Subscription Services

 

print article Print     e-mail article E-mail
Published January 03, 2013, 12:00 AM

Health Notes: Promises to keep

Now that you’ve made that health-related resolution, how do you keep it? Various nonprofits are eager to pass along their suggestions. Here are a few that have come our way.

By: John Lundy, Duluth News Tribune

Now that you’ve made that health-related resolution, how do you keep it?

Various nonprofits are eager to pass along their suggestions. Here are a few that have come our way.

If you want to ...

  • Quit smoking: The American Lung Association in Minnesota suggests seeking support from family, friends and co-workers. An online source of help for Minnesotans is at www.quitplan.com. Another online source is www.lung.org/stop-smoking. The lung association also suggests setting a “quit date” and sticking to it — and make sure it’s not a time of the year that’s particularly stressful for you. It also suggests getting rid of anything in your house that reminds you of smoking.

  • Lose weight: Avoid the common mistakes, said Dr. James Donovan, a St. Luke’s family medicine physician, in a news release from the hospital. The errors include being too gung-ho, not drinking enough water, not eating enough protein and eating too many carbohydrates. Donovan, who runs a Weight Loss Essentials Program at St. Luke’s Miller Creek Medical Clinic in Hermantown, advocates manageable goals. For example, losing one to three pounds a week will pay off if you keep at it.

  • Reduce sodium intake: The average American consumes about 3,400 milligrams of salt a day, the American Heart Association/

    American Stroke Association tells us. That’s more than double the recommended 1,500 milligrams. Bonnie Brust, an Essentia Health registered dietitian and heart association spokeswoman, recommends spending a couple of days checking food labels and charting your salt consumption. And then, over a three-week period, cut back on the “Salty Six”: breads, cold cuts and cured meats, pizza, poultry, soups and sandwiches. More information is online at www.heart.org/sodium.

    Tags: , , , 

    More from around the web