After a tough and lengthy year, the majority of Americans are eager to end 2020 and welcome in 2021. It is important to be healthy as we enter the new year, but with the COVID-19 epidemic, keeping the right health habits is more crucial than ever. In an online survey that asked Americans about the New Year’s resolutions, they’ll make in 2021 50 percent of respondents stated they plan to get more exercise and 39% indicated they’d like to change their diet.
With so many people adding health and wellness in their goals, New York-Presbyterian doctors nurses, dietitians, and doctors have shared with the health magazine Health Matters their suggestions to help people develop healthy routines.
1. Exercise Regularly
Physical fitness has many benefits, such as increasing muscle and cardiovascular health as well as fighting off diseases. Exercise also improves your mental wellbeing through helping your body alleviate anxiety and decrease depression. Protecting your mental health has been especially critical during the stress of the pandemic, so try to squeeze in the minimum American Heart Association-recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week, plus at least two days on which you do muscle-strengthening activities.
Here are some easy methods to break down the exercises into 30-minute intervals from NYPBeHealthy’s NYPBeHealthy Wellness team
- At least two 30 minute walks per week, either at lunchtime or schedule certain walking events.
- Perform 30 minutes of strengthening using a kettlebell, or handweights whilst you watch television.
- You can play for 15 minutes at the time you get up in the morning , and once you return home in the evening.
- Do squats on your desk for 10 minutes in increments of three times a day.
With more workers working at home, physical activity is also a great way to ease pains and stiffness. “Motion is medicine in the field of the health of your spine,” says Dr. J. Ricky Singh, director of interventional spine at the New York-Presbyterian Och Spine, and Vice Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. You can, for instance, include 10 squats, 10 tricep dips, solid chair, or wall pushups into your routine. Also, try to take a break from your workstation two or three times per hour to walk around and perform some light stretching, for example, back bends that can assist in reducing the stress of the effects of being sitting in a squat position over your computer.
2. Eat Well
Alongside eating enough vegetables, fruits and whole grains throughout the day, make sure you are getting protein breakfast according to Dr. Rekha B. Kumar, an attending endocrinologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. A breakfast packed with protein can keep your blood sugar and a few “hunger hormones” more steady through the entire day assisting to manage your appetite. Egg white omelets, Greek yogurt and shakes with protein are a few examples. Doctor. Kumar also advises against eating too much sugar particularly when it comes in High fructose corn syrup. The consumption of too much sugar can lead to the condition known as insulin resistance. It is the precursor to the type 2 form of diabetes fatty liver and cardiovascular disease. It is also associated with neuropathy, cirrhosis general inflammation, kidney disease and cancer.
A diet that is less based on red meat can bring many benefits when you substitute the calories with whole-plant foods according to Dr. Shilpa Ravella, a gastroenterologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center and an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. The levels of cholesterol in your blood will decrease and you’ll drastically reduce the chance of contracting chronic diseases such as the top killers, cancer, heart disease diabetes, stroke, and overweight.
A simple and easy to follow diet that doesn’t include eating red meats is called one that is known as the Mediterranean lifestyle. It’s among the best ways to protect your health and heart claims doctor. Gary Gabelman, a cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and an assistant Professor of Medicine in the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. The diet is rich in vegetables, fruits and legumes, as well as fish and nuts. It is also high in antioxidants that have been proven to be beneficial for heart health as well as overall general health.
A good way to make sure you don’t end up reaching for chips or a chocolate bar when you need a snack is to eat before you feel famished, says Alexandra Rosenstock, RD, CDN, a registered dietitian at the Center for Advanced Digestive Care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. If you’re waiting too long before eating and you’re hungry, you could end up eating things you didn’t intend to eat due to hunger or because your sugar levels are low. Instead, Rosenstock’s recommendation is to grab something nutritious that you’ve already prepared. Make time to think about having healthy snacks available in the refrigerator or at the office.
3. Keep a regular sleep schedule
The COVID-19 virus has affected many people’s sleeping patterns, but it’s essential to adhere to an unbroken sleep routine and get at least eight hours of rest each night, according to Dr. Daniel Barone, a neurologist and sleep medicine expert at the Center for Sleep Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and an associate professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine. “Having a healthy, healthy immune system provides us with a bit better protection from the possibility of contracting COVID, therefore it’s crucial to put a high priority on sleeping,” says Dr. Barone.
He suggests establishing a consistent time for waking and sleeping that you avoid drinking caffeine throughout the day. switching off all electronic devices before bedtime as well as setting limits for your consumption of media, exercising regularly, not taking naps drinking, limiting alcohol consumption, and paying close attention to possible symptoms for sleep apnea.
4. Make sure you are protected from COVID-19 as well as the Flu
Most people are aware of the 3 W’s that aid in preventing the spread of coronavirus: wear a face mask wash your hands and be aware of your distance. However, experts have also urged people to be vigilant against the flu to stay clear of the possibility of a ” twindemic.”
The influenza shot can be the most effective option to stay clear of the flu, according to the doctor Dr. Ting Ting Wong, an attending doctor and specialist in infectious diseases at New York-Presbyterian Methodist Hospital. Fortunately, there are prevention measures for COVID-19 are also applicable to the flu. These include avoiding large gatherings and crowds, wearing a mask or a hood, social distancing frequent hand washing, and staying home if you’re feeling sick, according to the doctor. Wong.
It’s particularly important for women who are pregnant to protect themselves from getting sick and get shots against the flu. The flu shot safe and effective for babies, according to Dr. Laura Riley, obstetrician and gynecologist-in-chief at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, but it also protects babies who are born during flu season, which runs from October through April. Flu vaccinations for pregnant women decrease the chance of being hospitalized due to influenza by 70% for babies younger than six months old.
If it becomes known that the COVID-19 vaccination becomes available to the public it is crucial for all to be offered it, as well as for women breastfeeding or are pregnant to receive the vaccine as well, says Dr. Riley.
Stay on Your Plan
16 percent of those who set resolutions in the past year didn’t follow through with any of them, as per an New Year’s Eve survey. It doesn’t matter if you’re hoping to shed weight, become in better fitness, remain in contact with your loved ones and family, give up drinking or smoking or have a different objective you’re thinking of there are simple steps that you can follow to stay to your resolutions, according to Dr. Gail Saltz, a psychoanalyst and assistant attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine. She recommends:
- Accept the need to be modified.
- Make a list of your goals, and then write down the actions plan for the week.
- Begin with journal entries in the form of “Why?”
- Make incentives.
- Do not tell anyone else.
