It can be tempting to drastically change your health habits at the start of a New Year. Whether your goal is to lose a few pounds, lower your cholesterol, or even just visit your health providers more regularly, instant results are not realistic. Most people fall off the “health and wellness” train a few months after January. So how can we alter our routines to live a healthier life? Start with small, realistic goals.

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Schedule Routine Appointments With Your Primary Health Care Provider

The first and hardest step of setting up a successful wellness plan is to create an environment of success, including scheduling regular appointments with your health care providers.

Having a regular health care provider means you have someone who knows and understands your health history. They know what to watch for, can quickly spot changes, or remind you of important health screenings. This relationship improves the likelihood that any developing symptoms won’t be missed, and it allows you to be proactive with your health instead of only being reactive.

These regular appointments will be essential as you reach age milestones. Your doctor will recommend certain health screenings. It is vital to get them to help with the possibility of catching early signs of chronic diseases or cancer.

Many diseases like cancer are more treatable in the early stages. Regular visits with your providers increase your chances of earlier treatment, leading to a longer, healthier life.

Don’t Sacrifice Your Sleep

Developing healthy sleep habits is a great way to help your body. Sleep allows us to recover and repair. It can be challenging because of the many factors life throws at us, but try to make a goal to get at least the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep a day. Like changing eating and exercise habits, make slow changes that will add to meaningful changes over time.

If you try to get an extra five to 10 minutes of sleep per day each month throughout the year, you have the potential to add 1 to 2 hours of extra sleep per day.

Planning Your Diet and Exercise

When people set up New Year health goals, these two categories are what people often try to change. Unfortunately, it usually ends up being drastically different from their actual lifestyle habits. The main focus for planning diet and exercise should be implementing change in more minor ways to change your current habits – instead of trying to become a different person overnight.

We all know that a healthy diet and exercise are essential for living a long and healthy life – but getting to “healthy” looks different for everyone. If you don’t exercise, maybe your goal is getting to the recommended 30 minutes a day. If you don’t have healthy eating habits, your goal might be to eat the recommended servings of different types of food. The steps to getting to your goals will look different from anyone around you, and it is best to not judge yourself based on someone else’s baseline.

One easy way to implement healthier habits is swapping screen time for a workout. That doesn’t mean you have to go to the gym; instead, try going for a walk in your neighborhood or doing bodyweight exercises. A small way to change what you eat is to think about what you are adding to your plate. Start incorporating colorful veggies and use smaller portion sizes when you reach for snacks that may have higher saturated fats or sodium. For diet and exercise changes, it is best to speak with your health care provider to discover what your body really needs and how to reach your goals – safely.

It is not always easy to maintain good health and wellness habits, but the work you put into changes, and the more consistently you work at these changes, the healthier you will be. Prowers Medical Center is dedicated to helping our patients reach their health and wellness goals. Take the first step toward your health goals by reaching out to your primary care provider today.