Step up to healthy living in the new year
The journey to good health begins with a single move
By Cheryl Embrett
Make this year your healthiest new year ever! Follow our 12-month plan and discover just how easy it can be to shape up, eat nutritiously and increase your overall sense of well-being.
“Improving your health is a process, not a one-shot deal,” says Toronto dietitian and author Leslie Beck. “It’s important to take it one step at a time.”
To monitor your journey toward better health, click here for our printable 12-step chart.
January: Make SMART resolutions
It’s as much a tradition to break New Year’s resolutions as it is to make them. This year, use the classic SMART goal-setting technique to go the distance. Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable and Realistic; they should also have a Time frame.
Example: “I will lose 10 pounds by the end of March by exercising for 30 minutes after work each day three times a week.”
For more help on making your resolutions stick, visit Resolutions! Reminder. Register to receive messages of encouragement and links to information related to your health goals every month.
February: Spice up your sex life
What feels good can be good for you, too, so make time for date nights and romantic getaways.
In the Global Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviours by Pfizer Inc., almost 70 per cent of respondents who described their health as “excellent” also reported strong physical and emotional sexual satisfaction.
“The Pfizer survey further reinforces the impact sexual health has on overall health,” says Dr. Gerald Brock, associate professor of urology at St. Joseph’s Health Care in London, Ont.
For more information on sexual health, as well as some novel ways to inject creativity into your love life, visit the Sexual Health InfoCenter.
March: Don’t play the numbers game
It’s tempting to weigh yourself compulsively when you’re trying to lose weight, but you can suffer disappointment, says McGill University fitness coordinator Jill Barker. Weight fluctuations cause day-to-day ups and downs, and scales don’t distinguish between body fat and lean body mass.
Try to rely on another, more accurate measure of success. Barker advises: “Pay attention to how your clothes fit.” If you must step on the scales, do it only once a month.
For more sensible diet tips, visit the “Eat Well Live Well” section of the Dietitians of Canada web site.
April: Start spring cleaning
Too much clutter can leave you feeling frazzled. “Our daily lives are stressful enough without having to worry about where the house keys are, finding a lost report or coming home to an overwhelming mess,” says Estelle Gee, a professional organizer and director of Orderly Lives. “When clutter has been cleared, there’s a calmness and harmony that occurs.”
For practical tips on how to eliminate clutter and get organized one room at a time, visit Flylady.
May: Eat light, feel light
Now that spring has sprung, add more fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables to your diet. Commit to trying one new fruit or vegetable every month and you’ll help reduce your chance of developing heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.
For inspiration, visit 5 A Day and check out the “Fruit and Vegetable of the Month” chart. You’ll find everything you need to know about the produce of your choice, including nutritional information, buying and storing tips, and a tasty assortment of recipes.
June: Practise safe sun
Forget about those fancy lotions and potions. Sun protection is the single best way to ward off skin damage, premature aging and skin cancer, say the experts. So apply sunscreen every day (summer and winter) before you head outdoors, and slick on a moisturizing lip balm with an SPF 30. Once you’ve committed to daily applications for a few weeks, it’ll become a habit.
For a list of the most effective sunscreen products on the market, including sunblocks, moisturizers and lip balms, visit the Canadian Dermatology Association.
July: Drink up
Water is truly the “drink of life.” Our bodies are made up primarily of H2O, and we depend on it for so many vital functions. Even mild dehydration can sap your energy and make you tired.
The rule is to consume eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day, but you don’t have to carry a water bottle everywhere you go. Fruit and vegetables also contain lots of water, as do milk, juice and other beverages. (Just don’t count coffee and alcohol.)
For more tips on how to meet your water needs, visit the Mayo Clinic.
August: Start clocking some extra zzzz’s
A study by the Better Sleep Council Canada found that 34.7 per cent of Canadians sleep less than six hours a night. As a result, they are seriously sleep deprived and may be moodier, clumsier and less alert than people who get a good night’s sleep, says Paul Caldwell, a family physician and author of Sleep: The Complete Guide to Sleep Disorders and a Better Night’s Sleep (Firefly Books, 2003).
Women, in particular, tend to burn the candle at both ends by working all day, then doing laundry and making lunches at midnight. To find out whether you have a sleep deficiency, and for tips on how to get the sleep you need, visit the Better Sleep Council Canada.
September: Warm up to walking
The beauty of this low-impact exercise is that you can do it anytime, anywhere, with no special equipment required other than a comfortable pair of shoes. “Walking is a kinder, gentler exercise that’s very inviting,” says Running Room president John Stanton. It’s also an increasingly popular way to get fit.
Stanton opened his first Walking Room store in 2004 and has since opened 66 more across Canada. Strive to walk at least 30 minutes a day at what Stanton calls a brisk, I’m-late-for-an-appointment pace.
For more information on the health benefits of walking and how to get started, or to join a walking group, visit Chatelaine magazine’s walking club.
October: Remember breast self-examination
Early detection is the best way to beat breast cancer and, according to the Breast Cancer Society of Canada, one of the keys to early detection is a monthly breast self-examination (BSE). Research indicates three-quarters of all breast growths, whether malignant or benign, are detected by women during self-examination.
Not sure of the correct BSE technique? Visit Breast Self Exam for step-by-step instructions. Sign up for a monthly BSE e-mail reminder while you’re there.
November: Build better bones
Osteoporosis month is a good time to start thinking about bone health. By our mid-thirties, women begin to lose more bone than they form and can eventually acquire weak, brittle bones that break easily.
To keep bones strong, make sure you get enough calcium and vitamin D (1,000 mg a day of calcium for women and men under 50, and 400 IU of vitamin D) and do some strength-training exercises — light weight-lifting, for example — at least twice a week.
For more information on how to prevent osteoporosis or to determine your risk factor, visit the Osteoporosis Society of Canada.
December: Count your blessings
Take a few minutes each morning to reflect on the things in life you have to be grateful for: family and friends gathered together to celebrate the holidays or a steaming mug of marshmallow-topped hot chocolate on a chilly night.
A recent American study found that people who make a daily list of things for which they are grateful experience less depression and stress and are more optimistic about their lives.
For tips on how to start a gratitude journal, visit Simple Abundance Online. Or measure your gratitude quotient at How Grateful Are You?
