Happy New Year 2023 !
Making New Year’s resolutions that stick
Discover the secret to success
New Year’s resolutions are easy to make, but not so easy to achieve. To make the resolution into an actual solution, you need to spend time preparing and planning. There is no magic button for keeping a resolution. The first step toward success is developing a structured health plan.
Your health plan should include:
- Where you’re headed
- Why you want to get there
- What challenges you may face along the way
- How you plan to work through the challenges
Create a health vision
The second step is to visualize your goals. Think about a what a healthy future might look like to you. Convert those thoughts into a short, clear statement: your health vision.
While there are many ways to write a health vision, one popular format is: “I want to ______, so ________.”
Examples of a health vision may be:
- “I want to lose weight, so I have more energy to enjoy life.”
- “I want to be physically fit, so I am no longer out of breath playing with my grandkids.”
Set SMART goals
Goals help keep you focused after you record your health vision. Achieving identified goals produces a feeling of accomplishment and much-needed motivation to fuel your health journey.
Your SMART goals should consist of long-term and short-term goals. Establish your long-term goal first. An example of a long-term goal is: “I will walk briskly for 30 minutes each day at least five days a week.”
Accept challenges, and don’t give up
Nearly everyone will face challenges during their health journey. Perhaps it’s a busy family life, work, school, medical issues or peer pressure to continue bad habits. It’s important to identify potential challenges and envision strategies to address them as part of an effective health plan.
A network of family and friends can encourage and partner with you. Consider keeping a health journal to record your activities and achievements, adding to your motivation and accountability.
Cervical Health Awareness Month
Cervical Health Awareness Month is marked every year in January to encourage women to be more attentive to their health. Cervical health is one aspect of health that many women neglect throughout their lives. By becoming more knowledgeable about this, women can detect any health issues at an early stage and get access to the best treatment.
It is estimated that over 13,000 females suffer from cervical cancer in the U.S. each year. Fortunately, cervical cancer can be easily prevented through vaccination and early detection.
During the 1800s in western Europe, cervical cancer was one of the most common forms of malignant tumor found in women. It was one of the leading causes of cancer death for women in European countries. Since 1950, efforts have been made to control the disease through early screening and treatment.
In the mid-1940s, Dr. Georgios Nikolaou Papanikolaou’s ‘Pap smear’ cancer screening method was practiced in the U.S. A special program for early cervical cancer detection and screening was introduced in 1988. In the late 1970s, screeners were also able to detect H.P.V.16 in patients with cervical cancers. And through continuous research and development, effective vaccines were developed and licensed to prevent major types of H.P.V., including types 16 and 18 that are known to cause cervical cancer.
Although H.P.V. vaccination prevents new H.P.V. infections, it does not treat existing ones. These vaccines are most effective when taken before exposure to H.P.V; therefore, regular screening is the best way to prevent cervical cancer. And the main idea behind Cervical Health Awareness month is to raise awareness in the community about the benefits of early detection when there are no symptoms of the disease.