Setting challenging goals is a popular trend in January. About 45 percent of Americans usually make New Year’s resolutions, and nearly half of them are about losing weight. You certainly want to be among the 8 percent who actually stick to what they’ve set to accomplish, especially if the aim is to be healthier.
“There are four major health issues I see, Dr. Boyan Hadjiev, board-certified in Internal Medicine and Allergy and Immunology, says – smoking, poor sleep, bad diet, and sitting too much. “Make resolutions in the form of life changes and long-term habits,” he adds. This means easy and tangible goals. “Don’t say ‘I’ll be less stressed.’ OK, but how?” This is not a solution, just a statement, he adds.
“You have to start small with objectives that are not hard to achieve and you build on from there,” Dr. Hadjiev says. “You need at least 30 repetitions of the new routine to create and actual habit that becomes second nature”.
Patients going to see Dr. Darryl Gioffre, Founder of Alkamind and celebrity nutritionist, come in sick, pumped with dietary acids from unhealthy foods they have been eating, he says. “Acidic lifestyle does a lot of damage to your body and causes many chronic health problems.”
About 20 percent of your resolution should be strategy and 80 percent"needs to be the why”. You have to have a big enough reason or purpose in order to stick with your goals and get to the finish line, he adds.
Dr. Gioffre recommends the SMART approach – setting Specific goals that are Measurable so you can track your progress. They also have to be Achievable and attainable; otherwise you will give up too easily. Always set Realistic goals and make sure they are Time-bound. “You have to have a destination; otherwise, your resolution is just a wish,” he adds.
Dr. Catherine Forest primary care physician at Stanford Health Care calls them “intentions,” not resolutions. A big and common problem she finds among people is the moving intentionally for at least 30 minutes EVERY day, she says.
Accept the fact that you won’t be perfect. “Mistakes are wonderful opportunities to learn,” Dr. Forest says. “Have the courage to be imperfect and embrace effort and risk taking in others.”
Do more cardio
This is Dr. Hadjiev’s personal health resolution. “The only exercises most people do – because of long work hours, kids – is walking,” he says. That’s not enough; the body is made to move, he adds. HIIT is a fast and efficient addition to your busy day. Some of the benefits of cardio exercises include stronger heart and lungs, increased bone density, and less stress. Also, interval training has proven to burn more calories because of the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide by the body.
Quit smoking
Smoking is by far one of the worst things you can do to your body and you should quit the habit, Dr. Hadjiev says. “We have a nurse in our office who is down to three cigarettes from two packs a day.” Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., according to the CDC– more than 480,000 a year, which is nearly one in five deaths.
Lose weight
If you know you are a bit overweight, lose the extra pounds. This will significantly improve your lifestyle, Dr. Hadjiev says. More than one-third – 34.9 percent or 78.6 million – of adults in the country are obese, according to the Journal of American Medicine, and there is no indication of the trend changing. “But don’t say you’re going to lose 15 pounds in x-amount of days; say you’re going to work out 30 minutes a day 4-5 times a week, and keep up,” he adds.
Eat better
Don’t focus on weight, focus on consuming better food and the extra inches around your waist will come off as a result, Dr. Hadjiev says. “You should have three meals and two small snacks a day with no processed crap and no fried stuff.” Another important aspect of eating better is the right size and proportion, he adds. The meals must be balanced and they should include healthy fats.
Improve sleep quality
“People take sleep for granted,” Dr. Hadjiev says. Many nap for eight hours but still feel tired because the quality of their sleep was poor. “It is as important as the number of hours,” he adds. “It should be uninterrupted.” That means no TV or phones in bed, no alcohol before bedtime, keeping the same sleep schedule, no big meals after dinner, and less caffeine.