
January’s Top Health Takeaways
NewYork-Presbyterian doctors offer Health Matters their New Year’s resolutions and suggest healthy habits for 2025.
This week on Health Matters we look back at health tips and takeaways from the month of January, and discuss what healthy habits are sticking. Courtney is joined by Health Matters editor Angelique Serrano to explore the top health takeaways from our episodes on cold plunges, workouts, the health risks of alcohol and ultraprocessed foods.
In their conversations with Health Matters, Dr. Sonia Tolani and Dr. Asad Siddiqi also shared inspiring resolutions for 2025 that provide examples for overcoming setbacks and sticking to goals. Dr. Robert Brown and Dr. Michelle Loy offer some additional helpful tips for pursuing a healthy lifestyle when it comes to what we eat and drink.
Courtney and Angelique share how the advice from NewYork-Presbyterian doctors has offered them ways to make healthy changes in their own lives.
Episode Transcript
Courtney: Welcome to Health Matters, your weekly dose of the latest in health and wellness from NewYork-Presbyterian. I’m Courtney Allison.
In our episodes this month, we’ve covered some topics I was really excited to explore. Cold plunges, workouts, and the health risks of alcohol and ultraprocessed foods.
There was so much I learned from these conversations with doctors at NewYork-Presbyterian, and we wanted to spend some more time talking about what our experts shared, especially about how small changes in our daily routines can make a difference in our health.
So joining me today is Angelique Serrano, a member of our Health Matters team. You might recognize her voice because she’s hosted episodes of the show. And we’re so excited to have her here. Hi Angelique!
Angelique: It’s so great to be back on the podcast.
Courtney: Welcome back. I’m so glad you’re here. Um, you know, I’m really excited to talk with you today because something I think we both love about working here is that we have these amazing, insightful conversations with our doctors. And then we kind of run over to each other after and we’re like, Oh my gosh, they said this, they said that. So I’m so excited to do this with you today.
Angelique: One of the things I love about our experts is how great they are at breaking down really dense topics that can sometimes seem overwhelming, but they deliver advice in really helpful ways, really achievable tips.
Courtney: They really do. And lots of things I just take with me into my everyday life. We also asked a few of our doctors to share their resolutions and reflect on the healthy habits they are personally working on.
Angelique: And obviously we’re coming to the end of January now, but that’s a great time to revisit resolutions and kind of check in and see how you’re doing.
Courtney: We’ve got a lot in store for everyone today, so let’s get started.
Angelique: Well, our first episode of the year was on cold plunging. What were your big takeaways from that conversation with Dr. Asad Siddiqi?
Courtney: So a few things he said stayed with me. I think he definitely saw why there might be some mental health benefits to it, which I experienced. So that was interesting to hear. I think, also, plunge at your own risk. If you have a heart condition, if there’s blood pressure issues, you should, you know, talk to your doctor before doing anything like this. Um, and so I think overall, he just kind of encouraged me to take it a bit more seriously. You know, there’s a reason we shouldn’t stay in the cold water for too long.
Angelique: That’s what I wanted to ask you. I was curious if after you spoke with Dr. Siddiqi, did that change the way you thought about your own polar plunges?
Courtney: Yes. And he said that you should really mentally and physically prepare for them. So I think that’s something I really want to do too, particularly when I do it next year. And again, just to kind of be aware of safety, and enjoy these benefits. Like I think it reduces chronic inflammation. There are some health benefits that research is showing. But yeah, to also be careful.
Angelique: You might have inspired me, Courtney. I’m not sure yet, but you might have inspired me to plunge.
Courtney: Another thing that stuck with me was what Dr. Siddiqi said about his own resolutions. I’m excited for you to hear this.
Courtney: Do you have any advice for how listeners can stick to their resolutions?
Dr. Asad Siddiqi: I’m a basketball person and I think the best analogy I have is that, it’s always said that the best shooters have very short memories, in the sense that, if you’ve decided something for yourself, don’t let great be the enemy of good. Recognize that any step towards that goal is progress and give yourself the grace to make mistakes, have missteps on that journey.
But, I talk about this all the time, even in the context of injury, when we’re kind of getting back to activity and you’re trying to find that sweet spot between doing too much and doing too little. Day to day it might look up and down, but if the overall trajectory is positive, keep doing what you’re doing. And again, it’s better to do something than nothing at all.
Courtney: Angelique, I am so excited that we’re sharing this clip with listeners because I remember during the conversation, I really like what he said about having a short memory, like don’t let one mistake lead you to give up.
Stay in the game, right? And I think for me, I know I tend to beat myself up over small things, so that’s something I really, really like. Have a short memory. Don’t let one mistake lead you to give up.
Angelique: I think we have this in common a little bit. One of the things I’m really trying to do is just embrace, not just in theory, but in practice, that concept of grace.
Courtney: So it sounds like we can both take Dr. Siddiqi’s advice for the new year.
Angelique: Yes. Mm hm. Well, I know for a lot of people the challenge of sticking to goals or resolutions is so tough when it comes to exercise. So let’s talk about our episode with Dr. Sonia Tolani.
One of the key takeaways for me from that conversation was, and this might sound obvious, but it really was just how important exercise really is. And you hear that so often and I hate to say it, but it can sort of become a bit like white noise. You know, I know I need to exercise. Yes, I know. You hear it so often that you almost stop hearing it. So this conversation really spelled out how exercise impacts your physical health, how it impacts your mental health, and how beneficial it is for your mood and your overall health.
And I love how Dr. Tolani stresses achievable goals. A dance party with kids? I can do that 10 minutes a day. That’s three pop songs. I think we can all do that and, sort of, starting with those smaller goals to get yourself to a place where you can maybe do those larger fitness goals.
Courtney: Yeah, something I really appreciate about talking with Dr. Tolani is she’s just so human. You know, she’s a cardiologist, she has the long game in mind of why exercise is important, but she can also shrink it down, of like, today, how can I get out the door today? How can I get that run in? How can I get to that exercise class?
Angelique: Mm hm. That sort of gives you permission to feel that some days you don’t want to work out and that’s OK. You can still work toward working out a little bit more if you start small and maybe don’t put such a large goal in front of you like running a marathon.
Courtney: Exactly. Here’s how Dr. Tolani answered the question about her own resolutions.
Dr. Sonia Tolani: New Year’s resolutions, always so tricky. I always try to pick something that I can actually do. I think my New Year’s resolution is to, I’ve got two: One is to keep going to my barre class that I’ve been going to that I found with my friend, because I do feel as I’m getting older, I really want to concentrate on my core strength for my posture. And strength in general has become a goal for me to be strong as I age. And then, the second thing is, really, to trying to eat more clean and avoiding, sort of, ultra processed foods. So I think there’s a lot of more data coming out about the types of food products that we eat or have a huge impact on our health. So I want to just try to be a little bit more mindful about what I’m bringing into my house for me and my kids and my family—and my cats, and my cats!
Courtney: Yeah!
Courtney: I love hearing from Dr. Tolani. I always feel very motivated when I talk to her. And I thought it was so interesting to hear that Dr. Tolani’s resolution for food is similar to the conversation we had with Dr. Michelle Loy about processed foods and how to avoid them. And so, Angelique, as a parent, how much do you connect with Dr. Tolani’s resolution to change any food choices for your kids and your family?
Angelique: It’s something I think about every single day. I feel the weight of making those decisions for my whole family. What are we going to have for dinner? I do feel that responsibility and so I try to find little ways to make it fun and make it a sustainable habit. And what I’ve started doing is bringing the kids into the process.
So I will take them to the grocery store with me and we’ll make a game of it. You know, who can, who can find the shiniest apples and who can find the biggest oranges and picking out the foods together and talking about what a vitamin is or what a nutrient is. And again, seeing how fun they think it is really makes the chore of grocery shopping a lot more fun for me.
It’s easy to say that we need to eat healthy, but it is hard to do, especially when you’re short on time and you’re tired at night.
Courtney: So this gives us a perfect opportunity to share a little more from our conversation with Dr. Michelle Loy. Here are some really practical ideas she offered. If you’re like Dr. Tolani and you want to move away from ultra processed foods in your diet.
Dr. Michelle Loy: Gift your body with whole foods. Focus on the ingredients, not so much on the calories, right? Skip the processed treats and then savor the desserts that you really enjoy that have natural sweetness and nutrients. So cinnamon, it’s great, it’s delicious, it’s flavorful, but it’s also packed with antioxidants, and it actually helps stabilize blood sugar and also reduces your craving for sugar. And then you might want to add some ginger to that too. For example, if you have, like, digestive issues or you want to increase your gastrointestinal motility, ginger is great for that. It’s great for nausea. It’s great for inflammation. So when you choose these whole foods, remember you’re choosing energy, you’re choosing flavor, you’re choosing health, right?
Courtney: Angelique, tell me, what do you think about focusing on ingredients more than calories and maybe just some of the messaging we hear?
Angelique: I think it can be tough, especially in the month of January, where you tend to see a lot more commercials talking about weight loss, and you’re getting fed ads that focus on calories and body size. So it can be tough to really stick with a focus that is more health minded and a focus on ingredients as opposed to weight and calories.
So I love Dr. Loy’s advice about all of these herbs and natural flavorings. It’s amazing to hear how impactful those are for our health.
Courtney: Yeah, something really powerful for me from the conversation with Dr. Loy is just how, by going through the importance of these foods, it was really motivating for me to try harder to incorporate them into my diet.
Angelique: I’m going to start making the rounds at your desk at lunchtime now and see what you got.
Courtney: Well, I will bring some extra to share and I would love to swap recipes!
Courtney: So when it comes to prioritizing health and how we plan our food, obviously that also brings us to alcohol and the conversation we had with Dr. Robert Brown, who I just love having on the show. He’s just so warm and engaging and wonderful to speak to.
You know, he offered a lot of really helpful thoughts about changing our relationship to alcohol. But then he’s not alone in suggesting that we do that, right?
Angelique: No, we just saw recently an advisory from the U. S. Surgeon General talking about the link between alcohol consumption and increased cancer risk, which really laid out the risks so clearly.
Courtney: In my conversation with Dr. Brown, at one point I asked him about the idea of trying to improve our health span rather than our lifespan. I really loved his answer and I want to share that with you too.
Courtney: What are some pieces of advice you give your patients on how they can improve their health span?
Dr. Robert Brown: Well, many people view those as contradictory when in reality, most of the things that will increase your health span should increase your lifespan. But I do think that if we focus more on our health span, we will end up living healthier lives that are more enjoyable.
And I think the more we focus on quality, the length will come along, rather than focusing on the length and thinking that somehow, by taking the right supplements or doing these detoxes, that we’ll get to where we need to be, when in reality, I think if we lead healthy, high quality lives we’ll live longer.
You know, what you learn and as you do longevity research is people who are happy and healthy just live longer. If you feel like time is passing too quickly, you’re probably doing a good job. That’s how I feel. I want, all I want to do is slow down ‘cause I’m having such a great time.
Courtney: I love that. And that’s a little bittersweet. I like that he said, if you feel like time is passing too quickly, you’re probably doing a good job. ‘Cause I do feel that way often, but what a nice way to look at it.
Angelique: Same, bittersweet.
Courtney: Yeah. And he talked about moderation. I think it was, for women, it was one drink over four hours. For men, it was two drinks over four hours. And he kind of said, if you need that much more than that maybe it is time for some introspection. Like how are you finding pleasure in your life? And just be mindful.
Which I think is what these experts are saying across the board when it comes to processed food, when it comes to exercise, when it comes to alcohol, cold plunging. Be mindful, be present.
Angelique: You’re so right Courtney. They all have that mindfulness as a commonality. That no matter what you do in the new year, just be thoughtful about it.
Courtney: And with that, we’re coming to the end of our episode. Angelique, thank you so much for this conversation. It was so fun to chat with you with our microphones on!
Angelique: So much fun. Thank you Courtney!
Thank you to our amazing roster of experts: Dr. Asad Siddiqi, Dr. Sonia Talani, Dr. Michelle Loy, and Dr. Robert Brown.
Health Matters is a production of NewYork-Presbyterian. The views shared on this podcast solely reflect the expertise and experience of our guests.
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