Trinity Health

Close Search

How can we help you?

Popular Searches...
    Home
  • Archives for New Year’s Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions

Building a Stronger, Healthier You in 2025

As the calendar turns to a new year, many people embrace the opportunity to reflect and find ways to better themselves. One common way people put those resolutions into action is by improving their exercise routine.

But turning those New Year’s fitness resolutions into tangible results requires more than enthusiasm—it requires strategy and commitment. According to Dawn Mattern, MD, FAMSSM, Orthopedics/Sports Medicine at Trinity Health, finding what you enjoy is a good place to start.

“The most important thing is to determine what you like. I am a huge believer that we all like to do different things. If all we consistently do is run or bike, then I think we can get into trouble with developing an effective routine,” said Dr. Mattern.

She added, “I recommend that we do a variety of things, such as lifting on one day, or yoga or biking on another day. Our body needs to move in different ways. Exercise helps us. Being able to diversify our exercise really helps us.”

Living in a climate like North Dakota, where it is cold for many months of the year, can make it difficult for people to do any outdoor activities during the winter months, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t enjoyable options for continuing a successful exercise program when it’s cold.

According to Dr. Mattern, lifting is always an option during winter, but not the only option. “Lift something heavy. That doesn’t mean you have to own a weight set or go to a gym, there are items you can lift around the house or do bodyweight exercises. You can go to a local gym if you are able to or you can walk around the mall when it’s too cold outside. If the sun is out, you can bundle up and walk outside.”

Once someone determines what type of exercise they enjoy, the next step is to make it a routine. Dr. Mattern has a simple formula for making exercise a long-term habit: find ways to move more.

“People experience the greatest health benefits when they first start exercising. They see significant improvements in their well-being as soon as they begin moving and being active,” Dr. Mattern said. “Even 10 minutes of walking shows health benefits. That could be parking your car a little further away or taking the stairs. Once you start moving more, it’s about increasing the duration. Nobody wants to stay in the same spot. You want to be able to progress, get better and do more from there.”

In addition to those benefits, Dr. Mattern says that people will also see improvements in their sleep and a decrease in their blood sugar and blood pressure for 24 hours.

“Exercise is a blood pressure and blood sugar medicine all wrapped together. I don’t like prescribing a lot of pills; I would rather say you need exercise. Exercise is your pill that you should take once a day in a 10 to 30-minute dose and then go from there.”

As people work through the beginner stages of exercise and start to feel more confident and like it’s a part of their routine, it’s important to continue increasing the intensity at a safe level to avoid plateauing. This could involve finding a new challenge, trying a different type of exercise or just increasing the intensity of what you currently enjoy doing.

For most people, that might be easy, and they may have no limitations when they increase their exercise intensity. Others may have chronic pain or an injury history, which may cause them to think more carefully about what they are doing to their bodies and listen to how their bodies respond.

“Start slow and go. If you are recovering from an injury or surgery, make sure you talk with your provider to find out if there are any special recommendations,” said Dr. Mattern. “If you are dealing with back pain, you can look at getting into a pool or figuring out how to incorporate safe lifting. Patients don’t have to stop; there are effective ways to safely exercise, whether that is rehabilitation exercises, strength exercises or maybe a different cardio activity. Just remember to start slow and go for a few minutes at a time. Once that seems okay, then we can increase the intensity.”

As important as increasing intensity is, rest and recovery are just as important and should be incorporated into any exercise routine. Dr. Mattern stresses the importance of regular sleep to promote recovery, stating that regular exercise helps regular sleep, so you can’t do one without the other.

Recovery and listening to your body are also significant, mainly because the goal is to stick with an exercise routine, so you have to ensure you enjoy it and recover properly. If not, there are ways to continue exercising while focusing on recovery.

“I want people to understand that when your knee is sore, you avoid running that day and work on strength exercises instead, or it’s a day where you go to the pool or hop on a bike. We can modify our activities and give ourselves things to fall back on if we can’t do a specific activity. But if things are good, you can continue to stick to your plan.”

For those looking to jump into a new or improved exercise routine this year, Dr. Mattern says the guidelines are at least 150 minutes per week, but that is the low bar, and we shouldn’t aim to be at 150 minutes forever. Don’t be afraid to add different exercises or movements to give your body new challenges and progression.

When incorporating these changes into your present lifestyle, it’s also important to give yourself a reason to transform these changes into a habit. That involves focusing not only on your present health but also on the future life you want to live.

Dr. Mattern says, “Exercise is the single most important thing you can do for your health. I think about what I want to do when I’m 90. I want to be walking, and I want to be independent. Yes, my body will decline and lose muscle, but if I’ve started higher on the curve, then when I’m 90, I can still do things I enjoy.  For me, the biggest thing that will affect our quality of life is not a pill; it’s how much we can continue to move our bodies.”

Spring into Healthier Eating Habits

The start of a new year often inspires a sense of renewal, prompting people to reflect on their lives and make changes, including adopting healthier eating habits. However, making positive changes to one’s eating habits can be difficult and overwhelming.

According to Michelle Fundingsland, RDN, LRD, Outpatient Nutrition Dietitian at Trinity Health, if someone wants to change their eating habits, one of the first things they should consider is to set realistic goals for themselves.

“SMART goal setting is beneficial because it makes the goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Trackable. When we make a goal easy, we are more likely to complete it, making us feel good,” Fundingsland said.

She added, “We can always set another goal, but making these goals more achievable will give us more success. Often, we want quick fixes, and when we don’t accomplish them quickly enough, we get frustrated, give up and go back to old habits. So, it’s important to make your dietary goals achievable.”

To avoid feeling overwhelmed by the massive amount of information about eating habits that are easily accessible, guidelines like www.myplate.gov give people visuals of what their plate should look like, which is a great starting point.

“Looking at those visuals as a guideline for your plate and having a vision with your meal plan are good places to begin. There are online and in-person diabetes prevention programs, such as Trinity Health’s Weigh 2 Change program. This is a lifestyle change program using CDC approved curriculum, and is evidence-based for results that show a delay or prevention in the diagnosis of diabetes,” Fundingsland said.

She added, “Having structure and accountability is also helpful. Trying to pair these changes with something you already do that’s successful, like eating a healthier meal at a certain time or trying to incorporate exercise into a certain time of the day, are also good ways to start.”

Fundingsland also noted that everyone is different, and you should find the best approach for you. Some people can confidently begin on their own with a simple food log or using an app, while others might need the support of a friend or loved one or a structured program such as Weigh 2 Change. Either way, it will take time, and each person will have a unique way of reaching their goals.

It’s easy for someone to change their diet temporarily; however, sustaining those changes in the long term can be challenging. According to Fundingsland, a few ways to make small, sustainable changes that can help propel someone to long-term healthy eating habits include having three meals per day, watching your portion size, eating nutrient-dense foods, and slowing down while eating, ensuring you take at least 15-20 minutes to eat.

Mindfulness when eating is also essential when looking to sustain changes. Avoid eating out of stress, anger, or boredom and not feeling like you have to finish a plate, even when you are full. These are other essential tips to remember while aiming to make long-term changes.

“Sometimes we focus on things we can’t have, like sweets or our favorite donut. What we really should focus on is making sure we are getting enough nutrient-dense foods. We want to ensure we have lean protein, whole grains, beans or lentils, low-fat dairy, fruits and vegetables. People often overlook the nutrient-dense foods we need in our diet, and these foods help us feel full due to the nutrient and fiber content,” Fundingsland said.

After someone develops consistent, healthy eating habits and makes them part of their routine, the process will be more straightforward, and they will start seeing benefits, including having more energy and feeling more motivated.

Of course, challenges will appear no matter how far along someone is in their eating habit journey. One of the biggest challenges is dealing with cravings or cheat meals, which can cause someone to feel guilty when eating bad foods.

If we ensure we have three balanced meals daily, which are nutrient-dense with lean proteins, half a plate of vegetables, a quarter plate of starch, fruit for dessert and a cup of milk or yogurt, that should fill us up. The good fiber incorporated in our meal plan will also make us feel full for longer, which is helpful to avoid having those cravings so soon after a meal.

“It helps to look at your scheduled meal plan or when you usually eat. Maybe you are going too long without eating, causing you to overeat on foods or even overeat on calorie-dense foods. Knowing your hunger and fullness cues when you eat your meals helps you stay on top of those cravings,” said Fundingsland.

As the new year unfolds, embracing healthier eating habits becomes a resolution and a commitment to nourishing both body and mind. By taking small, intentional steps daily, we set ourselves on a path to better well-being.

It isn’t about perfection but about progress and consistency, making choices that empower us to feel our best. With every healthy meal, we’re fueling our bodies and honoring the potential for growth, joy, and a brighter, healthier future.

Trinity Health offers a yearlong diabetes prevention program, Weigh 2 Change, on various dates throughout the year. Call Trinity Health Outpatient Nutrition at 701-857-2850 for more information and to find out when sessions are starting.