Many people make New Year’s resolutions, but most are forgotten or given up before February and usually because there were too many or too broad. Rogers County Health Department wants to help people choose SMART healthy resolutions for 2019. SMART-Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound goals are much more likely to happen.
Therefore, people should trust their instincts on what they most want to resolve to accomplish, and then break it into smaller specific and relevant action steps with time goals for each. Setting these small measurable steps to reach a larger goal gives a person accomplishments to celebrate along the way, making the long-term resolution more achievable.
A few broad healthy resolutions to consider making SMART in 2019 might be:
- Make healthy food choices like eating more fruits vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products, i.e. “Eat 5 fruits and/or vegetables each day.”
- Move more, sit less, i.e. “Walk 1 mile, 3 times for 3 weeks, then add 1/4 mile or 1 extra day for 3 more weeks…” or “Watch only 2 hours of TV each night” or “Make 1 night screen free each week.”
- Get 7 hours of sleep each night. This might mean going to bed earlier and being more active during the day helps with falling asleep at night.
- Drink fruit infused water in place of soda. Try starting with decreasing the number of sodas per day or week and replace those with water.
- Quit tobacco and/or vaping. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for free help. Talk to others who have successfully quit and get support. Set a quit date.
- Protect yourself. Wear sunscreen daily even in cold weather – the sun’s UV rays do the damage not the temperature. Wear bike helmets, get your flu shot, wear insect repellent and wash your hands often.
- Get your yearly check-ups, physical, vision, and dental. Also, know your health history. Call for appointment dates and schedule around those with your other plans.
- Manage stress. Take 5 minute meditation breaks twice a day, Say no when you do not have time or for things you are not passionate about doing and are not required. Take breaks and plan time for new adventures.
- Learn something new. Enroll in a class that sounds fun or interesting, or ask someone to teach you a new game or activity.
Rogers County Health Department staff members are sharing their New Year’s resolutions in hopes to elevate their success in accomplishing them. One employee has resolved to smile and say thank you more, especially to those in checkout lines. Another has promised to pay it forward by doing a kindness for someone each month. Also, others are planning to improve stress management by taking short meditation breaks, leave their screens once an hour and walk to others’ offices instead of emailing questions or responses, and many are vowing to walk several days a week. Hopefully this will inspire, encourage, and/or motivate others in Rogers County to make healthy SMART New Year’s resolutions.
