New Year's resolutions

Abstract

Welcome to Public Health Moment from the University of Minnesota. A common New Year’s resolution is to live a healthier lifestyle by eating a balanced diet and exercising more. But despite our earnest intent, the follow through really is hard. Mark Pereira, a University of Minnesota professor of epidemiology, suggests that we start by having a Holiday resolution. <Mark: “The average person experiences extra weight gain and increases in blood pressure and blood cholesterol during the holidays. The solution for many is a New Year’s resolution. But a better approach might be to anticipate the holiday season and some of the challenges that it brings to lifestyle and get going earlier. Perhaps, a holiday season resolution, setting realistic goals, anticipating and being proactive to some of the challenges and having a plan and a schedule. “For example, can you walk to a party instead of driving? If you are hosting a party, you can be creative by having more variety of healthy foods and smaller portion sizes. And remember not to shop or go to parties when you’re very hungry.”>Pereira adds that playing active video games, like the Wii and Xbox Kinect, is actually good exercise – especially for snowbound Minnesotans during winter months. <Mark: “Think about active video games when the weather is bad outside. Research is now showing that some of the active video games actually do get people off the couch and they burn more calories and actually have some fun instead of just sitting.”>