Resolution Solution: Health Promises You Can Keep
Here come those New Year's health resolutions again--you promise to eat better, exercise more and schedule a checkup. But, surveys show that one-quarter of all New Year's resolutions are broken by the second week of January.
This year can be different. The key is to take simple, positive steps to better health. Here are three easy-to-keep resolutions:
1. Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. These foods provide the nutrients and fiber your body needs. And eating more of them may prevent you from filling up on less-healthy foods. Keeping this resolution also can reduce your risk of heart disease and breast cancer and help you achieve a healthy body weight.
2. Set realistic goals for exercise. Instead of making impossible fitness promises, begin to increase your activity level in small ways. Enjoy a walk at lunch, take the stairs instead of the elevator or go for a bike ride with friends or family.
3. Be proactive. Ask your doctor about screening schedules tailored to your health history. Your doctor also can tell you which self-exams would be appropriate for you--and how to perform them.