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Local cardiologist shares tips for sticking to New Year's health resolutions

UCHealth cardiologist Dr. William Cornwell shared small ways to improve health habits in the new year.
Local cardiologist shares tips for sticking to New Year's health resolutions
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DENVER - The most popular 2026 New Year’s resolutions involve health and wellness, that's according to yougov.org and experts suggest breaking big health goals down into smaller manageable actions to help stick to health resolutions.

UCHealth cardiologist Dr. William Cornwell shared small ways to improve health habits in the new year.

"150 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise. What I tell my patients is that comes out to around 30 minutes a day, five times a week of a brisk walk, that's it. When we think about trying to get in shape, some people are scared of going to a gym because they're intimidated. And the reality is, you don't need to all the fancy equipment,” Cornwell said.

Cornwell said it’s also good to focus on the number of steps you take a day, and 10,000 steps is no longer the minimum goal for improving certain health outcomes.

"In the past, we used to shoot for 10,000 steps per day. It now looks like you may only need to shoot for 7,000 steps a day,” Cornwell said. “Just achieving that level of exercise leads, number one, to a dramatic reduction in risk of overall death, heart related death, cancer related death, death from diabetes.”

But Cornwell said ultimately, it’s up to the individual to choose a duration and intensity that will help them achieve their health goals.

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