As always, your family doctors want you and yours to enjoy good health and strong vitality every day of the year.

And with the new year approaching, many folks will be making resolutions for positive changes they plan to implement in their lives.

Make sure to include New Year’s resolutions for your health!

It seems many people will find a boost to their mental health when they are finally able to turn the calendar page away from 2020, which has been a challenging year for just about everyone.

You’ll boost your physical health, too (and that of your family) if you resolve to make some changes – even slight ones – in the direction of better health and wellness.

Here are some ideas from your family doctors to help you get started on your list of resolutions for 2021.

Keep A Focus On The Corona Virus

The possibility of a vaccine to protect you and your family from the novel corona virus (COVID-19) is near at hand, by all reports. With that in mind, here are some reminders that might help you say goodbye to this dreadful pandemic:

• Consider having your family vaccinated, if vaccines aren’t mandatory by the time they’re available to you.

• Make sure everyone in the family continues to wash their hands, thoroughly and often.

• Wear masks and keep social-distancing.

• Avoid large crowds until such time as we learn that a significant portion of the population has been vaccinated.

• Keep checking with your family medical practitioners and local health authorities for the latest on this troublesome disease.

Nutrition Is Still Key

You are what you eat (and drink)! Your family doctors want you to bear that in mind as you contemplate your New Year’s resolutions:

• Cut out the junk food; eat far less salt and sugar than your “holiday diet” might have included.

• Eliminate sugary beverages… they’re among the most fattening (and unhealthy) things you can consume.

• Keep the refrigerator stocked with healthy, natural, whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and “clean” meats (eliminate the meat if your health professionals recommend a meat-free diet).

• Make sure to get plenty of fiber.

• Eat good fats – especially entrees like fatty fish.

• Cut out the bad fats – especially anything processed.

• Consider a diet lower in carbohydrates… eliminate as much as possible all processed carbs, such as chips and cookies.

Exercise Is Essential

In these times, sedentary lifestyles have been increasing in popularity… and in 2020, that increase has taken a dramatic upward turn due to lockdowns and decreases in travel and movement in general. In 2021, consider it time to get moving again:

• If you’re really out of shape, start by walking… a brisk half-mile walk can be enough of a workout for overweight or elderly folks.

• Check with your family doctor for the right exercise regimen for each member of the family.

• Consider joining a gym… but only if you think you’ll stick to a routine of regular gym visits and workouts. It’s quite common for people to start a new gym membership in January, but stop going altogether as early as February in any calendar year.

• There are many good home exercise programs on the market today… see if your family doctor recommends one, especially if it’s a program that allows for the whole family to join in.

• Whatever your exercise routine, remember to stretch and warm up before starting a rigorous workout, and cool down with stretches afterward to avoid soreness and burn-out.

Other Great Health Tips

Everyone says it: Diet and exercise are the most important aspects of a healthy lifestyle. But your family doctors want you to consider other resolutions, too:

• Drink plenty of water – most people need about two liters of water per day to maintain health.

• Get plenty of sleep – the amount varies from person to person, but the old notion of a “good eight hours” will serve most people quite well. Note: teenagers need more sleep, not less!

• Take at least one good daily multi-vitamin, to supplement the nutrients that are hard to get with today’s modern diet and food supply.

• Get regular check-ups. Your family doctor misses you when you don’t!

• Consider a “cleanse,” at least annually, but up to four times a year, to help rid your body of the toxins that are hard to avoid in our modern culture.

Call your family medical practitioners today, and get their thoughts on the right resolutions for your family’s health and well-being in 2021. Every family is different, and every person is different, but good health is something we all will need and want in the coming year.