New Year’s resolutions should not be intimidating, tiresome or set us up for failure.  They need to be pragmatic and beneficial.  I have paraphrased some from a recent article I read by Martha Stewart who says it well.

Personal Hygiene:  Whether it be skin care or hair care, daily cleansing and application of products designed to improve our appearance are helpful to our well-being.

Diet:  A well balanced diet high in fiber, fruits, vegetables, and protein helps keep weight in check.  Regularly available water infused with lemon, lime, or cucumber is a reminder to remain hydrated and its benefits.

Exercise:  A combination of cardiovascular and weights are essential for a healthy body.  Treadmills, walking, yoga, Pilates, it does not matter.  Find something you enjoy and “Just Do It”.

Relaxation:  Try to find a few minutes each day to do something relaxing for yourself.  Read, drink a cup of tea or coffee, or just sit and think about the positive things that you have in life.

Companions:  Most importantly, enjoy your families, friends and even pets.  In this ever changing world, we all know that even these relationships are temporary.  Value and care for them as this is what brings us true joy.

A British medical journal concluded that happiness is contagious.  Researchers tracked over 4,700 people as part of a heart study.  They found that happy people tended to have happy friends and relatives.  This even spread to friends of friends.  So the happiness tended to cluster in these social “groups”.

Happy friends spread the most happiness even more than a happy spouse.  This particularly applies to same sex friends, especially women.  Of course, they also found that friends make more happiness than does money.  Happiness is also spread more consistently than unhappiness.  Each friend increases your chance of participating in a happy cluster.

A study from Annals of Internal Medicine tracking 129,000 people over two decades at the University of Madrid and the Harvard School of Public Health found that women drinking 4-5 cups of coffee a day were 26% less likely to die prematurely and specifically 34% less likely to die from heart disease.  Men drinking five cups were 44% less likely to die of heart disease and 35% less from any cause.

Various studies have found beneficial effects of coffee in reducing the severity of Alzheimer’s disease, some cancers, depression, diabetes, gallstones, and kidney stones.  It is theorized that the antioxidants in coffee may be responsible for counteracting cancers and anti-aging benefits.  Another study found that the caffeine helps to improve short-term memory, reaction times, and other brain functions.

So, sit back and enjoy another cup of “joe” on these cold winter mornings and take solace that you are doing something good for yourself.

Donna Gunn, R. N.

A 21 year study at my alma mater (Stanford University) found that elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as nonrunners to die early deaths.  The study began with all subjects older than 50.  The farther the study went, the greater the gap in the abilities of the runners over the nonrunners.  The initial disability of the runners averaged 16 years later than the nonrunners.  My take is that exercise not only helps you live longer but perhaps more importantly, better.