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HEALTH & WELLNESS
YOU
don
t have to wait for the
new year to make positive changes in
your life. But a lot of us do anyway.
Whether you
re one of the Janu-
ary 1st crowd or not, here
s a list of
resolutions that can help you have a
healthier new year.
1
If you smoke, pick a quit date.
Ideally, try to quit within the next
two weeks. That
s
enough time to
ready yourself but
not so far in the
future that you
ll
lose your drive to quit. Don
t be dis-
couraged if you
ve failed at quitting
before. It often takes several tries to
quit for good.
2
Move more.
If you
re sedentary,
try to fit a few minutes of exercise
into your daily routine—and then
gradually work your way up to at
least 150 minutes a week.
3
Downsize when you
re eating
out.
Portion sizes at restaurants tend
to be generous to a fault. To avoid
overeating, split a dish and ask for
two plates. Or order
an appetizer and a
green salad tossed
with low-calorie
dressing.
4
Play detective.
Learn all you can
about your family
s health history.
Discover what diseases affected your
parents, grandparents and other
blood relatives, and share this infor-
mation with your doctor.
5
Look for ways to eat more
fruits and veggies.
Sprinkle fruit
on breakfast cereal or yogurt. Add
chopped or shredded vegetables to
your pasta sauce. Savor fruit as a
sweet ending to your meals. And
keep raw vegetables in your fridge as
healthy snacks.
6
Set limits.
Don
t set yourself up
for unnecessary stress by taking on
too many responsibilities. Say no (it
s
not as hard as you think) to requests
that are more than you can reason-
ably manage.
Sources: American Dietetic Association; U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services
To learn more, call our
Education Department
at
503-338-7564
.
Six resolutions
worth keeping
F O R A H E A L T H Y N E W Y E A R
Making significant lifestyle
changes takes time
and patience.
DOES
your checklist of New
Year
s resolutions need a reality
check?
If you
re like
many people, you
may be aiming too
high with your
annual aspirations.
That means you might give up before
you really get started.
Making significant lifestyle
changes takes time and patience.
With realistic resolutions, you put
yourself in a position to succeed.
To get started on changes you can
stick with for decades rather than
days, the American Psychological
Association suggests that you:
1
Take small steps.
Don
t try to reinvent
your whole life in one
fell swoop. Break
down big goals into
small stages. Maybe
you want to get your house orga-
nized. Start with one room and one
task in that room. Once you
ve
accomplished the first project, it will
motivate you to move on to the next.
2
Set a realistic timetable.
You
ve
probably picked up your current
habits over time, so don
t necessarily
New year, healthier future
Three strategies for getting real with your resolutions
expect to get rid of them overnight.
If you want to wean yourself off
nicotine or lose 20 pounds, recog-
nize that it will take some time. Set
up a calendar with weekly targets.
You’ll feel less overwhelmed as you
try to accomplish these major goals.
3
Seek support.
Everyone knows
it
s difficult to make lifestyle changes.
Reach out to family and friends. Join
a support group. Look for an exer-
cise buddy. You
ll likely find that
sharing your journey makes the trip
easier.
Finally, there may be times that
your resolve begins to dissolve. Just
remember—60 percent of those who
make good on their New Year
s reso-
lutions fall short one or more times
before succeeding, so stick with it.
CMH Health Compass
is published quarterly by Columbia Memorial Hospital, 2111 Exchange St., Astoria, OR, 97103. Issue No. 1 of 4.
2
q
call us at 503-325-4321