Written by Dr. Aisha Harris
The new year is a time for reflection and motivation for many. Your health should always be a priority in the new year, but also throughout your life in general. This time of year is a perfect time to reset and build up health goals. As you start the new year, here is some advice on ways to improve and prioritize your health.
- Give grace to your health goals. It takes time to build habits so don’t be too tough on yourself and how consistent or motivated you are right now. Start one day at a time and build up good habits that actually work for you. Everyone is different, but everyone has the opportunity to have better health goals and outcomes.
- Check your preventative screenings. Ask yourself if you are all caught up on your preventative screenings. Screenings are for children and adults of all ages. Do you have your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol screenings? Are you up to date on your cancer screenings like breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer etc.? Check in with your primary care doctor to see what preventative recommendations exist for you.
- Improve your nutrition. Food is medicine. It is one of the first things that impact our health overall and plays a huge role in prevention and management of medical problems. Review the choices you are making. See if there are healthier choices that her less salty, less sugary, less processed, less fatty, have more protein, are more lean and are more nutritious etc., depending on your health goals and needs.
- Move more and be active. Sedentary lifestyles can negatively influence your health, both physical and mental. Set movement goals for each day, whether it is taking a walk, working out or lifting weights. Moving more overall can cause positive changes that can help prevent and better manage medical problems.
- Mental health is health. Our mental health is essential to our overall health. How we take care of ourselves, respond to our surroundings, reflect on our life and behave overall contribute to our mental health. Additionally, some people have mental health disorders that can make things challenging, so having proper support and management of mental health disorders is also important.
- Balance your life. Striving for balance can help you figure out what are the best choices, environments and goals for yourself. Keep in mind that building good health habits is better if there is balance so things can stay stable, consistent and productive.
The new year is a great time to start new habits. Try to find your own way to prioritize your health and keep that priority for weeks, months and the entire year. If you have to adapt or adjust, then it is okay. But always keep your goals in mind. Ask your doctor if they have advice on your new year health goals. Strive to better manage your chronic medical problems and create new physical and mental health habits.
Dr. Aisha Harris, MD is a Flint native and board-certified family medicine doctor at Harris Family Health in Flint, Michigan. Harris Family Health is a membership-based clinic that provides personalized and full primary care to adults and children. Learn more about Harris Family Health by visiting www.harrisfamilyhealth.com. Feel free to submit health questions to Dr. Harris via theflintcouriernews@gmail.com.
