10 Health Resolutions for 2019
Have you made any Health Resolutions for the New Year?
New Year – Healthy You! – 10 Health Resolutions for 2019
by Elson Haas, MD
Your health starts with you! Moreover, this begins with how you think about your health and the words you tell yourself in the depths of your mind. That’s where affirmations have power.
As the core of my 5 Keys to Staying Healthy, ATTITUDE is essential to how we approach our self-care. We can heal so much if we don’t undermine ourselves with negative self-talk, but focus on loving and supportive mind messages.
That’s a good place to start, and yet, there’s also nutrition, of course, exercise, stress reduction, and quality sleep, making up my 5 Keys to Staying Healthy. I have created a free course on my website to help you work with these 5 Keys and evaluate your lifestyle. The New Year is a great time for such a review.
Your resolutions are focused on your own specific life and ideally are both visionary and practical, specific and achievable. Consider these tips which cover a wide array of life activities, and of course, add some of your own!
What are your best health approaches? Most likely you have a keen sense of what keeps you going and know what triggers you. Start there!
Top 10 Health Resolutions for 2019
Health Resolution 1. Life Plan: Make caring for your health a priority in your life. I do! My other top priorities are caring for others in my world and doing a quality job in my work. Consider what your life priorities are.
Health Resolution 2. Nutrition: Eat a balanced diet of wholesome foods for your weight and body type to maintain or achieve an optimum level of energy. Please be specific with what you know is your good foods for you to include and those you might avoid, at least temporarily, to see if you feel better on your health; or consider doing an elimination diet.
Health Resolution 3. Personal Habits: Identify 3-4 nutrition habits you want to change or maintain this year. Since I have struggled with my weight (because I just love food), here are my nutrition resolutions:
- I drink plenty of good, clean water, at least two quarts daily.
- I focus my diet around vegetables, which are nutritious and low in calories.
- I chew my food well. By eating more slowly, I feel more satisfied and nourished with less food, and experience better digestion.
- I eat minimally, or not at all, after nightfall, and ideally, I eat my main nutritious meals at breakfast, at midday, or by 6 pm.
Health Resolution 4. Fitness: Find and maintain the right exercise program for your body to stay (or get) fit and trim, and stick with it to promote flexibility, strength, and endurance for life. What’s your best workout plan?
Health Resolution 5. Detox: Be aware of your food and substance weaknesses and abuses such as sugar, caffeine, or alcohol. I take steps to avoid them or use them sparingly. The period from January into the warmer Springtime months is ideal for detoxification, depending on your climate and body warmth. Consider taking some time away from the foods you may have indulged in during the holidays. Throughout the year, I offer online guided detox programs. My Winter Detox starts January 9th.
Health Resolution 6. Sleep: Allow yourself enough sleep to rest your body nightly, thus recharging your batteries and supporting your immune strength to protect yourself from illness. If you don’t currently sleep well, look at your sleep hygiene as well as consider natural remedies before turning to sleep pills.
Health Resolution 7. Supplements: Take appropriate nutritional and herbal supplements for your body’s ideal function and health. Popular ones these days include probiotics, vitamin D, omega-3 oils, magnesium, and vitamins C and the various Bs. What do you believe you need? Consider a consultation with an expert to help you assess your health and decide what natural supplements might be best for you.
Health Resolution 8. Attitude: A primary key to good health is the attitude. Maintain an attitude of health in caring for and loving your body so that you will follow healthy habits year around. Your body is your only lifelong possession, so treat it lovingly. How is yours? How can you improve it?
Health Resolution 9. Stress: Pay attention to your emotions and stresses and continue to develop non-aggressive ways to express your feelings and let go of stress and inner conflicts. If you have anxieties about your life, learn some ways to de-stress and relax your body and mind. This will also help sleep most likely and support better daily energy.
Health Resolution 10. Relationships: Ask others, especially loved ones and co-workers, what they need from you and do what you can to support them. Likewise, I let them know what you need as appropriate to each life situation. In other words, care for others and allow them to care for you. How can you improve your personal and professional relationships?
You will also enjoy Top 4 Tips for Good Colon Health and The Wisdom of Your Inner Healer
About the Author
Elson Haas, MD is a long-time integrative family physician who is the founder and director of Preventive Medical Center of Marin, an integrative center in San Rafael, CA. Elson is also the author of a dozen books on health, nutrition, and detox, including Staying Healthy with Nutrition, The Detox Diet, Ultimate Immunity, and Staying Healthy with NEW Medicine: Integrating Natural, Eastern and Western Medicines for Optimal Health.
