From ABC’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Jennifer Ashton, comes a New Year’s resolution that’s actually doable: a month-by-month plan to improve your emotional and physical health for the entire year by focusing on a different area of wellness each month.

Track your progress using this calendar, and share your story:INSTAGRAM Twitter-Square facebook-square

#selfcaresolution

JANUARY

PRO-TIP: announce to ALL your friends that you are doing a Dry Month and watch the support flood in!

DRY MONTH

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 2519 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31

FEBRUARY

FUN FACT: both push-ups and planks build core muscles that improve your posture and your ‘pouch’—two great whole-body exercises that make you look better, and get stronger!

PUSH-UPS AND PLANKS

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

MARCH

PRO-TIP: Meditation will help your mood, your mental acuity, and help you sleep better! Try an app like Insight Timer, Headspace, Buddhify, or Calm.

MEDITATION

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

APRIL

PRO-TIP: Cardio will help your mood and your appearance! Use this calendar to record your accomplishments as you go.

CARDIO

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30

MAY

NUTRITIONIST TIP: experiment with new swaps that keep the protein in your diet, while replacing red meat with plant-based proteins.

LESS MEAT, MORE PLANTS

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31

JUNE

FUN FACT: Studies show that drinking 8-10 cups of water can amplify your brain’s ability to think by as much as 30%. Drink that H2O!

HYDRATION

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30

JULY

FUN FACT: Researchers have found that taking a 10 minute walk can reduce feelings of depression, fatigue, and anger and suppress anxiety as effectively as a 45 minute workout.

MORE STEPS

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31

AUGUST

FUN FACT: According to the Center for Internet and Technology Addiction, 90 percent of all Americans overuse, abuse, or misuse smartphones, computers, social media, and the Internet. How can you cut down?

MINDFUL TECH

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31

SEPTEMBER

PRO-TIP: Check the label. Many foods you’d never suspect contain added sugar, including yogurt, tomato sauce, bread, nut butters, salad dressings, and cereal.

LESS SUGAR

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30

PRO-TIP: The longer and more regularly you stretch, the greater results you’ll see. Don’t give up because you don’t feel any differently after a day or two!

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

OCTOBERSTRETCHING

NOVEMBER

FUN FACT: Study after study suggests a good night’s sleep has profound effects on different regions of the brain, boosting concentration, reasoning, and the ability to conceive of new ideas and information.

SLEEP

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30

DECEMBER

FUN FACT: Studies show laughter lowers levels of adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol that has been linked to nearly every health condition, including weight gain, skin aging, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease.

LAUGHTER

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30

“I truly believe that everyone, no matter who you are, can live a healthier, happier, and fitter life. Looking back now, I never could have guessed the profound effect that this

personal experiment would have on me. What have you learned about yourself?”

—Dr. Jennifer Ashton

Share your story: #selfcaresolution

Connect with Dr. AshtonINSTAGRAM @drjashton facebook-square @JenniferAshtonMD Twitter-Square @DrJAshton

“Over time, healthier decisions can become habits if we let them.”

—Dr. Jennifer Ashton

JANUARYDRY MONTH

FEBRUARYPUSH-UPS

AND PLANKS

MARCHMEDITATION

APRILCARDIO

MAYLESS MEAT,

MORE PLANTS

JUNEHYDRATION

JULYMORE STEPS

AUGUSTMINDFUL TECH

SEPTEMBERLESS SUGAR

OCTOBERSTRETCH

NOVEMBERSLEEP

DECEMBERLAUGHTER