It’s that time of year again! Do you have your New Year’s resolutions outlined for 2019?
According to the Nielsen Strategic Health Perspectives Study, 87 percent of U.S. adults engage in some activity to proactively manage their wellness or to address an existing health issue.
Nielsen’s “Top 5 New Year’s Resolutions” survey conducted in 2015 reported “staying fit and healthy” was the number one resolution, with “losing weight” a close second. I know you’re curious as to what came next! The third most popular resolution was “spend less, save more.” Fourth was “enjoy life to the fullest,” and fifth was “spend more time with family.” Results from 2016 varied only by one or two percentage points, with the healthy lifestyle keeping the top two spots.
Approximately 40 percent of Americans make a New Year’s resolution, and regardless of the year or the survey, healthy lifestyle changes are at the top. Get the picture?
The hardest part of any resolution, however, is keeping it. Numerous studies report that fewer than 10 percent of people actually keep their New Year’s resolutions.
Don’t get discouraged, though. We have some helpful tips for achieving your goals!
How to Succeed
Many therapists and behavioral psychologists suggest removing barriers to success, such as throwing away junk food in your cupboard and making some positive changes such as meditation and mindful eating.
According to an article published by eMarketer Retail, shoppers start looking for fitness gear on January 3 in their quests for healthier lifestyles.
Over the years, this author can attest to having purchased weights, a rowing machine, a tricked-out electronic exercise bicycle, and countless gym memberships. Enough said.
I have a leg-up on my healthy lifestyle goals for next year, in part due to reconnecting with Peter Weedfald, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Sharp Home Appliances.
The Weedfald H2O Factor
Throughout this blog series, I’ve interviewed Weedfald about benefits of air purifiers and cooking with superheated steam. The takeaway from these conversations is always about living a healthier lifestyle (Simply Better Living), and the common denominator is the consumption of water.
“Look, our body on an average is 60 percent water,” says Weedfald. “According to H.H. Mitchell in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the brain and heart are composed of 73 percent water, and the lungs are about 83 percent water. The skin contains 64 percent water, muscles and kidneys are 79 percent, and even the bones are watery at 31 percent,” cites an article published by The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). More astonishing is that according to Dr. Jeffrey Utz, Neuroscience, Pediatrics at Allegheny University, different types of people have different amounts of water composition. Babies have the most, being born with as much as 78 percent water.
“Each day humans must consume a certain amount of water to survive,” the article states. “All of the water a person needs does not have to come from drinking liquids, as some of this water is contained in the foods we eat.”
Here’s the rub! We cook a lot of moisture out of our food by microwaving, baking, grilling, and pan cooking. Having a little fun, Weedfald says, “Think about it, salmon grew up in the water then you cook the life out of it.” He draws a similar analogy about meats and vegetables all having grown up needing water as a building block. “Then why when we go to cook it, would we not include water?”
Extensively covered in my previous three blogs, Sharp’s Superheated Steam Countertop Oven simply cooks with steam—a.k.a water. Extra heat is added to that to make superheated steam, but it is still water. The food maintains its moistness and doesn’t dry up, providing you the benefit of consuming some of your daily water intake from nutritious foods.
When food is cooked in Sharp’s Superheated Steam Countertop Oven, it comes out moist on the inside and brown on the outside. “We’ve created an environment for that vegetable, salmon, or steak to maintain its juices, as opposed to evaporating,” says Weedfald.
Weedfald says that New Year’s resolutions should include drinking more water, eating more water, and breathing more water.
What?
By the way, the tip I provided on my New Year’s resolutions mentioned earlier was derived from my experiences cooking with the Sharp’s Superheated Steam Countertop Oven for a few months. The overall ease-of-use and steam cooking have made it much easier for me to cook healthy meals. I will be drinking and eating more water now. Check out my review.
Healthy Resolution Number 2
Breathe more water?
Many of us have been there: It’s winter, and you get a pounding headache because the air is so dry that you’re not getting enough moisture through your sinuses. In addition, indoor allergies spike and your skin feels like that of a crocodile.
According to a report from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air, even in the largest and most industrialized cities.
“To achieve the first and second New Year’s resolution of ‘getting healthy,’ an air purifier with a built-in humidifier should be a cornerstone,” says Weedfald. Sharp’s patented Plasmacluster Ion (PCI) air purifier creates a healthier home environment on many fronts. “With the Plasmacluster Ion technology, “the ions fly through the air, looking for viruses, bacteria, pet dander, mold, mildew, and odors—anything they can attach themselves to,” explains Weedfald. “If it’s removing virus and bacteria, it’s healthier.” In addition, the Sharp air purifier is the only one with PCI technology and a humidifier.
Ahh, breathing water with a humidifier.
Not only does moisture in the air help with crocodile skin, the authors of a peer-reviewed study noted that humidifiers might reduce the risk of catching the flu. Researchers found that humidity levels above 40 percent rapidly deactivated virus particles, making them much less likely to be infectious.
You can be sure that Weedfald will not be abandoning his New Year’s resolution to live a healthier lifestyle and continue to espouse the virtues of Simply Better Living.
