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    • Here are five key pillars for wellness in NY in 2025
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    Here are five key pillars for wellness in NY in 2025

    Online Niel Posted on

    3 minute reading

    Barbara Alpert
    | Special to the USA TODAY Network

    Thinking about next year and your health?

    Start by setting personal goals for a healthier 2025. Don’t try to change everything at once! Develop a list of priorities, recognizing that optimal health is an ongoing effort. Set reasonable and achievable goals to avoid feeling overwhelmed or discouraged.

    What are the strategies for optimal health? It all boils down to five key pillars.

    First: Sufficient and consistent sleep habits.

    Second: exercise. Daily is ideal, but aim for at least 150 minutes per week. Even 300 minutes is better! Recent studies show that you can be a “weekend warrior” and still get near-optimal benefits. Personally, I prefer a daily routine to promote good habits, but if that’s not feasible, focus your efforts on the weekend.

    Third: healthy eating habits. For me, that means minimizing carbs and refined sugars, maximizing protein, and being mindful of fats, especially unhealthy fats. Unhealthy fats are generally solid at room temperature, such as palm oil, palm kernel oil, and coconut oil. Healthy fats are mono and polyunsaturated. Olive oil is an excellent monounsaturated fat. We all know polyunsaturated fats; the healthiest are Omega-3 and Omega-6. Liquid vegetable fats such as safflower and corn oil are also good choices. One of the healthiest is walnut oil, but it has a strong flavor.

    Fourth: Eliminate unhealthy substances. Tobacco is public enemy number one. If I could get every patient to quit smoking, it would have a more significant impact than anything else I do. Beyond tobacco, limit alcohol and avoid drugs. The thinking about alcohol has changed recently. It used to be considered beneficial in moderation, but now the recommendation is less than three servings a week for women and five for men.

    My fifth pillar of health is socialization. Make an effort to have a rich and full social life. There is an epidemic of loneliness, so if you feel socially isolated, join an organization or find other ways to connect with people. It’s a lot to take on, but not everyone needs to tackle all five pillars at once.

    Immunizations, exams and doctor visits are also key

    Of course, seeing your doctor and getting regular checkups is a given.

    Make sure you’re up to date on preventive services, including immunizations and cancer screenings. There are recommended ages for specific screenings and vaccinations. For example, everyone over 65 should get a pneumonia shot and a tetanus booster every ten years. The RSV recommendations have recently changed; it is now recommended for those over 75 or over 60 with certain risk factors.

    There is a higher dose of flu vaccine for those over 65. Shingrix is ​​for the over 50s. Colonoscopies are now recommended starting at age 45. Mammograms start earlier, especially with a family history, and are continued after age 75 for those older than 10 years. life expectancy. A bone density scan is recommended for all women over 65 and sometimes earlier, while men get one in 70. Men who have ever smoked, even as little as five packs, should be screened for aortic aneurysms, as well as those with a family history. So screening is age-related, but it also depends on personal and family history.

    When you see your doctor, especially for the first time, send your records in advance! These include immunization records, last check-up, colonoscopy report, bone density and pap smear (if applicable), laboratory records, mammogram results, and dates of last dermatology and ophthalmology visits. This allows your doctor to review your information beforehand, maximizing your visit time. Also, write down all your questions! I appreciate patients who come prepared and engaged with their health. It shows that they are thinking things through and are more likely to listen to and follow medical advice. I always refer to mental health as part of a physical aspect; it is an integral part of general well-being.

    Barbara Alpert, MD, PhD, internal medicine at Northwell Health Concierge Services in Harrison.

    Online Niel
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