Good Health Practices in the New Year

Taking care of our health is one of the most important things we can do to improve our well-being and quality of life. This can make our lives more enjoyable and even help us live longer. Being healthy is important year-round, but it’s not always easy to get started. That’s why many people use the new year as a starting point and make resolutions to improve their health. In this article, we’ll look at some good health practices to incorporate into your life in the New Year.

Taking Care of Your Health in the New Year

We often believe that we have to make grand attempts at being healthy in order for it to be successful, but taking small steps to improve our health is a healthier and more effective approach.

Part of the reason you should start with small, attainable goals is that it helps to create a routine. Building healthy choices and actions into your daily life will help you improve your overall well-being and continue to naturally make choices that are good for you. Choosing steps that are achievable will also make you feel good about yourself when you complete them and will give you confidence moving forward.

Here are some of the best ways to start taking care of your health better in the new year:

Eat Healthier – It’s easier said than done, but eating healthy foods is one of the key ways to help our bodies. What we eat has a direct impact on how our bodies function and perform because we need certain vitamins to keep our bones, muscles, joints, tissues, and organs operating properly. However, eating healthy foods is often made to seem more difficult than it actually is.

You don’t have to eat a salad for every meal, but learning how to eat a well-balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins ensures you receive all of the nutrients you require. This will play a major role in how you feel and how you look. On top of integrating healthier foods into your daily diet, you can also learn how to start keeping track of your macronutrients so you know exactly what is going in your body.

Reduce Stress – Another important thing that you can do to improve your overall health in the new year is to learn how to reduce stress. Focusing on reducing stress will enhance your mental health for the new year, and your overall well-being will benefit because of it as well.

A little bit of stress is normal and even healthy, but excessive stress can lead to anxiety and other health issues, like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, immune problems, and more.

There are many different ways that you can learn to cope with and reduce stress. Some of the best ones to incorporate into your life include breathing techniques, meditation, exercising, getting enough sleep, communicating with others, and more.

Get More Sleep – As mentioned in the last point, getting enough sleep is one of the ways you can reduce stress, but it also improves our health overall. Sleep is one of the most essential things for our bodies. It’s how our bodies recover, reset, and re-energize us for the next day ahead.

When we don’t get enough sleep, our bodies don’t function properly and perform at their highest level. This can impact how we feel, how we perform in school and work, how we interact with others, and how we are able to recover from illnesses and injuries.

It’s not only important to get enough sleep every night but it is also vital to stick to a sleep routine. That means going to bed at the same time every night so your body gets on a rest and recovery schedule and you can ensure you get the necessary amount of sleep each night.

In order to do this, try going to bed at the same time every night for a few days, then try a few weeks, and then keep going until you have a set sleep schedule that allows your body to get the rest it needs, which helps you to be at your best and healthiest.

Get Active – Another way to better your health is by getting active. This doesn’t mean you need to train for a marathon, but it does mean finding a way to get some sort of exercise and build physical activity into your daily routine.

You can find the recommended amount of time you should be active each week based on your age—around 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity for adults. Starting slow is key to making sure you don’t injure yourself and can build exercise into your daily routine.

Consider doing one thing every day for a week to get started, like going for a 5-minute walk, doing 10 pushups, dancing for a few minutes, walking up and down stairs, or doing anything else you can do consistently to get moving.

Building exercise into your daily routine will be much more impactful in the long run than trying to do too much too quickly and burning out or getting injured. You will be able to achieve your goals and make progress when you focus on small, achievable steps and build on them as you are able.

Get Vaccinated – Another step you can take in the new year to improve your health is to get vaccinated. Whether you’ve been putting off your latest COVID-19 booster, are overdue on your Tetanus shot, or are taking part in preventive care by getting the Gardasil vaccine to protect you from HPV, getting vaccinated is a great way to make sure you are protected from certain diseases and illnesses. It also helps you keep your loved ones and other people you encounter safe.
Schedule Health Screenings – Finally, another way to take care of your health in the new year is to schedule appointments or screenings. This is especially important if you have been putting them off. Use the new year as a time to reach out to your healthcare provider and get your next visit scheduled. Doing so can help to make sure you are in good health, as well as helping to identify any issues or concerns you may have. For example, health screenings can help to catch different types of cancer early on—like breast, ovarian, or cervical—and give you a better chance at making a full recovery.

At MyAlly Health, we understand the importance of preventive care and staying healthy year-round, and the start of the year is the perfect time to do a self-check on our health. We offer many services to help you do just that, including immunizations and several other vaccinations at our clinic, like HPV, hepatitis A and B, influenza, meningococcal disease, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. If you’re interested in scheduling an appointment to get vaccinated, reach out to us today!

Additionally, we offer annual examinations, like physicals, wellness examinations, and mental health screenings to promote your overall health. You can also receive examinations like Pap smears to test for cervical cancer, and Gardasil vaccinations to protect you from HPV infections.

MyAlly Health offers confidential reproductive health services to women and men in the Grand Forks, North Dakota area, regardless of income or age. This includes preventive care, like getting tested for STIs, breast examinations, and pelvic examinations; determining the best birth control for you; and even getting vaccinated against the flu. The clinical services we provide are all performed by Nurse Practitioners and Resident Physicians.

In order to empower and engage individuals in their well-being and reproductive health, MyAlly Health offers education, counseling, advocacy, and healthcare services. Find out more about what we do, help make a difference by donating to our cause, or schedule an appointment with us today!