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It’s the start of the new year, and with a new year comes New Year’s resolutions. If you are looking for the perfect New Year’s resolution for yourself and your family, why not make it one that benefits your overall health and well-being? Your friends at First Care want to help you set healthy resolutions that you can actually stick to for the whole year, so here are some of our recommendations:
1. Get in more movement.
Movement is so important to a healthy life, but Americans simply don’t get enough of it in their day. According to the CDC, less than 24% of children ages 6 to 17 participate in 60 minutes of physical activity every day, which is the recommended guideline for physical activity for those age ranges. For adults, about 24.2% of adults aged 18 and over met the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities. Each week adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and two days of muscle strengthening activity, according to the current Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Both adults and children need regular physical activity, and it isn’t hard to add it to your day as a family. Try implementing fun activities like taking a walk as a family or putting on a free YouTube workout on the TV in the living room for everyone to do together. Make sure you squeeze in just 30 minutes of activity every day to hit those movement goals!
2. Cut out fast food.
Did you know that 72% of parents agree that when they are pressed for time, fast food is a good option for a family meal? This attitude has resulted in a huge uptick in fast food being served to children, resulting in extremely high obesity rates due to fast food’s high levels of unhealthy fats and excessive calories. Obesity affects an estimated 18.4 percent of U.S. children ages 6 to 11 and 20.9 percent of adolescents ages 12 to 19, according to the CDC, but your children don’t have to be a part of that statistic. Cooking meals filled with healthy vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats can help your family live a healthy life, and you can do this even when stressed for time with a little bit of preplanning. On nights when you know you’ll be busy, pop a roast with veggies in the Crockpot that morning for a meal that will be ready at the end of the day. Meal prepping on Sunday nights (essentially taking time to map out and prepare meals for the days ahead), when everyone is less busy, is also a great way to stick to a healthy diet for the entire week.
3. Keep up with hand hygiene.
This seems so simple, but keeping up with hand hygiene practices is a big deal for the whole family. Studies show that only 5% of people wash their hands properly enough to kill infectious germs after using the toilet. The recommended guideline is to wash your hands for 20 seconds vigorously with soap and water. It’s not a bad idea to put up a sign in the bathroom to remind family members, or simply monitor young children post-potty break to give them verbal reminders. And remember, washing your hands after bathroom trips isn’t the only time you should be washing your hands—your family should all wash their hands after touching pets; playing outside; coughing, sneezing, or blowing their nose; and before eating.
4. Schedule regular check-ups.
Regardless of age, regular wellness visits are important for establishing baselines for your health, yet many people go years without a check-up. More than 100 million people in the United States don't even have a primary care provider, and about a quarter of those going unserved are children. This is dangerous because primary care providers help patients maintain their health, diagnose and treat minor illnesses or injuries, prevent disease, and manage chronic illness. This year, make it a priority to secure a primary care physician for your family.
If you’re looking for a primary care provider, First Care wants to be your first choice! First Care is a state-of-the-art primary care center situated in the beautiful city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality and most affordable healthcare services to our patients. Our team of physicians is led by the highly respected and experienced Dr. Ramesh Peramsetty, who is not only the founder but also the medical director of the Crimson Care Network. Our healthcare providers are known for their warm and friendly demeanor, their vast knowledge and expertise in primary care, and their unwavering commitment to providing personalized and compassionate care to each and every patient.
First Care is proud to offer a vast array of services including urgent care, primary care, occupational health, children’s urgent care, weight loss services, and even physical therapy, so you won’t have to search far and wide for the care you need. To start scheduling those check-ups, call us today at (205) 270-5285 or book an appointment online for a convenient way to connect.
Don’t let 2024 slip by without setting a great New Year's resolution for you and your entire family so that you can have a healthy—and happy—New Year!