New year, new you

My patients often ask me how they can improve their health and what would be my number one recommendation. Those questions are difficult for me because it isn’t just one piece of advice. There are so many areas where we can focus our efforts and make valuable investments in our well-being. Starting early in life is ideal but it is most important to simply just begin the transformation. Every journey begins with the first step.

Step One

Just commit. Many of us say the same things over and over. “I need to eat better. I need to sleep more. I need to exercise.” Stop fantasizing about what you need. Make a pact within yourself that you will make these changes. 

Step Two

Set goals. Your goals need to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). SMART goals will help you stay on track and help prevent discouragement. For instance, if you have smoked 2 packs of cigarettes for 30 years, it is unreasonable to believe you will be able to stop smoking immediately and without some form of assistance. A more attainable goal could be that your cigarette consumption will be decreased by 1 cigarette every week.

Step Three

Get organized. Revamping your lifestyle will require some intentional groundwork. Distractions are common within our daily lives and often contribute to the myriad of excuses given for not exercising, getting more sleep, or addressing our mental health needs. Therefore, step three is an important reminder to prepare for the process. This preparation could include clearing out your schedule from unnecessary interruptions such as social media scrolling. It is estimated that the worldwide average time spent on social media per day was over 2 hours. Those 2 hours could have been used for working out, meal prepping, or meditation.

Getting organized also includes doing a little research. Where will you work out? Where will you buy groceries? What healthy recipes will you try? Patients are often shocked when I provide them with a list of alternative ways to exercise without having a gym membership or how to prepare meals within their budgets. YouTube and the public library are great free resources but there are many other digital platforms that could also be used.

Step Four

Be like Nike, and “Just do it.” That first day will not be easy. You may have to wake up early to get in that 20-minute walk. You may have to wear your hair in a ponytail because you will use that extra time to prepare a healthy breakfast instead of stopping by McDonald’s for a sausage biscuit. You may even have to miss your favorite football team play so that you can spend time speaking with your therapist about the recent anxiety you have been experiencing.

We have all been making excuses for our situations for too long. So many of our health problems are preventable but as a society we have allowed our conveniences to be the spark that has fueled our health demise. Therefore, the next time you go to your doctor, don’t act “brand new” (as the teenagers would say). You know what to do to improve your health. Just do it!

Denise Hooks-Anderson, MD, FAAFP can be reached at yourhealthmatters@stlamerican.com