A new year is an opportune time to reflect on our lifestyles and make plans for the coming year that will move us in the direction of becoming healthier -- which leads to being safer, happier, and more productive.

What are your resolutions for improving your health this year?

Self-improvement experts say it’s best not to plan on a complete overhaul of your habits and hobbies -- that’s just setting yourself up to fail. Instead, make small, incremental changes that align with your goals and that you can stick with.

Here are some great ways to make a difference in health and preparedness for yourself, your family and even your employees: 

• To start, we recommend that everyone gets their annual medical visits, tests and checkups scheduled ASAP. There’s nothing like preventative care and regular “maintenance” to keep our bodies running smoothly for the long haul.
• On that note, resolve to keep important prescriptions filled before they run out. This is part of having your personal first-aid kit stocked -- you don’t want to be scrambling for the essentials when you need them.
• Dental hygiene is another area where preventing problems like cavities and gum disease with regular flossing, brushing and proper diet -- as well as professional cleanings and checkups -- will save you some very expensive (and likely painful) consequences.
• Finally, as an employer, providing coverage for your business team might be the best thing you could do to support their health resolutions, as well as your own. Access to the kind of medical care we describe above can often hinge on this factor, and healthy employees are more productive and more satisfied with their jobs, too!

Coverage can be more predictably affordable than you think. If you own a business in Wayne or Oakland County and you’ve been going without coverage because of the expense or because of a missed enrollment period, HealthChoice of Michigan can help.