The new year brings with it an opportunity to start fresh, make promised positive changes and look toward the future. But as we all know too well, those New Year’s resolutions often fall by the wayside as the year progresses. The experts at NurseWise, a national multilingual nurse triage and health education provider, are pleased to offer five healthy habits to make 2016 your healthiest year yet!
Change a little. Making healthy changes doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Small modifications in your behavior can make a big difference, whether it’s eliminating a daily dose of sugar or including a daily dose of stairs. Adding as little as 20 minutes of sleep to your nightly routine can benefit your overall health and ability to function. Tiny changes in your daily behavior can have a big impact if you stick with it. Choose one small thing to work on and reap the health benefits!
Make an appointment. Getting an annual check-up or physical is easy, typically covered by insurance and could be the key to preventing versus treating an illness. By going each year, you also establish a baseline for your health including weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and more. This gives your healthcare provider the necessary guide to gauge the state of your health and catch concerning changes early.
Start your day right. As it has been said, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Experts recommend including protein in your morning meal and to eat it within 90 minutes of waking-up. Even if you’re short on time, you can put together healthy options like peanut butter on whole grain toast, hard boiled eggs or low-fat dairy that includes protein. Not only does breakfast help you avoid hunger and overeating later in the day, it starts your metabolism – which can make a huge difference in your blood sugar levels throughout the day. Research shows keeping glucose and insulin balanced greatly impacts metabolism and overall health.
Surround yourself with support. Having caring relationships is crucial to emotional well-being. They reduce stress, which affects both physical and mental health. Take some time to examine the relationships in your life, and learn to focus time and energy with those who reciprocate. The best way to develop supportive relationships is to be supportive to others and spend more time with people who possess qualities that support you.
Unplug every day. You not only deserve it, but it’s good for you. Taking a break from your hectic day doesn’t have to be a time-consuming event – you can reboot in just a few moments. Five minutes of meditation or deep breathing can reduce stress and anxiety and lower blood pressure. Get comfortable and count your breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly. If quiet isn’t your cup of tea, choose some music that relaxes you and take a moment to focus only on that to give yourself a break from all of the stress around you.
For more information about developing healthy habits, visit www.cdc.gov.
About NurseWise
NurseWise is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation in the business of providing multilingual telehealth (nurse triage and health education) services. They partner with health plans, hospitals, providers, colleges and universities, and other specialty organizations to ensure all callers have access to high quality, appropriate care. For more information, please visit www.NurseWise.com or contact us at info@NurseWise.com.