As 2024 begins, it is a great time to prioritize your health and well-being for the new year. Here are 10 tips to help you start living your healthiest life.
- Schedule an appointment with your doctor or advanced practice provider* (APP). This will allow them to give you regular screenings for common health issues such as high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. Making time to see your primary care doctor or APP also has long-term benefits. According to the Annals of Family Medicine, patients with a primary care doctor spend less time in the hospital and less money on medical costs, as well as experience better management of their chronic conditions.
At Village Medical™, this is also a great time for you to work with your doctor or APP to create a Stay Well Care Plan, an individualized care and wellness plan specific to your needs. - Get your preventive screenings and vaccinations. Getting your yearly preventive screenings and vaccinations can help you and your doctor or APP catch potential health problems early.
- Maintain a healthy weight by eating a well-balanced diet and doing physical activity. A healthy weight is the weight at which you feel good about yourself, have energy for work and play, and lower your risk for health problems. Talk with your doctor or APP to determine what a healthy weight is for you. You can maintain a healthy weight by:
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- Eating a well-balanced diet. This means you eat enough, but not too much, and that your food gives you the nutrients you need to stay healthy.
- You can do this by making healthier food choices every day and changing your diet for good.
- Eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrients you need. Your body needs protein, carbohydrates and fats for energy. This means eating from each food group on most days.
- Whole grains, such as whole wheat breads and pastas
- Fruits and vegetables
- Dairy products, such as low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese
- Lean proteins, such as all types of fish, chicken without the skin and beans.
- Don’t have too much or too little of one thing. All foods, if eaten in moderation, can be part of healthy eating. Even sweets can be okay.
- Getting physical activity and exercise:
- Try to be active for at least one hour (60 minutes) every day. This can be done by being active in smaller blocks of time that add up to one hour a day.
- Pick activities you enjoy — ones that make your heartbeat faster, your muscles stronger, and your muscles and joints more flexible.
- Eating a well-balanced diet. This means you eat enough, but not too much, and that your food gives you the nutrients you need to stay healthy.
- Understand Your Mental Health. Mental health is an incredibly important part of your overall health. According to the CDC, depression may increase a person’s risk for getting many types of physical health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and stroke. If you are struggling with your mental health, please make an immediate appointment with your doctor or APP.
- Aim to get 7-9 hours of sleep a night. The amount of sleep you need depends on several factors, including your age, lifestyle, health, and whether you have been getting enough sleep recently. It is important to check with your doctor or APP if you are getting too much or too little sleep as it may be a symptom of an underlying medical condition.
- Stay hydrated. Make sure to drink enough water each day based on your health and activity levels. It is important to talk with your doctor or APP about how much water you should drink a day, especially if you have a chronic condition such as chronic heart failure, kidney disease, diabetes, or liver disease.
- Protect your skin by using sunscreen every day. Your skin is the largest organ of the body, and its main function is to protect the body from external factors such as bacteria, chemicals and temperature. That is why it is so important to take care of your skin by using sunscreen on a daily basis. Click here to learn more about how to choose the right sunscreen.
- Keep your mind active and healthy. Some studies have shown that mental activities, such as playing board games, can impact cognitive impairment. Here are some activities to help keep your mind active:
- Stay socially active. This helps challenge you to communicate and stimulates your mind.
- Reading and writing. Reading helps improve memory skills, while writing can help with memory recall.
- You can improve memory skills, hone your problem-solving abilities and grow your vocabulary by doing crossword puzzles and word jumbles.
- Board games. Playing checkers and chess can help improve your brain activity, and this increased blood flow helps with memory retention. While these are the two most popular board games for those over 65, don’t let that stop you from playing your favorite. Like exercise, it only helps if you enjoy it and do it often.
- Limit your alcohol consumption. It is important to drink alcohol in moderation. For older adults, this means one drink a day for men and half a drink a day for women.
- Stop smoking. According to the CDC, quitting smoking reduces the risk of premature death and can add as much as 10 years to your life expectancy. Talk to your doctor or APP about the many tools available to help you quit smoking.
More than 2,000 years ago, the Roman poet Virgil said, “The greatest wealth is health.” Use the tips above to make informed decisions so you can lead a healthy life in 2024 and beyond.
*An advanced practice provider is defined as a nurse practitioner or physician assistant.
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