What is your New Year’s resolution?
I have a few resolutions I would like to accomplish for 2018. For instance, I really want to improve my time management skills. I am a very busy mom of five so life for me is constantly busy, busy, busy. I am like a computer with multiple tabs opened at once. I have so many different things going on that it sometimes becomes hard for me to focus or I ultimately end up late. For. Everything.
I also have a few health goals I’d like to accomplish in the New Year: change my diet to a more natural diet and exercise regularly. Do you have any health resolutions for 2018?
If you’re still thinking about health goals for the New Year, then I think today’s post will be a great inspiration for you. Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health Direct Primary Care wrote a fantastic guest post for Good Life Detroit. He shares four health resolutions he recommends we make for 2018 (#4 is my favorite).
I hope Dr. Paul’s article encourages you as you embark on the New Year!
1. Exercise Everyday
A healthy amount of activity can get your body and mind right for 2018. The challenge is being consistent! But, there is a secret to getting the most movement possible in your days – place your gym clothes on your nightstand or hang them over your bedpost before you tuck in for the night. When you wake in the morning, put on those gym clothes and either head to the gym or head outside for a run.
Exercise has so many spinoff benefits that it’s impossible to overstate its importance! And, remember, the point of exercise is to challenge our bodies and to feel great. If you’re exercising to lose X number of pounds or look a certain way, more often than not you’ll be disappointed. Instead, focus on challenging your body to be stronger or have more endurance, and focus on that energetic feeling that you get after a great workout – your body and mind will thank you!
2. Mindfulness Meditation
A healthy body needs a healthy mind, and vice versa! One of the ways you can optimize your brain function and body function is to spend at least 10 minutes meditating each day. I find that a mid-afternoon meditation session can create a powerful separation between high-concentration levels and brain activity in the morning and in the late afternoon.
As you may experience, your mornings can be very productive as your brain is focusing on completing difficult tasks. However, concentration tends to wane into the late afternoon hours. By meditating in the mid-to-late afternoon, you can essentially reset your concentration and focus levels, remove brain fog, and optimize your brain function.
What is direct primary care? Read an interview with Dr. Paul as he explains how direct primary care can benefit you!
3. Eat More Natural, Healthy Fats
We can all use more healthy fats in our diet. Healthy fats enable our bodies to make new cells (the smallest building blocks of life) and create hormones that keep our bodies functioning optimally, like estrogen and testosterone. By eating a diet rich in healthy fats, like avocados, walnuts, almonds, and wild-caught salmon, we can optimize our body functions.
Healthy fats, like those listed here, can help to improve HDL levels or good cholesterol levels, and they can help to reduce LDL levels, or bad cholesterol levels.
Read 5 reasons why eating seasonally is better for you (and your wallet)!
4. Accomplish *That* Goal
Accomplish *that* goal, you know the one I’m talking about. The one that you’ve been putting off for the last few months, or last few years. You haven’t finished it because it’s big, it’s hairy, it’s scary! But this is your time – your day, your week, your month – to finish *that *goal. Start that blog! Finish that book! Get that raise! Apply for that better job! Ask them to marry you. Leave the abusive relationship. Develop that financial plan. Buy that airline ticket.
We all have goals, big and small. And many of us ‘should all over ourselves’,.or rationalize, or explain away why we haven’t attained the career, relationship, or life that we want. But this is your year to write down *that* goal, and write down the steps that are going to lead you to achieve *that* goal. You can do it!
You might be thinking:
“Wait, I thought you were a doctor and I thought that this blog post was supposed to be about things that can make me healthier?”
Yes, I am a Doctor, and I am passionate about people leading healthier, more fulfilled lives. And a part of that is helping and encouraging the people that I care for to attain their goals and realize the success that they want in their lives.
Is there a health resolution you would add to Dr. Paul’s list?
Happy New Year!
Special thanks to Dr. Paul for contributing a guest post to Good Life Detroit!
About Dr. Paul
Dr. Paul Thomas is a board-certified family physician who owns and operates Plum Health, PLLC Direct Primary Care in Detroit, Michigan. He is passionate about delivering high-quality service and patient-centered care to his patients. Dr. Paul is also very active in volunteering in the community. You can learn more about direct primary care and Dr. Paul by visiting the Plum Health website.