| Walk With the Doc It’s easy to fall back into old habits of binge watching TV, taking the elevator rather than the stairs, or reading a book on the couch instead of listening to books while walking. If change has been on your mind, consider this two step formula for changing habits. Step 1: Set a reminder for your new habit. When you remember to take action, you feel success. A feeling of success will give you more motivation. Step 2: Choose a habit that’s easy to start. Make it so easy you can’t say no. To learn more about the psychology of changing habits read "The 3 R’s of Habit Change: How To Start New Habits That Actually Stick" Join me for a morning walk. It’s medicine for the body and the soul. Nancy Neighbors, MD Huntsville, Alabama More about changing habits If you truly want to change a habit then only change one habit at a time. Studies show that when people focus on changing a single habit at a time, the likelihood that they'll retain their new habit for a year or more is around 80 percent. Trying to change two or more behaviors at once reduces the success rate to about 20 percent. Exercise is an ideal first habit to change since it tends to be a keystone habit. If you're not familiar, keystone habits are good habits that lead to the development of other good habits (made popular by Charles Duhigg in his book "The Power of Habit"). Because exercise doesn't require a large time investment it can lead to a quick success. Even 10 minutes a day is a great first step. Then build up to 20-30 minutes a day. A Doctor’s Advice for Retirement 1. Eat right. Make the effort to buy and prepare healthful foods. It’ s time to start getting the nutrition you may have neglected when you were too busy working and raising a family. 2. Get some exercise. Even light-to-moderate exercise can extend your longevity. Exercise helps you feel better by improving digestion, soothing aching joints, increasing energy levels and more. 3. Hold your family close. Your kids may be out of the house, but that doesn't mean they should be out of your life. Loneliness can be a hazard of retirement, so make an effort to stay close to family and old friends. 4. Make new friends. In time, some old friends will die or move away. Perhaps you will move. It’s healthy to have friends – so take every opportunity to make a new one. A strong social network supports both physical and mental health. 5. Do something you like to do. Loneliness is one threat in retirement; boredom is another. So after you retire, recommit to your long-time hobby, or find a new one. Perhaps become active in your community, find a part-time job or volunteer to help those in need. Just do something that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning and love meeting each new day. More Benefits From Exercise Exercise could significantly reduce your risk for many types of cancer, including some of the most lethal forms of the disease, a large review suggests. Working out for even a couple of hours a week appears to shrink the risk of breast, colon and lung cancer, said researchers who looked at 1.4 million adults. Those are three of the four major cancers that affect Americans today. And fitness buffs, take heart -- your cancer risk appears to continue to decline as you rack up hours of physical activity, with no apparent upper plateau. Read more at HealthDay.com If cloudy, bring an umbrella, we walk come rain or shine. |