As we are about to enter a new year, many people may have already started thinking about New Year’s resolutions. We at Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) want members of our community to achieve their goals in the healthiest way possible. Resolutions to be healthier can be difficult to keep when people follow their natural tendencies to set unrealistic goals that lack a concrete plan to attain them. If progress isn’t made in the timeframe a person initially anticipated, it’s easy to slip back into old habits with or without realizing it. NAH recommends setting goals that are easy to maintain because even small changes can have a large impact on your health.
New Year’s Resolution #1 from NAH EntireCare Rehab and Sports Medicine Outpatient Therapy System Manager and Physical Therapist, Ryan Guy: “Exercise Regularly.” Fitness has always been a popular New Year’s resolution. We recommend setting SMART goals for yourself. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. We encourage our patients and community members to set smaller, obtainable goals when it comes to fitness and build on those. It’s also important to look for ways to make exercise fun or social, such as incorporating a new sport, or taking a walk with a friend, which can improve consistency in new exercise habits. Everyone’s goals are different, which is why setting your own personal SMART goal is a beneficial mindset to help you achieve your fitness resolution.
New Year’s Resolution #2 from NAH Inspire Registered Dietician, Jillian Peart: “Eat for Longevity.” Does your resolve to feel healthier involve food? Dietary changes are most successful when we start small. For example, if your goal is to be heart healthy, instead of cleaning out your fridge to start a new high-fiber diet, you may find that preparing one high-fiber dinner each week feels more sustainable. Adding fiber to your diet has been proven to reduce the risk for heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. These small dietary goals are meant to be progressive, so your next level can be for two high-fiber meals per week. When setting these goals, remember to start small, make it fit your lifestyle, and continue to enjoy eating for health.
New Year’s Resolution #3 from NAH Psychologist, John B. Martin, PhD: “Reduce Stress.” When setting your goals for a new year, reducing stress should be at the top of the list. Stress can affect not only your mental health, but your physical health as well. When looking at ways to reduce your stress, getting more sleep is extremely important, as its just as integral to your overall health as diet and exercise are. Experts recommend that adults sleep between seven and nine hours a night. Establishing a relaxing bedtime routine and limiting screen time before you go to sleep can help you get the sleep that you need. When people are getting the proper amount of quality sleep, it boosts their immune system and gives their mind time to rest and recharge. Set realistic expectations for yourself and others when it comes to your schedule, you can give yourself permission to say no. Be kind to yourself and make sure to take time to relax.
NAH’s resolution: At NAH, our resolution remains unchanged as we remain ever committed to our mission of improving health and healing people. NAH is committed to serving this community in 2025 and the decades to come. Caring is our best medicine, and we apply that philosophy when caring for patients in our facilities, and also while serving our community. We are consistently looking at ways we can improve ourselves and we strive to give exceptional care to each patient, every time. Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC) was recently awarded an ‘A’ grade in hospital safety by The Leapfrog Group, and we are proud of this external validation of the work we do every day to provide safe care.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade provides data and research to help patients make informed decisions about a critical aspect of their hospital stay – safety. A hospital may have the best surgeons and the greatest technology in the world, but unless it is preventing infections and eliminating errors, it is not delivering on a very basic premise: ensuring the safety of a patient and their loved ones. Out of 50 hospitals in Arizona rated by The Leapfrog Group, only 14 of them received an ‘A,’ grade including FMC and NAH’s Verde Valley Medical Center in Cottonwood. To receive an ‘A’ from this important group shows that NAH is dedicated to providing the highest quality of care to the community by putting patients first.
We want to hear from you. Please submit questions about NAH or health care in general to [email protected]. We will choose one question per month and one of our experts at NAH will answer the question in this column.
We at NAH want to wish our community a happy and healthy new year.