The New Year brings with it the desire to change, to turn over a new leaf, to improve yourself somehow. Start off the new year on a healthy note with these four good habits to incorporate into your New Year's resolutions.
1. Get Fit: Getting fit will make you healthier, help you look better, and give you more energy. And if you're lacking in the self-esteem department, a little exercise can improve that, too. So if the idea of lugging your spare tire to the gym is daunting, you can take a slower approach by performing exercises in your own home. And, if you're like most of us after the holidays, you are probably trying to improve your eating habits.
2. Get Screened: Prevention is the best weapon against cancer. More than 40,000 men die each year from prostate cancer, which if detected early, can be completely cured. A prostate cancer screening, with a digital rectal exam, is probably not on anyone's top-ten list of fun things to do, but it is a preventive measure that can actually save your life. Same goes for new technologies in breast cancer. Digital mammography can be used as part of your routine screening for breast cancer. New digital technology allows physicians to see masses in the breast that may not have been visible with standard mammography - and early detection means better prognosis for women who might have a mass.
3. Childproof Your Home: Worldwide, injury is a leading cause of death in children. Many parents make the mistake of under- or overestimating their children's abilities. You might not know that your two-year-old may very well know how to open the cupboard that holds dangerous cleaning supplies.
4. Beat Stress: Lowering your stress level is easier said than done. But stress is the culprit for many physical problems, and if you're stressed to the max, you may not sleep well, you may get depressed or angry - your hair can even fall out. If your job makes your blood pressure rise, then you need to learn how cool out at work. Try repeating calming mantras or learn relaxation techniques, such as yoga, to help you maintain a lower stress level.
Making resolutions is the easy part; following through with them is the difficult part. Help from physicians and other healthcare professionals in the form of webcasts just might give you that extra boost to really stick to your resolutions to have a healthier, happier new year.
