Urban Pulse Direct Jan - 2015 | Page 10

2015 Health Resolutions Made Easier Skip extreme resolutions in favor of small, smart health changes you can actually stick to. By Stephanie Abramson and Lisa Whitmore Resolutions are great, but let’s face it: The more radical they are, the more likely you are to drop them. And then feel bad about doing so. Instead, try adapting a few smart new habits based on science-supported statistics. The changes you’ll make to your routine are practically effortless (will you have a hard time, say, incorporating chocolate into your diet?), but they can have life-altering benefits. Health Resolutions Made Easier The stat: Eat chocolate five or more times a week and you may be 57 percent less likely to have coronary heart disease than people who don’t. The details: Studying more than 4,900 people, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston, found that those who ate chocolate—dark, milk, whatever!—five or more times a week were less likely to have heart disease than chocolate teetotalers. While the study didn’t examine the physiological reasons for the results, e \