We all have our own set of struggles and situations where there is no one-size-fits-all type of solution. So then, how can I hope to offer a solution to that huge question? I am not going to try. In fact, I am not speaking from a place of hard-earned success. I am here to offer other specialists and professionals tips and tricks on a broad bridge from here to where you want to be. Advice from my failed attempts and the bottom line to all of our journeys to better health.
In searching for the answer to my annual question, “How to achieve my new year health goals?” I found a great article from Dr. Mita Ray and her website drmitaray.org. In her article, “10 Things You Can Do to Get Healthy”, she gives a really simple outline of the steps we all can take to reach our new year health goals. In addition to her article, she has a pdf write-up that further explains each of these steps. So be sure to check that out. I will be using her 10 tips with my own explanations. So if you are ready, let's dig in.
Breathe - Sounds simple right? I'm going to speak with you from experience here. The simple act of learning and using a deep breathing technique can have a massive impact on your day. It can resolve a food craving you are trying to fight, but more than that, it can greatly improve your stress levels. Dr. Mita suggests taking 10 slow breaths from the diaphragm, slow inhales and slow exhales. I have also found box breathing to be incredibly effective. Box breathing works like this; inhale for the count of 4 - hold for 4 counts, exhale for the count of 4 - hold for 4 counts. You do this 3-4 times. It has never failed me, my husband, or my teenage son.
Water - Drinking water is incredibly important to your overall health. We’ve all heard it, right? Get rid of the soda and switch to water. Ok, what are the overall benefits of drinking water, and how much should we drink? I found a great article from Health.Harvard.edu titled “How Much Water Should You Drink.” This article answers both of the water questions. What are the benefits of drinking water, and how much should I drink? See the list of 9 benefits listed in this article;
Carrying nutrients and oxygen to your cells
Flushing bacteria from your bladder
Aiding digestion
Preventing constipation
Normalizing blood pressure
Cushioning joints
Protecting organs and tissues
Regulating body temperature
Maintaining electrolyte (sodium) balance
That article also gives some guidelines on how much water we need to drink.
“The daily four-to-six cup rule is for generally healthy people. It's possible to take in too much water if you have certain health conditions, such as thyroid disease or kidney, liver, or heart problems; or if you're taking medications that make you retain water, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opiate pain medications, and some antidepressants.
How much water a day should you drink if you fit into that category? There's no one-size-fits-all answer. Water intake must be individualized, and you should check with your doctor if you are not sure about the right amount for you.
But even a healthy person's water needs will vary, especially if you're losing water through sweat because you're exercising, or because you're outside on a hot day. If you're wondering how much water you should drink on those occasions, speak with your doctor, but a general rule of thumb for healthy people is to drink two to three cups of water per hour, or more if you're sweating heavily.”- Harvard Health Publishing
Plants- Dr’s. Orders are to eat something from the plant kingdom for every meal. Like many medical professionals, she urges the portion of plants on our plate to be larger than any other item. Plant kingdom food includes vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains.
Sleep - If you have missed it, getting enough sleep and consistent sleep has been one of the most important parts of one's health journey. Dr. Ray suggests that going to bed and waking up at the same time for at least 6 days a week and getting 8 hours of sleep is the goal. * Side note: To help you do this, look into setting a nighttime routine for yourself.
Supplement - Dr. Ray doesn’t go into specifics here. She suggests that you take; “A clinically validated and whole food supplement.” I'm not a doctor, but I know there are vitamins, nutrients, and minerals we can’t get enough of just by eating right. Do your own research on this topic, and better yet, talk to your doctor, nutritionist, or medical professional before taking any kind of vitamin.
Reduce - This tip is all about processed foods. Dr. Ray suggests that you only consume processed foods once a week. Unless you’ve done a deep dive into a whole-food diet, you might be surprised what is considered processed. Check out the Mayo Clinic Website for information on that.
Meal Schedule - Making breakfast and lunch your biggest meals, preferably between 10 am and 4 pm, greatly impacts your body, creating a schedule and encouraging better digestion. She also recommends eating at the same time every day. This isn’t generally how we eat in our house, so we are trying to make the change.
Fresh Air - I found this tip to be the most interesting. Dr. Ray suggests you make time to spend time outside to move your body. She says, “Fresh air and deep breathing are far more important than getting a workout.” I wouldn’t tend to disagree with her, but working out or having some sort of workout routine is an important part of a health, weight loss, and strength goal.
Greens - Start each day with a green drink. Her pdf gives a recipe that she likes. You can also search Pinterest or other websites to try to find a green drink that works for you. I haven’t found one outside of Jamba Juice that I like, but I am still working on it.
Thoughts - This tip is awesome. Her advice is to think good thoughts. Prioritizing mental health and happiness is another important part of any health journey.
In addition to Dr. Ray's tips, I'd like to offer a few more to keep in mind.
Start small - if you're like me and you’ve set the same health goal year after year, and still haven’t achieved it, it's time to reevaluate. Perhaps not the goal itself but our action plan to achieve it. I’ve written about it recently. How do you eat an elephant? Well, not at all, I hope, but if you were going to eat an elephant, you’d do it one bite at a time. This principle isn’t a new one, but one I think many of us ignore while looking toward all the new hope and possibilities of a new year.
Be realistic but hopeful - it’s easy to look ahead and make your health goal monstrous! Be honest with yourself about what is achievable. I am not encouraging you to think small but set those health goals so that you have the capacity to meet them.
Give yourself Grace - expecting perfection right out of the gate is a recipe for failure for most people. It’s not realistic to keep up that kind of momentum. If you skip a day, don’t beat yourself up. But I love what Hal Elrod says about this. “Miss one day but never miss two.” In short, it’s ok to miss a day but don’t give up and miss two or more.
There is a lot here, and I hope it will help you in your healthy journeys this new year. I hope you can share your health goals and progress with me this year! You can find me by email at jcooper@jkcmobilenotary.com or any of my social media sites.
Good luck to you, and until next time Take Care
Jennifer K. Cooper
JKC Mobile Notary
