I have found the New Year as great opportunity to improve my health by making resolutions that turn into daily habits. I like to focus on four pillars (healthy food, essential nutrients, excellent fitness, and optimal stress management) and select an area for improvement. Little by little, I become healthier, happier, and more productive each year.

I am already good at eating vegetables, fruits, smart fats, clean protein, and avoiding junk food, exercising daily, and taking my supplements. These habits make me more productive and energetic every day.

In all honesty, what I need to improve upon is my stress management routine. If I make this happen, it should help me focus better, and I’ll likely be less stressed when I get home in the evening as well, something that would make my wife Nicole happy, too. And as they say, happy wife—happy life.

So for 2018, I resolve to:

1.     Add 10 minutes of HeartMath guided meditation daily.

2.     Expand my stretching and breathing routine at the end of my workout each day.

3.     Continue my exercise, supplement, and eating routine.

I invite you to pick a couple of areas of specific improvement for 2018 and make it a daily habit.

Great examples of resolutions that will help enhance your brain function, heart health, and waistline would be to:

1.  Eat at least 5 cups of non-starching vegetables and fruits every day

2.  Stop eating sugar and grain flour

3.  Add a specific exercise routine regularly, such as Pilates, yoga, strength training, or something aerobic

4.  Take your supplement pack daily (which should include a high-quality multivitamin with adequate vitamin D and vitamin B12, mixed folates, plus magnesium, a probiotic, and a source of DHA or fish oil daily

5. Add 10 minutes of meditation daily

6. Share a random act of joy, love, and/or kindness every day

It typically takes about 6 weeks to turn an activity into a habit. So be sure to schedule time to make this activity happen daily for the first 6 weeks—it won’t happen on its own unless you plan for it. And to increase your accountability, ask friends and family to join and support you with the new activity. After six weeks, it should be fairly easy to keep this healthy new habit going.

I wish you the best of health for 2018!

Steven Masley, MD