JUST SAY NO, NO, NO | If you’re ready to quit smoking and drinking but can’t quite give up junk food and hate the idea of exercise, it’s time to reassess. Tackling a bunch of bad habits at once may be better than dealing with them one by one, according to a new study.
Published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the study included 230 patients who were smokers, had hypertension and lived sedentary lifestyles. One-third of the patients were asked to change all three habits simultaneously; another third were asked to do so in a sequential fashion. Both received counseling over the phone to help keep them on track. (The rest were advised of their risky behavior but didn’t receive further intervention.)
After 18 months, none of the groups had done especially well, but the one that made changes simultaneously had an edge. About 8 percent had reached more than one heart-health goal (quitting smoking, reducing sodium intake and walking an extra 1,500 steps a day) compared with 6.5 percent of the sequential group. | Los Angeles Times
