Health and Wellness 27

10 Doctor-Recommended New Year’s Resolutions to Make Today

By d-mars.com

Provider

While investing in your health and wellness can sound like an overwhelming goal, doctors say that there are easy, tangible resolutions you can make to feel your best and better protect your health.

“A new year is the perfect time to consider your personal goals, and how you can make positive health choices in the coming year,” says American Medical Association (AMA) President Gerald E. Harmon, M.D. “Small lifestyle changes today can have a lasting effect in improv ing your health.”

Not sure where to start? Consider these resolutions from the AMA:

1. Make sure your family is up-to-date on their vaccines, including the annual influenza vaccine for everyone age six months or older and the COVID-19 vaccine for everyone age five and old er. Anyone with questions about the COVID-19 vaccines should speak with their physician and review trusted re sources, including getvaccineanswers.org.

2. Learn your risk for type 2 diabe tes by taking a simple online 2-minute self-screening test at DoIHavePrediabetes. org. Steps you take now can help prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

3. Be more physically active. Adults should do at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity.

4. Know your blood pressure numbers. Take the time to visit ManageYourBP.org to better understand your numbers and take necessary steps to get high blood pressure -- also known as hypertension -- under control. Doing so will reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke.

5. Reduce your intake of processed foods, especially those with added sodium and sugar. Also reduce your consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and drink more water instead.

6. If your health care professional determines that you need antibiotics, take them exactly as prescribed. Antibiotic resistance is a serious public health problem and antibiotics will not make you feel better if you have a virus, such as a cold or flu.

7. If consuming alcohol, do so in moderation as defined by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans -up to one drink per day for women and

A good diet and daily exercise are key ingredients to maintaining and improving your mental health, but don’t hesitate to ask for help from a friend or mental health professional when you need it.

If you don’t have health insurance, the AMA also encourages you to visit healthcare.gov to sign up for coverage. You may benefit from recent changes that improve access and affordability. The deadline to enroll for 2022 coverage is Jan. 15, 2022. More health resources and tips can be found by visiting ama-assn.org.

For a happy, healthy 2022 and beyond, consider making these 10 doctor-recommended New Year’s resolutions today.

Source: StatePoint

News

Americans Report Significant New Health Behaviors Over the Last Year

By d-mars.com News Provider

If you've started exercising more, been more mindful about eating and started taking vitamins and supplements, you're definitely not alone. While navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers have undoubtedly made significant changes to their health and wellness habits.

Recently released results from a global survey conducted by Amway, an entrepreneur-led health and wellness company, and The Logit Group are putting a finer point on consumer behavioral changes over the past 20+ months.

The survey - which analyzed 1,000 respondents in the U.S. - found Americans reported new health and wellness behaviors over the last year. Roughly two in five Americans report that they have made positive changes with diet (41%), fitness routines (41%) and the addition of new multivitamins or other supplements (44%). Furthermore, three in four Americans surveyed report they now regularly consume health and wellness supplements (75%) as they seek out ways to help strengthen their immune systems.

Motivators for these positive changes vary, with 75% of American respondents saying they are trying to improve their current state of health and 54% saying they are trying to prevent future health conditions.

Consumers expect transparency regarding where a product comes from and how it's made.

Adults are more concerned about the types of products they consume, and 57% of Americans said that traceability - knowing where a product and its ingredients come from - is an important consideration in purchasing decisions. Furthermore, almost seven in 10 Americans say they would have more trust in a company if its health and wellness products are easily traceable.

"At Amway, we believe that consumers deserve to know what is in the products they are taking. For products like Nutrilite, that means tracing botanical ingredients from seed to supplement to ensure they are pure and ethically produced, and documenting manufacturing details to ensure every product is made safe and effective. Traceability is an integral part of our supply chain and has been core to our business for more than 60 years."

Additional results from the survey include:

* Adults say they feel more

concerned about the products they consume, including 62% of American respondents, compared to a year ago.

* 60% of American adults are more likely to look for a trusted seal of approval or check the ingredients; 52% want to understand how the products have been safely tested. One in three think beyond the product itself, contemplating how many people it had to go through before arriving at their doorstep.

* A majority of American respondents (58%) have become more aware over the past year of how consumable health and wellness products are made and the testing done to prove their safety and quality.

* The majority of American adults (53%) feel that traceability is an important consideration when buying food.

* Celebrity endorsements or social media recommendations were cited as two of the least influential factors that impact the likelihood of purchasing health and wellness products, only 21% and 25% respectively.

Source: BPT

"This survey confirms a growing consumer demand for product transparency and traceability - a demand further accelerated by growth of health and wellness supplement usage during the pandemic,"

said François Renard, Amway Chief Marketing Officer.

Smart Flu Prevention Tips for Workplaces

By d-mars.com News Provider

Tt’s estimated that influenza sent up to 400,000 people to the hospital with flu complications and caused an estimated 22,000 deaths in the United States in the 2019-2020 flu season. As more Americans return to their workplaces, employers can play an important role in flu prevention.

While experts aren’t exactly sure what the upcoming flu season will look like, relaxed COVID-19 preventative measures such as physical distancing, reduced travel, staying home and strict mask-wearing policies, will likely result in the return of seasonal flu. And because of a mild 2020-2021 influenza season, the 2021-2022 flu season may begin early and could be severe.

As part of its Fend Off Flu campaign, the American Lung Association in partnership with Anthem Foundation is offering these tips to help businesses and organizations prevent the spread of flu and other illnesses in the workplace:

• Offer flexible paid sick leave policies to encourage employees who fall ill to recover without fear of lost wages.

• Offer telework policies that allow employees to stay

home and care for sick family members.

• Advise employees to stay home if they feel ill. Individuals with the flu should stay home for at least four to five days after symptoms begin.

• Ask unwell employees to go home. Employees who appear to have flu symptoms at the workplace should be promptly separated from others and asked to recover at home.

• Provide facial tissue, no-touch trash cans, handwashing stations, as well as alcohol-based hand sanitizer to promote preventive actions.

• Provide signage, such as posters and flyers, that explains healthy habits and employee policies.

• Help promote flu vaccination among your staff.

Vaccination is the best way to help protect against the flu and over the course of over 50 years, hundreds of millions of Americans have safely received routine flu shots. Build vaccine confidence by addressing employees’ questions and concerns and by sharing accurate scientific information and facts. Offer vaccination opportunities in the workplace or nearby in the community, as well as paid time off for vaccine appointments and recovery from illness. For more workplace flu prevention tips and insights, visit lung.org/fend-off-flu.

Influenza is a potentially serious disease that can lead to hospitalization, severe complications and death. Because people spend so much of their time in the workplace, employers have a special obligation and opportunity to help reduce employees’ risk for contracting flu.

Source: StatePoint

“All employers should actively promote healthy habits to help prevent the spread of flu, address barriers, and make it easier for employees to get vaccinated at their earliest opportunity,” says Albert Rizzo, M.D., chief medical officer of the American Lung Association. “Keeping staff healthy benefits not only individual workers, but employers too, making flu prevention not only an obligation, but a smart business strategy.”

Resolutions for Your Relationship

Tami V. Allen, MS, LPC Contributing Writer

Every January allows a new opportunity for personal and professional renewal, but why not focus on renewing your relationship as well? Typically, people make New Year’s resolutions to replace negative behaviors which tend to fade by mid-February. For 2022, focus on setting achievable goals to improve the quality of your relationship in 2022. Below are four suggested relationship goals to try.

1. Pick a new hobby to engage in together. It’s so easy to fall into a rut of doing the same thing week after week or engaging in separate interests. Exploring new ventures creates opportunities to spend more quality time together and bring new energy to the relationship. This could be anything from taking up ballroom dancing, home remodeling, getting fit, cooking, or volunteering.

2. Plan routine, weekly date nights as you did when you were dating. If you have kids, it takes a bit more planning, but make plans to have bi-weekly date nights, at a minimum. Dating your spouse starts long before the actual date. It means paying attention and doing the little special things that express your love and respect for your spouse. Think outside of the box, and be creative by choosing various and unique random activities that each of you like. Then take turns exploring new adventures to have more fun, and select a regularly scheduled night, committing to it. There is no reason you cannot make the effort to revitalize your relationship.

3. Be fully present when you are together.

This is the age of technology overload, and we leave technology on our jobs and come home and get back into technology, be it the TV, computer, video game, and/or cell phones. I hear so many couples claim they don’t have enough time for each other, but when I ask them how they spend their time in the evenings, it is usually doing things independent of each other. After you get settled in from work and get the kids in bed, if that applies, take at least 30 minutes to talk about your day, but don’t spend too long on the negative aspects. Talk about the positive. Make a rule of no phones at the dinner table, in the bedroom, or before you spend quality time with each other first. Communication improves the more you practice being fully present.

4. Focus on what you can do to make life better for your spouse rather than focusing on what they can do for you. My pastor once said in bible study that if each partner focuses on outdoing the other, how can you lose? Do something from the heart without any expectation of the favor returned. Sometimes you can influence positive behavior in the other just by exuding it.

Start your New Year off with some of these suggestions, but you should take time to name goals relevant to the needs of your relationship. Change can only happen through action, and remember that nothing beats a failure but a try.

As your relationship coach, my goal is to work with individuals and couples to improve communication and restore confidence in your relationships. For more information about me and my services, please visit my website at www.AllenCounselingGroup.com. You can also reach me by email at Tami@ AllenCounselingGroup.com or by phone at 713-597-4499

Tami Vienn Allen is the owner of Allen Counseling Group and specializes in relationship counseling.

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