Health Hub: Start The New Year On The Right Track
AdventHealth offers 4 tips to help all of us be healthier in 2020!
The New Year is a time for change. Like most of us, you may feel there’s some room for improvement in your life – in your physical fitness, your relationships, or your work/life balance. What can you do to make 2020 the year you really feel whole? Dr. Melissa Morello, a family medicine physician in Winter Park, suggests starting with these four steps.
1. SEE YOUR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER.
Make an appointment and instigate an open and honest conversation about your real health goals and what you and your care team can do to achieve them. Your provider will likely start with a physical to get baseline numbers for blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and other important measurements. That way, you can track your health progress and make lifestyle or medication modifications if necessary.
2. GET A MOVE ON.
In other words, exercise at a quick enough pace that you can’t hold a conversation or update your social media status. Do it every day for 30 minutes. Getting started is as simple as walking in one direction for 15 minutes and walking back.
3. REST.
You need 7-8 hours of sleep per night, and if you’re not getting it, your health care provider needs to know. If you do feel like you’re sleeping, but are still tired, that’s a problem. People think significant fatigue is a natural part of aging, but it isn’t. If you’re waking up tired, you may have a treatable sleep disorder.
4. EAT, DRINK, BUT BE HEALTHY.
Dietary recommendations vary widely by individual health, disease, allergies, and preferences. Get your doctor’s recommendations based on the findings of your physical. If you need to lose weight, prepare healthy meals in advance so that you’re not tempted to eat out or grab quick, processed food. Drink water – a lot of it. Challenge yourself to drink 64 ounces a day for a week and see how you feel.
Melissa Morello, MD, is a board-certified family medicine physician. Along with treating acute and chronic illnesses in patients ages six years and older, Dr. Morello’s areas of interest include women’s health and pediatrics.
To learn more and to make an appointment, visit YourCentralFloridaDoctor.com/FamilyMedicine for a customized search by zip code or call 407-646-7380. All of our health care providers are part of the AdventHealth Care Network.
