2B

We get it. Winter in Michigan sucks. Here are a few simple ways to 

improve your mood this winter.

THE LIST

1. GO SCREENLESS
We know, we know, it seems nearly impossible. But taking your eyes off the 
LCD for just an hour, whether to take a walk or read a book, gives your brain a 
break and might even help grant you some greater perspective.

2. ESCAPE FOR A MOMENT
On the flipside, when you are stressed escapism can be a good thing. 
“Friends” episodes are only 23 minutes long and accessible on Netflix — take 
a few minutes to laugh a little and forget about your stress.

3. DEEP BREATHING EXERCISES
Yes, that eyes-closed/“ohm”/free-your-mind kind of stuff. It may sound New 
Age-y, but spending a minute or two willfully avoiding the outer world can 
calm your mind and body. 

4. CUT ONE THING OUT
Take a look at your week. Figure out which plans and responsibilties matter 
to you and which can wait. Cut just one thing out of your schedule. It will help 
you organize your thoughts, and de-clutter your life.

5. KNOW THAT IT’S HARD
Sometimes stress is stress. Shit is scary and life is hard. Embrace it. Laugh 
at yourself, screw up if you have to. Recognize that things aren’t perfect, and 
then take a minute to write down all the things that are good in your life. It 
might just help.

B U Z Z F E E D , B U T B E T T E R

5 WAYS TO DESTRESS THIS WINTER

Wednesday, January 21, 2015 // The Statement

January is the month for resolu-

tions.

For many Americans, this means 

renewing gym memberships, order-
ing a new pair of sneakers, and dust-
ing off the basement treadmill. In 
my effort, I turn to the Nike run-
ning app on my phone, which has 
been dormant during the first half 
of winter, in hopes of getting in 
shape for the Ann Arbor Half Mara-
thon in March.

Weight loss is perhaps the prima-

ry motivating factor for individuals 
getting back into running, but run-
ning also promotes strong bones, 
muscles and cardiovascular health.

Those who have made the com-

mitment to bettering themselves in 
this new year are working against a 
wave of growing health concerns in 
our country.

Currently, more than one-third 

of U.S. adults and one-fifth of U.S. 
youths are considered clinically 
obese. Half do not meet the pro-
fessional 
recommendations 
for 

aerobic exercise or physical activ-
ity. About one-in-five smokes ciga-
rettes. And the Centers for Disease 
Control reports that over 9 percent 
of the U.S. population suffers from 

diabetes.

All told, about 117 million Amer-

icans have a chronic health condi-
tion, according to the CDC.

With such staggering health con-

cerns, it’s hard to understand why 
the majority of well-intentioned 
New Year’s resolutions seem to 
fail so tragically by the third week 
of January. As in many aspects of 
American life, our priorities tend 
not to align with our best interests.

But let me put it into another per-

spective.

Every time an American is diag-

nosed with diabetes, or cardiovas-
cular disease, or asthma, or cancer, 
it costs money. If those individuals 
happen to be covered via govern-
ment programs such as Medicare 
or Medicaid, then the taxpayer is 
fronting at least part of the bill.

Recently, reforms have kicked in 

to try and combat the rising costs. 
Some physicians and health care 
companies can now receive reim-
bursements from health insurers if 
they are able to maintain a registry 
of healthy patients.

This prospect should make fun-

damental sense to physicians and 
health providers. Instead of being 

paid to fix the problem, they receive 
payment for preventing the problem 
from occurring in the first place.

But that couldn’t be further from 

the case.

The average clinic visit for a 

healthy patient — a 20-minute 
affair — nets the hospital a couple 
hundred dollars. However, car-
diac surgeries can easily fetch 
$200,000.

This disparity is reflected in 

medical training. While a fam-
ily practice physician might expect 
to earn about $180,000 by mid-
career, a general surgeon can earn 
$350,000.

So when federal reforms seek 

to provide incentives for reducing 
costs, it seems they neglect some 
of the blatant financial dispari-
ties present in the current system 
— doctors get paid to treat sick 
patients, not healthy ones.

And many, such as Public Health 

Prof. Richard Hirth, have noted 
that these reforms leave out one 
critical element: the patient. In fact, 
our current system provides a nota-
ble lack of incentives for patients to 
stay healthy.

As we approach the last week of 

January, many Americans will have 
already fallen away from their New 
Year’s Resolutions and reentered 
the socio-economic quagmire of 
junk food and idle lifestyle promot-
ed in our country.

But for those that remain moti-

vated and committed to daily exer-

cise and good nutrition, they are 
doing the country a financial ser-
vice by staying at arms length from 
our health care system — free of 
charge. 

Let’s all make a resolution to be 

supportive.

Footnotes: Lessons of New Year’s Resolutions

B Y I A N D I L L I N G H A M

T H E T H O U G H T B U B B L E

“I want people to understand that Black lives matter, first and foremost, 
but also to appreciate the cultural product that come out from the Black 
experience — I think that’s really crucial — and then appreciating the full 

range of humanity that’s incorporated in that Black experience. Seeing value 

and appreciating that in all it’s complexity is very important.”

– RACKHAM STUDENT DAVID HUTCHINSON

LUNA ANNA ARCHEY/DAILY

ILLUSTRATION BY MAGGIE MILLER

