MONDAY, January 1, 2024 — Still not sure if you want to make a resolution for the new year? Or perhaps you feel bad about what you did to break your healthy habits over the holidays?

There are ten suggestions from the American Medical Association (AMA) for 2024 that will help people in the United States improve their health.

“After the holidays, it’s easy to feel down when you think about how much you’ve eaten or how little you’ve been moving,” said AMA President Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld.
“The good news is that you don’t have to make big changes to your health all at once.” “Right now, you can make small, healthy choices that will have big effects in the future,” Ehrenfeld said in a news release from the AMA.

For a healthy New Year, the AMA suggests the following:

• Do more physical activities. Working out is important for both your physical and mental health. Adults should do 150 minutes of moderately intense exercise or 75 minutes of intense activity every week.
• Get more nutrients. Instead of eating processed foods and sugary drinks, drink more water and eat more healthy whole foods like nuts, seeds, fruits, veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean meats.
• Keep your vaccines up to date. During the cold and flu season this winter, people can get vaccines to protect them against COVID, influenza, and RSV. Make sure that everyone in your family gets all of the shots that they need.
• Get your health checked as planned. Researchers think that the pandemic may have caused millions of breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer tests to be missed. Your doctor can tell you if you need to be screened.
• Know what your blood pressure is. Taking care of your high blood pressure can lower your chance of having a heart attack or stroke.
• Find out how likely it is that you will get type 2 diabetes. You can find out how likely you are to get diabetes by taking a simple two-minute test online at DoIHavePrediabetes.org. This gives you time to take steps to avoid getting the long-term disease. • Drink in moderation. Follow the rules that say men should have two drinks a day and women should have one. Quit smoking. Vaping and smoking can make you addicted to nicotine and be bad for your health. Your doctor can help you quit by giving you tools and advice.
• Take your pharmaceutical drugs as directed. When taking medicinal drugs, especially antibiotics, do exactly what your doctor tells you to do. Antibiotic-resistant germs can grow if you don’t finish the full course of medicines. Also, keep opioid prescriptions in a safe place, take them as recommended, and get rid of any extra pills the right way.
• Deal with stress. A good amount of sleep is between seven and eight hours a night. If you need to, talk to a mental health worker for help.
  If you want to be healthy in the new year, make sure you have health insurance.
  The AMA tells people to sign up for health insurance at healthcare.gov because recent changes have made it easier to get and less expensive. January 16 is the last day to sign up for service in 2024.

Sources:

• A news statement from the American Medical Association on December 19, 2023
Disclaimer: Note that the statistical information in medical articles only shows broad trends and does not apply to specific people. Different things can make a big difference. When making decisions about your own health care, you should always get personalised medical advice.