It is that time of year that many people feel pressured to make a New Year’s Resolution to improve their life. Several years ago I wrote an educational fact sheet titled, “Action Plan for Healthy Living.” While you may have guessed, the information I shared in the publication emphasized healthy eating choices along with regular physical exercise. Today I want to highlight six additional strategies for achieving a healthy life.
According to the University of Florida IFAS Extension publication, Healthstyle: A Self-Test, it is estimated that 7 of the 10 leading causes of death could be reduced through common-sense changes in lifestyle. Consider these six “S” strategies for achieving a healthy life.
1) Stress Management: Stress is a normal part of living; the causes of it can be good or bad. When stress becomes “distress” people often show unhealthy responses, such as driving too fast, prolonged anger, worry or fear, or drinking too much. Learn to find ways that reduce stress in your life. Things like deep breathing, physical activity, and positive self-talk may be effective.
2) Simplify: Hectic schedules may not allow for adequate down time, but it is important to find some quiet time each day with no demands. Another way to simplify your life is to de-clutter your living space.
3) Safety first: Whether you are walking, riding a bicycle, or driving in a car there are choices that can improve safety. Wearing a seat belt when in a vehicle, a helmet when cycling, and leaving electronic devices turned off while driving to keep distractions to a minimum would be good decisions.
4) Stop smoking and limit alcohol consumption. Both smoking and excessive drinking are real issues that pose enormous health risks. There are community-based programs that can help people who are serious about eliminating these unhealthy habits.
5) Sleep well. Making simple changes in routine, environment, diet, and other factors can help you achieve adequate sleep. Sleep disorders are common, and some are serious, but most can be treated.
6) Surround yourself with positive people. When someone is feeling down, one of the best strategies is to spend time with positive people. Laughter, encouragement, and positive thoughts can effectively help reverse negative thoughts.
Consider developing an action plan by choosing one of the six strategies above and working on it for a week. In order to be successful, consider writing your plans down. The most important part of an action plan is to choose something you WANT to do. Next it needs to be something reasonable, such as something you can expect to be able to accomplish in a week or a month. A true action plan is behavior specific. Losing weight is not a behavior; not eating after dinner is. An action plan answers these questions: What? How much? When? How often? The final piece of a successful action plan is to assess the confidence level that you will fulfill the contract. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 represents little confidence and 10 represents total confidence, your plan should rank at least a 7.
Conclusion: Many serious health problems are directly related to personal habits or behavior. Achieving a healthy lifestyle takes knowledge, effort, and determination. No one can do it for you. You have tools at your fingertips to help you achieve a healthier life. Now is the time to build healthy habits into your daily life. Soon they will come naturally. Good luck with that endeavor!

Donna Krug is the Family & Consumer Science Agent with K-State Research and Extension – Barton County. Contact her at 620-793-1910 or dkrug@ksu.edu.