Healthy new year

How many of you were told by friends to have a Happy and Healthy New Year?

Last week, The Week digital magazine ran an article on seven things to do to stay healthier and live longer. You might be surprised at some of what's on the list.

• Exercise. No surprise there.

• Coffee. Really? Hmm, works for me. But apparently not too much coffee. The equivalent of one cup of strong coffee is sufficient, the article says (not for me, sadly).

• Standing up. Too much sitting is a health hazard.

• Eating vegetables. No surprise there either.

• Living in the Midwest or the West, apparently not in the South. That finding came through a poll with more than 500,000 interviews. Who knew?

• Fist bumping. It spreads less bacteria than shaking hands.

• Low expectations. This didn't surprise me, and I talk about it often in blogs and in my coaching. We get in more trouble and experience more disappointments when we have expectations that are too high.

There you have it: a recipe for a healthy new year. Well, perhaps there's really more to it than that, isn't there? Still, it's fascinating to hear what polls show about health and happiness.