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Jan 3

Experts: Successful New Year’s Resolutions Should Be Ambitious, But Realistic – MedicineNet

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Source: MedicineNet Health News

New Year's resolutions - which statistics show are overwhelmingly about improving health - are famously difficult to keep.

In 2019, 80% of survey respondents had failed to keep their resolutions even beyond Jan. 31, and just 8% reported they adhered to their resolutions all year, according to the consumer data clearinghouse Statista.

So how do you make it into that coveted 8% of lean, fit, non-smoking resolution keepers?

Experts at Harvard Medical School and the American Psychological Association (APA) said for the best chance of success, make your resolutions ambitious, but manageable. If you want to change a health behavior - and 6 of the top 12 resolutions nationwide have to do with diet, exercise, smoking or alcohol use - you should pick one bad habit at a time.

"Unhealthy behaviors develop over the course of time," states an APA article. "Thus, replacing unhealthy behaviors with healthy ones requires time. Don't get overwhelmed and think that you have to reassess everything in your life. Instead, work toward changing one thing at a time."

You can take those ambitious goals and break them down into smaller, manageable steps. The following are tips from our MedicineNet doctors to help you on your way to improved health in 2020.

Medical science has established that eating proper foods can influence health for all age groups, according to MedicineNet author Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's current dietary guidelines state the following:

Scientists have made major strides in understanding obesity and in improving the medication treatment of this important disease, Dr. Balentine said. In time, better, safer, and more effective obesity medications will be available.

But currently there is still no "magic cure" for obesity. The best and safest way to lose fat and keep it off, according to Dr. Balentine, is through a commitment to a lifelong process of proper diet and regular exercise. Medications should be considered helpful adjuncts to diet and exercise for patients whose health risk from obesity clearly outweigh the potential side effects of the medications.

Almost any of the commercial weight-loss programs can work, but only if they motivate you sufficiently to decrease the amount of calories you eat or increase the amount of calories you burn each day (or both).

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD and MedicineNet author, acknowledges adding exercise can be tough when you have a busy life. But five of the most popular and effective exercises can be done for free anywhere, without buying expensive gym memberships or bulky home equipment. Consistency is the real key.

"People can do all of these at home, at work, on vacation, or almost anywhere without any elaborate equipment, except for a good pair of gym shoes and a consistent will to reach your goals," he said.

Dr. Davis said to make sure you consult with your doctor before starting any exercise routine, especially if you have health conditions, are on medication, or have little experience with exercising.

Although smoking is a serious addiction, people can quit smoking. The following are facts and tips about smoking cessation to help you stub out that final butt, according to MedicineNet author Melissa Conrad Stppler, MD:

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Experts: Successful New Year's Resolutions Should Be Ambitious, But Realistic - MedicineNet

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