How to Recenter Yourself in 2024

Dr. Marissa Newman, an internist at The Health Center at Hudson Yards, shares her tips for creating the healthy life you want to lead in the new year.

Jan. 1 seems like the perfect time for a fresh start but can also feel big and intimidating. How do you suggest people create health goals for the year? What questions should they ask themselves?

I like to start generally. Ask yourself generally, ‘What kind of life do I want to lead?’ Focus on your end point. How does that look, how does that feel? Is it feeling lighter and less stressed? And then if it’s that, then back into based on your bandwidth, based on your time and your energy. If you say, ‘I want to feel more relaxed,’ maybe you’re only committing to one to two evening plans per weeknight or one thing on the weekend and then maybe you have the rest of the time to do your laundry and meal prep and do your laundry.

So I think depending on the feeling you're trying to create, how you’re trying to achieve your goal, that’s how you align your actions with where you want to end up.

What are some manageable goals you recommend?

In terms of manageable goals, you could say, ‘I want to move my body more, I want to engage more with my community, I want to eat more vegetables.’ These are not necessarily super specific goals that we use at work with a concrete timetable, but I think you have to start generally and figure out what to do to get where you want your vision to be.

And not everybody is going to feel the same thing. I want to feel lighter and brighter and less stressed. That might mean giving up things and for someone else that might be adding more. 

But you have to figure out the big picture before you start making lists. 

What is one thing you can do for yourself every day to move the needle on your health?

Move. I don’t think you can create change without doing something differently. So that’s movement of both body and mind. So when it comes to body, you can start out with morning stretching, you can go outside for a walk when the sun rises. That sort of rooting reflex that we all have to connect with nature. That’s an easy way to start.

When it comes to moving your mind, The New York Times for example, they have the Wordle, they have the crossword, you can read an article. You don’t have to read a book. Everyone is obsessed with a book club. What about reading an article that you’re unfamiliar with? Creating new neural pathways in your brain is just as important as mastering that triathlon you had envisioned.

Moving your mind and moving your body, they’re both equally useful. 

What are some ways to incorporate your mental and emotional healthy needs into your life?

I would spend five minutes a day [on your mental health], at the minimum, I think that’s a fair amount or you can bank it to 35 minutes a week. But wake up in the morning, resist the screen time, maybe depending on where you live, if it’s not super dark, get outside and watch the sunrise, if you’re in a place where you can’t do that, watch the sunset, but be in tune with what’s going on outside of your job and your family. I think just realizing the world is bigger than you is a satisfying feeling when you really step back to think about it.

I would take five minutes to write a journal entry. Or some people aren't journalers but they’d rather do a deep breathing exercise. Inhalation for seven, exhale for three. Do that three times and whatever circuit was going on in your brain is short circuited. Those exercises are great. They can go with meditation.

The point is it doesn’t matter what you call it, it’s a whole mind-body practice. The whole point is you're connecting the mind with the body and one of these isn’t running on a train track out of control to nowhere, but you’re connecting your mind and your body. 

Can you share tips on how to stick to your goals?

I think we have to be internally motivated and externally motivated. I would say anything that’s rooted in community is definitely both internally and externally motivating. Any act that’s in service of someone else is a double win. What about a race for charity for example? So you’re raising money for a cause that you care about but also moving your body and strengthening your muscles. Or a neighborhood cleanup. You clean up your neighborhood so you’re doing something active but you’re also living in a cleaner space, and it builds community.

Another way is to use the buddy system, someone you need to be accountable to. Whether it's your partner, your child, a coworker, a neighbor, a friend. You’ll at least have someone to keep you honest. You don’t want to go out running on a Saturday morning, your neighbor probably doesn’t either, but you’re not going to disappoint them.

Where do you start in terms of resetting your meal plan?

My goal is to keep it simple. Whatever ‘diets’ are in today are out tomorrow. I like to keep it to the Big Four. Mostly seasonal, non-starchy vegetables are where we want to put the biggest focus. And then what do we want to add to that? There are three things: Lean proteins. Plant-based foods are great. And plant-based fats, like avocado, you’ve got nuts, nut butters. Add those to that plate of veggies with protein. Then we’ve got complex carbohydrates. So farro, quinoa, barley would be better than any of the white starches like white rice or bread. Basically, eating foods that don’t have ingredients when you flip over the bag. 

If you truly are eating plants, protein, healthy fat and a complex carb at each meal, you probably won’t be searching for candy an hour after your meal. 

Do you have any guidelines for moving your body daily?

10,000 steps is about three miles and that’s fair for humans from 13-years-old to 100 years old, but obviously there’s going to be variability in that. The U.S. Preventive services Task Force, they say 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, you can divide that however you like. And they also recommend two sessions of strength training. I think the best thing that fits the bill and what research supports is that the high intensity interval training programs (HIIT) burn calories for much longer after you’ve stopped the activity. So that means when you’re microwaving something for two minutes you can rotate between jumping jacks and squats and that’s high intensity interval training, so don’t let a microwave minute go to waste. You’re still going to get that benefit of that exercise after you’ve done it.

What’s your go-to new year’s advice? 

Pick one thing to do differently. Either give up something or add something, depending on where you decided you wanted to be when you envision your life. Do one thing differently and incorporate it into your routine. It can be going to the farmer’s market and picking out a new fruit or vegetable. You can incorporate a weekend hike into your schedule. Make it fun. You incorporate health into the stuff you’re going to do anyway. It’s not magic, you have to do something differently for your life to change. But it can be little tweaks. You already know the answer inside of you. It’s really not complicated. Just put it into practice and make it a priority. 

Dr. Marissa Newman is board-certified in internal medicine and fellow of the American College of Physicians. She earned her medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and completed her residency in internal medicine at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center.  

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