Just checking on your New Year’s resolutions. Oftentimes, wellness-related resolutions are so restrictive they become unsustainable. (That’s why we seem to make the same ones every year.) Break this cycle by making resolutions you can stay with for the long haul.
Here are my 10 doable suggestions for feeling better and reducing your risk for developing cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and several forms of cancer.
By Article written by Olethia Chisolm, M.D.
Dr. Chisolm is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic.
- Exercise. You don’t have to join a gym. Taking brisk, 30-minute walks most days of the week can help lower blood pressure, control weight gain, and lift your spirits.
- Forage for fiber. A high-fiber diet helps lower your risk for certain gastrointestinal disorders. Studies suggest that eating 25 to 30 grams of fiber each day may help avert an initial occurrence of colorectal cancer. Fiber is found in most whole grains, fresh fruits, leafy green vegetables, and old-fashioned oatmeal.
- Cut back on alcohol. Drinking too much, too often will negatively affect your health. Alcoholism can interfere with your job performance, personal relationships, and fracture your family life.
- Water, water everywhere. Try to drink (at least) eight glasses each day. Water helps lubricate joints, deliver oxygen throughout the body, and slow the skin’s aging.
- Get adequate sleep. You don’t have to be Sleeping Beauty or Rip Van Winkle. Adults usually need about seven hours a night. Adequate sleep boosts alertness and reduces your risk of causing a car accident. Learn more at Sleep Center | Kelsey-Seybold Clinic.
- Put a lid on sugar. Sugar produces empty calories and can generate erratic energy highs and lows throughout your day.
- Shake the salt habit. Sodium contributes to hypertension, which can increase your risk for a heart attack and stroke.
- Wear sunscreen: People of color can suffer skin-damaging sunburns. Apply sun protectionwith an SPF of 30 or higher on exposed skin when outdoors. Sunglasses are a good idea, too.
- Quit using nicotine in any form. You should already know this. Consider calling the Texas Tobacco Quitline at 1-877-YES-QUIT or visit www.yesquit.org to help kick this unhealthy habit. Kelsey-Seybold physicians can offer strategies to help.
- Choose a primary care physician. Maintaining a good doctor-patient relationship incentivizes you to have regular physical exams, get current on immunizations, and stay informed about your health.
Kelsey-Seybold welcomes new patients and accepts more than 50 health insurance plans, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare Advantage plans, including KelseyCare Advantage, WellCare Texan Plus, and Humana Gold Plus. VIRTUAL and IN-PERSON appointments are available. Call Kelsey-Seybold’s 24/7 Contact Center: 713-442-0000.