Make 2026 Your Healthiest Year Yet

With trends like continuous glucose monitors, weighted vests and anti-aging products marketed as health game changers this time of year, it’s tempting to think one might be the elixir to good health and longevity.

Instead, experts at the University of Miami Health System say evidence-based, small, but significant health choices are the key to a healthier you in 2026. Whether you’ve stuck to your New Year’s resolution so far or you’ve already given up, the following actionable preventive care steps and healthy lifestyle choices are worth considering to improve your health this year and beyond.

Prevent injuries and get stronger

Planning to exercise more might not be enough to get you fitter and healthier this year. Instead,  Jennifer Lydia Horawski, M.D., a sports medicine physician at the UHealth Sports Medicine Institute, recommends aligning your fitness plan with your specific health goals.

Pick one goal, based on your age and health needs, and follow Dr. Horwaski’s advice 2-3 times a week.

Strengthen your bones and joints

Combining consistent weight-bearing activities (like walking or jogging) and resistance training (like lunges, planks and squats) is key to working out without injury –– especially if you’re over 40.
Why:

• Weight-bearing workouts and resistance training stimulate bone remodeling and maintain joint integrity.
• They improve bone mineral density, strengthen muscles that stabilize your joints and enhance balance, which is critical for preventing falls and injuries.
• Unlike passive habits, such as taking supplements alone, weight-bearing workouts and resistance training actively condition your musculoskeletal system to adapt and stay strong.

Daily strength work to prevent injury

Getting stronger in 2026 doesn’t require a new gym membership. Dr. Horawski recommends some simple exercises you can do anywhere to improve your mobility and strength. Together, these movements counteract age-related muscle loss and stiffness, which are major contributors to pain and instability.

What:

• Hip bridges (also called glute bridges): Lie on your back, lift your hips and squeeze your glutes to strengthen your glutes, hips and lower back.
• Squats or sit-to-stand drills: Maintain knee and hip function.
• Planks or dead bug exercises: Build core stability to reduce spinal strain.
• Dynamic stretching for hamstrings and hip flexors: Move these muscle groups through a gentle, controlled range of stretches to keep your hips and legs flexible and joints moving freely.

Maintain balance to prevent osteoporosis and falls

Muscle loss (called “sarcopenia”) accelerates after age 40. This means you’re gradually losing muscle as you age unless you’re actively building it. “Resistance training combined with proper nutrition and balance work is the gold standard for maintaining bone density and preventing fractures,” says Dr. Horawski.

What:

• Progressive resistance training (2–3 times/week): Start with light weights or resistance bands, then gradually increase the load.
• Compound movements: Engage multiple muscle groups for functional strength by combining a series of exercises like squats, lunges and push-ups.
• Adequate protein intake: Eating about 1.0–1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day supports muscle repair and growth.
• Balance drills: Reduce fall risk with activities like single-leg stands and heel-to-toe walking.

3 small steps to improve your health

As a mom of two young kids, a gastroenterologist, an assistant professor of clinical medicine and director of the UHealth Comprehensive Women’s Health Alliance, Morgan Sendzischew Shane, M.D., knows how difficult it is for busy women to make time to care for their own health. That’s why she founded the Women’s Health Alliance to make it easier to access preventative care.

For the New Year, she offers three small, doable tips that can go a long way in improving your health.

A simple dietary shift to improve your gut health

It might mean rethinking how you take your coffee or the gum you chew, but cutting out non-nutritive sweeteners can go a long way in improving your gut health, says Dr. Shane. Sugar substitutes like inulin, ribulose, sucralose, sorbitol and allulose are all found in low-calorie and sugar-free items. They also sneak into many other processed foods, such as protein powders, protein bars, protein shakes and keto-friendly products. “These non-nutritive sweeteners are extremely tough on the gut and unfavorably alter the microbiome, as well as lead to many GI symptoms like bloating, gassiness, cramping and loose stools. They serve no positive health purpose,” she says.

Take the time to get a check-up

Before you put off a mammogram or your first colonoscopy, find out what screenings are right for you by talking to your primary care provider. General population guidelines for breast and colon cancer screening and cardiovascular health screening are set for average-risk patients. Depending on your family history and personal health history, you may need these screenings at an earlier age or more frequently.

And if you don’t have a PCP, 2026 is a good time to find one.

“Urgent care is great when you have a cold or a rash, but it’s not a substitute for a comprehensive yearly evaluation with a PCP,” says Dr. Shane.

One daily habit to promote a healthier lifestyle

Finally, if you want to add one healthy change to your daily routine, Dr. Shane recommends spending 20 minutes a day weight training. This can simply mean taking the stairs at your office or condo building or doing a series of push-ups, lunges and squats. “There have been years of promoting aerobic exercise for cardiovascular health, which is great, but we know that lean muscle mass is important for metabolism, longevity and preventing frailty in older age,” says Dr. Shane.

One healthy diet shift to improve your heart health

As a clinical dietitian specializing in cardiovascular health, Evelyn Victoria, R.D.N., regularly works with people with heart disease who need practical changes to improve their cardiovascular health. Committing to the following one practical healthy diet choice can help lower your chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

Heart-healthy food to add to your diet

Whether frozen, canned or fresh, increasing your fruit and veggie intake can go a long way to improving your heart health. Snacking on fruits and vegetables instead of ultra-processed foods may result in less extra calorie intake, less saturated fat and salt intake –– which all help improve heart health. Victoria recommends keeping these foods as simple as possible. “Frozen broccoli is not the same as frozen broccoli with processed cheese sauce,” she says.

Consider keeping sliced veggies and fruit prepared in your refrigerator so you can easily grab them for snacks instead of processed snack foods.

Adequate sleep repairs your body and your mind

Physicians in every specialty at UHealth agree on one tip for a healthier body and mind this year. “Getting adequate sleep is probably one of the most important lifestyle habits for adults to adopt for overall mental health and wellbeing,” says Barbara Coffey, M.D., M.S., a psychiatrist with the University of Miami Health System.

Why:

Sleep affects every part of your health. A consistent lack of sleep puts you at higher risk for disease, while getting enough sleep improves disease outcomes. “Prioritizing sleep, with adequate duration and regular timing, is one of the most effective daily habits for disease prevention. Insufficient or irregular sleep is independently linked to cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, cognitive decline and mood disorders,” says sleep medicine specialist at the UHealth’s sleep center, Kori Ascher, D.O.

As for mental health, many emotional and behavioral conditions such as depression or anxiety can be precipitated or worsened by inadequate quality or quantity of sleep, says Dr. Coffey.

How:

To improve your sleep quantity and quality, Drs. Ascher and Coffey recommend at-home solutions, like wearables that track your sleep. These can capture multi-night data such as sleep duration, timing variability and cardiopulmonary patterns such as arrhythmias and hypoxemia, enabling earlier risk identification and timely initiation of treatment.

If you have concerns, Dr. Ascher recommends talking to your provider about getting a sleep health screening. “Obstructive sleep apnea is frequently overlooked despite its strong association with hypertension, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, stroke and motor vehicle accidents, even in patients without classic symptoms.”

Start small to make health changes last

Finally, before making any health commitment, consider the following to set yourself up for success:

• Focus on one change at a time by breaking goals into manageable steps you can repeat daily.
• Consistency matters more than intensity, so forgo any tendency toward all-or-nothing thinking.
• Choose habits that align with your routine, preferences and health needs.

Small, positive choices, repeated consistently, can lead to meaningful long-term health benefits. That is the real elixir to your good health.

Written by Wendy Margolin. Contributions from Ana Veciana-Suarez.

Tags: Dr. Barbara Coffey, Dr. Jennifer Horawski, Dr. Kori Ascher, Dr. Morgan Shane, Health Tips, proactive health