11 Health Resolutions You Can Truly Adopt This Year

After the holidays are over, a new year often signifies a fresh start for many people. For some, this can include setting health goals like weight loss, better nutrition, and adopting a regular exercise routine. Keep in mind that change is not comfortable, quite the opposite. Therefore, choose one change each month that suits you best and focus on that.

Here are 12 lifestyle changes you can adopt to ensure a healthier year:

1. Start Cooking at Home – Can you make little more than an omelet? It's time to release that limitation (which is all in your head) and be more daring in the kitchen. Cooking at home gives you control over the quality and even the flavor of your food. Buy cookbooks, find worthwhile bloggers online, and adopt some of the easy recipes. You won't believe how far you'll get. You can cook enough for the next day and gain two healthy meals with minimal effort. Invest the money you save in refreshing your kitchen utensils. Studies have shown that cooking at home reduces the risk of obesity, which is a leading cause of type 2 diabetes, and helps ensure better nutritional quality, especially among children.
2. Shop Regularly – When the fridge is empty, you tend to opt for junk food and convenient but often low-quality options. Ensure you have a stock of food products that meet your taste, nutritional, and health requirements. Set a regular day for fresh produce from the greengrocer or even organic supplies straight from the farmer. It may cost a bit more, but fresh ingredients dictate the quality of the meals you prepare for yourself and your family.
3. Adopt a New Sport Hobby – Thinking about adopting a quality time activity with yourself this year but haven't started yet? It's never too late. Tennis, basketball, soccer, beach volleyball, walking by the sea, nature hikes, wave surfing, or paddleboarding—all of these engage body muscles, assist in metabolism, and boost blood circulation. Numerous studies have shown that physical activity reduces the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and diabetes. So this year, try and learn new things, and remember, nothing beats coming home after an activity feeling invigorated and energetic (the time you invest will pay off because you'll simply get more done). If you are diabetic, check your sugar levels before and after the activity (using a glucometer or continuous glucose monitor) and learn how it impacts your sugar levels. The feedback will encourage you to repeat the experience (we all want immediate rewards for our efforts, just like children).
4. Visit Your Doctor – We tend to downplay the importance of regular medical check-ups and only visit our family doctor when our body really collapses. Don't underestimate the importance of routine blood tests and health assessments. Routine visits can help you identify potential problems before they become serious. Prevention is always better than dealing with a problem. For instance, if untreated, iron deficiency can reach a stage where a transfusion or even hospitalization is required. If you haven't visited this year, schedule an appointment with your family doctor (preferably in person, to know you better) and follow their advice on what you should check, at what age, and how often (for example: a colonoscopy is recommended at age 50. Women should have a mammogram from age 40. Issues with cholesterol? If you are over 45, it's advisable to have a heart artery scan - calcium score, and so on). If your results require a change in your dietary lifestyle, consult a dietitian. Ensure it's a certified dietitian, not a "coach" or "guide" and other such titles not licensed to treat individuals.

5. Get Up from Your Chair - Sitting for hours on the computer during the workday? You might be endangering your back. If during your workday you only communicate with colleagues via email and WhatsApp, try sometimes to get up and go to the next room (or climb a floor...). Take short breaks and walk around. It helps with better blood circulation and prevents disc herniation. Make a decision on how you're changing the habit; if you work from home, decide that all phone calls will be taken while standing. At the workplace, don't hesitate to take the stairs instead of the elevator. (If you're on a high floor, you can climb to a lower floor and walk up a few floors. After a month, you'll feel you can climb more, and you'll have the motivation to advance to the next change).
6. Drink Enough Water – Feeling tired? You might just be dehydrated. Even if you're sitting in air conditioning, your body loses fluids, and it's best to remember to drink. Headaches, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, and sudden food cravings are other signs you're not drinking enough water. Is your urine yellow? Drink more water. Want to lose weight? Research has shown that drinking water before meals is associated with reduced appetite and decreased food intake during the meal. It's important to drink water and not sugar-containing drinks (including fruit shakes). . Having trouble with water? Add "decorations" like lemon slices, mint, lemongrass, or herbal tea infusions.
7. Minimize Nighttime Eating – The sleep hormone "melatonin" secreted at nightfall is associated with insulin resistance. Thus, eating at night may worsen this resistance. People who monitor their sugar levels will notice that following nighttime eating, their fasting sugar levels are higher.

Snacking throughout the day is a common habit shared by many working adults, and it's important to remember this affects our children, who mimic us. The good news is that it can be worked on. Identify your snacking triggers and replace them with another habit. Don't worry, the reward won't be long coming—better sleep, feeling lighter in the morning, better weight and sugar levels, and a positive impact on the next generation.

8. Prepare Healthy Snacks Ahead – Against the backdrop of cookies, pastries, and sandwiches surrounding us at work and food courts, it's essential to have a healthy alternative. Bring nuts and almonds (in a measured quantity so as not to overdo it) and dark chocolate with 85% cocoa solids or more to work. In the afternoon when you're craving something sweet or experience a wave of hunger (which by the way will pass whether you eat or not, and if you don't eat you'll just burn your last meal...),

try making a cup of coffee (without sugar, without milk or with a bit of milk) and eat a couple of squares of dark chocolate. On days when you return from work late, or when there’s a long gap between lunch and dinner, you can satiate your hunger with a handful of nuts/almonds. If you tend to overindulge them, consume protein foods such as a small cottage cheese or a hard-boiled egg.

9. Take a Breath – Many people do not understand how the race of life and the urge to achieve immediate results creates stress, anxiety, and mental overload. When you feel stress approaching, step away from your current spot and take a few deep breaths for a few minutes. Start your day with meditation, yoga, walking by the sea, and incorporate music you love alongside your work or during the day to enhance your mood. Stress can manifest in many symptoms such as chronic fatigue, muscle aches, rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, migraines, raised sugar levels, and a drive to eat. Pause during the workday to do something additional that provokes thought and inspiration, fills you with positive energy, and keeps you focused on the main things. Smile ear to ear; it will change your mood immediately.
10. Ensure a Supportive Environment – Our environment significantly influences our ability to make lifestyle changes. If you feel alone, try involving your partner in your endeavor. Create change for household members and gradually progress to wider circles. Prepare tasty and nutritious dishes and bring them to social gatherings. Share your goals with those close to you and avoid pressures that may cause you to abandon your goal.
11. Focus on Successes - It's very important to succeed in your tasks. It will encourage you to continue the process (these are the rewards we expect). Motivation is not always the first step necessary for success. Do a small action that doesn't require too many resources from you (like a five-minute walk around the building when you get home from work, or alternatively five minutes watering the garden every morning). The action generates motivation, and thus you enter a cycle of activity. Take into account that you won't always succeed in achieving the tasks you've set for yourself. It's important to look at the bigger picture and focus on what you've done. If out of five goals you achieve four - give yourself a pat on the back. Not every small thing should discourage you; the larger goal is more important.

In conclusion, although most resolutions are often kept for a short time only, these health resolutions can significantly improve your physical, emotional, and mental health and completely transform your lifestyle for life. Building a healthier relationship with food and taking proper care of your body will dramatically improve your health. 

Adina Bechar is a diabetes and ketogenic dietitian at the DMC Center for Diabetes Care, Chair of the Atid Association, and author of the book "The Ketogenic Diet".