Ring in the New Year with a Healthier You

At the start of each New Year, most of us make resolutions to lose weight and shape up. Unfortunately, too often, most of us revert back to old habits without any positive changes.  Instead, as we begin another New Year, commit to a healthier lifestyle by following these strategies for overall good health and wellness offered by the experts at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.

Schedule annual check-ups, vaccinations, exams and screenings.
Ask your physician what exams, tests and vaccinations you need and when to get them. Exams and screenings can help find problems before they start or early on when the chances for treatment or a cure are better, and vaccinations help prevent diseases and save lives. Schedule a visit with your physician for a yearly exam.  Go to your exam prepared with any questions for your physician about health concerns based on family history or other risk factors. To easily remember annual exams and other health appointments, schedule them around your birthday. There’s no better gift than good health.

Quit smoking.
This may be the most important resolution a smoker makes. Compared to other lifestyle changes, quitting smoking is one of the most significant improvements to your overall health. People who stop smoking can greatly reduce their risk for disease and premature death. And the younger you are when you quit, the better your chance for avoiding health problems. If you are ready to quit in 2012, Englewood Hospital offers a Quit Smart® smoking cessation program that provides education and support. Call (201) 894-3157 for program information.

Eat healthy.
Eat a balanced diet and a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains every day. Limit your portion sizes and foods high in calories, sugar, salt, fat and alcohol. The key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight isn't about short-term dietary changes. It's about a lifestyle that includes healthy eating, regular physical activity, and balancing the number of calories you consume with the number of calories your body uses.

Be active.
Get moving!  Be active for at least 2½ hours a week. Include activities that raise your breathing and heart rates and that strengthen your muscles. Regular physical activity helps to maintain weight, reduce high blood pressure, arthritis pain, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and risk for diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke and osteoporosis.

Get enough sleep.
Get 7-9 hours of sleep each night. If you often wake up feeling unrefreshed, chances are you are not getting enough sleep. If your sleep problems extend beyond sleep deprivation, talk to your physician about a sleep test. The Center for Sleep Medicine at Englewood Hospital helps identify sleep disorders and offers a variety of non-invasive, non-stressful treatments that allow you to return to restful sleep patterns. Call (201) 894-3154 for more information.

Wash hands often.
Keeping hands clean is one of the most significant steps you can take to avoid spreading germs and getting sick. By washing your hands with soap and clean water for at least 20 seconds, you are killing bacteria that can expose you and your family  to many viruses. If soap and water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based product. 

Manage stress.
The holidays can take a toll on your health. Keep a check on over-commitment and over-spending. Balance work, home and play. Get support from family and friends. Keep a relaxed and positive outlook.  If additional support is needed, Englewood Hospital offers various programs to reduce stress such as Yoga, Tai Chi, and a Mind-Body Stress Management skills program, a powerful, effective combination of research-based healing therapies, to help people transform the physical, mental, emotional, social, or spiritual dimensions of their lives. For more information, call 201-894-3767.

About Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center provides patients with the highest level of compassionate care through a broad range of state-of-the-art clinical programs and the most advanced treatments and diagnostic services. It is renowned for its bloodless medicine and surgery program, cardiac and vascular programs and its leadership in breast care, oncology and joint replacement services. Through its affiliation with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Mount Sinai Consortium for Graduate Medical Education, this thriving, acute-care and community teaching hospital trains medical residents in a variety of disciplines, including surgery, pediatrics, podiatry, pathology and critical care medicine.  Englewood Hospital is home to a Vascular Fellowship Program that has trained a generation of world-class vascular surgeons.  Additionally, many members of the medical staff at Englewood Hospital serve as faculty members at Mount Sinai. Englewood Hospital has earned numerous accreditations from the Joint Commission and other organizations and is among the four percent of hospitals nationwide honored with the prestigious Magnet nursing award, a distinction that has been earned twice by its nursing staff. To learn more, visit englewoodhospital.com .