New Year’s resolutions lead to better health choices
Seniors take on the challenge of leaving negative life choices to change for the better in 2019
Senior Angelina HangPres eats her salad during lunch at school. She prepares her lunch every day before school, but has only recently started doing that because of her New Year’s resolution to start eating healthier, so she adopted a Ketogenic diet. She has been keeping to it for the past month so far and believes she can make it through.
As 2019 begins, sudden positivity floods the world. People begin to question which habits to keep and which to change in the new year.
Almost always healthy lifestyles are a top priority for a new year. Eating better and feeling better is what people aspire to do.
For senior Angelina HangPres healthy eating is her goal. Recently she started her ketogenic diet, also known as the keto diet, in hope to lose weight. According to the Charlie Foundation for ketogenic therapies, the keto diet is focused on being “high in fat, adequate in protein and low in carbohydrates.”
HangPres is motivated to do this diet not only because of her aspiration to lose weight but because of her family. They have a history of unhealthy eating that eventually leads to different health complications. “My uncle is diabetic and he told me I should join him on this diet,” she said. The keto diet is known for managing weight and preventing diseases like such as epilepsy, cancer, and Alzheimer’s.
Changing her eating habits has been a challenge for her. “For the first few weeks it has been pretty difficult because I still have junk food at my house,”she said. A transition like this takes time and dedication. Her first and hardest steps towards following this diet deal with her cutting out certain foods she eats often. “I’ve been trying to cut out carbs and sugar completely.”
New year’s resolutions are famously known for being broken. However, this resolution for HangPres is more than a temporary goal. “I want to make it a long term goal because it’s been helping me a lot,” she said.
Another senior, who wishes to remain anonymous, has a new years resolution to stop smoking. Health wise he feels as though his lungs have been highly affected by his habit. According to the New York Times, “Smokers can expect to lose about 10 years of life expectancy.”
Recently the senior has had trouble breathing properly. To discipline himself if he falls back into smoking he does push-ups.Aside from the health effects of smoking his family also inspires him to give up this habit. “I don’t want my sister to start doing it because she’s younger and looks up to me.”Smoking is also in his family history. “I could see people in my family who smoke cigarettes coughing a lot,” he said. Hearing the constant coughs worry him and make him hope he will never be in that shape.
