Three Simple Habits for a Healthier New Year
New Year’s Resolutions are daunting. But small changes implemented one at a time until they become habit are doable, and can transform how you feel, especially if you have cancer. Read on for three simple ways to live more healthfully in the new year.
1. Move Your Body
Exercise is one of the most important things you can do for your health. But if you think you have to go to the gym or exercise for 30 minutes at a time to see benefits, think again.
Any physical activity, even if it’s only for a couple minutes at a time, is shown to be useful, according to guidelines released in 2018 by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The goal is to increase your cumulative movement throughout the day, and it all adds up. Think walking from the back of the parking lot to the store, or vacuuming the carpet. Or, rather than letting items collect on the stairs in your home, put them away immediately.
If you are currently receiving or have recently received chemotherapy, there are many benefits to exercise. It can help ease treatment side effects, lower your risk of cancer coming back, increase your energy, and help maintain a healthy weight. There are, however, certain times when exercise is not advised during treatment, like if you’re experiencing extreme fatigue or anemia.
The Department of Health and Human Services guidelines still recommend 2.5 hours per week of moderate aerobic exercise, like biking, briskly walking, or swimming, and two sessions of muscle resistance weekly, like yoga, weightlifting, or heavy yard work. If you’re unsure if aerobic exercise is right for you, ask a member of your care team.
2. Get Enough Sleep
Regularly getting a full night of sleep might be the most important thing you do for your health. Adequate sleep improves mood, coping ability, weight control, attention, memory, and more, which makes it all the more important when you have cancer.
We’ve known for a long time that you should be getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night, but new research is showing just how important sleep is for your health.
For example, a new study from October 2019 shows that it’s not just the length of sleep, but the quality of sleep, that benefits health. Specifically, “slow waves” generated only in deep sleep appear just before a pulse of cerebrospinal fluid washes through the brain, presumably clearing away toxins that lead to reduced brain health and diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Despite knowing how important sleep is, many people still have trouble falling asleep. If this is you, there are some simple steps you can take this year to improve and lengthen your shut eye:
Avoid all screen time for an hour before bed. This includes TV, smartphones, tablets, etc.
Stick to a regular sleep schedule. Go to sleep at the same time on weekends as you do during the week.
Try to keep total daytime napping to an hour maximum. This can be tough if you’re on a medication that makes you drowsy, but try to be mindful of how daytime naps affect your nighttime sleep.
Reduce caffeine consumption and avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening hours.
3. Seek Out Emotional Support
It’s one thing to accept a listening ear when it’s offered, but it’s another to seek out social connections and friendship for yourself.
When you’re undergoing cancer treatment and not feeling well, you might feel like you’re a burden to your friends. Long periods of time go by and you realize you’ve seen no one but your immediate family. However, most people want to help, they just don’t know how. Simply picking up the phone or sending a quick message to a friend asking if they’d like to come over to chat, or meet up at a coffee shop, can do wonders for your well-being.
Study after study proves that social support is good for health. For people with cancer, studies show that those with the most social support live longer and have better quality of life than those with less support.
The popular Blue Zones Project studied people in the five regions of the world with the longest lifespans. Among the nine lifestyle commonalities it identified is “Right Tribe.” In other words, the longest-lived people in the world choose social circles that support healthy behaviors.
Yes, you can join a support group that meets regularly, but even more simply, make plans to spend an hour with a supportive friend who also follows a healthy lifestyle. You’ll both be better off for it.
In conclusion, there are many small steps you can take to lead a healthier life in 2020. If you have had trouble in the past adopting new habits, simply stick to one small change at a time, and keep it up until that change becomes habit. Once you see improvements in your health and how you feel, it will help you stay committed to your new, healthier habits.