As we enter another new year, there is no better time to adjust your daily habits to help you become the healthiest version of yourself mentally and physically. Here are three strategies you can incorporate into your New Year’s expectations and resolutions that will help ensure 2026 is your healthiest year yet! START EVERY DAY STRONG. Many Americans fall into the same routines year after year, and most are dangerous for their overall well-being. They stay up too late, wake up to an alarm a few hours later, scramble to get ready, and jump in the car as soon as possible to get to work. Your morning routine sets the tone for your day. If you are in a hurry every morning, you will feel rushed and exhausted. Give yourself ample time in the morning to take care of yourself and some simple chores. Make your bed, have a glass of water, take good care of your hygiene, eat something, and incorporate some movement into your mornings. It will be hard initially, but you will feel the benefits within a few weeks. DIET AND EXERCISE MATTER. This is probably not news to you, but we cannot downplay the importance of diet and exercise. Listen to your body; it will tell you what it needs. Many people fall into the trap of overeating without realizing it or starving themselves when they want to lose weight, but this will not make them feel good. Eat when your body tells you to, stick to a healthy diet, and find time for exercise. You need to find ways to motivate yourself, especially when you want to stay in bed and stick to comfort foods. Your body will thank you. DRINK MORE WATER. How much water do you drink each day? The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that men should drink about 15.5 cups of fluids daily and women should drink 11.5 cups. If you are not hitting these numbers, it is time to adjust. Start and finish each day with a glass of water. Walk around with a refillable bottle. Staying hydrated will help your body function much better.
WHERE COMMUNICATION MEETS COMPASSION
Meet Barbara Doyle
People who call our offices are often overwhelmed by changes in their own or a loved one’s health or finances and are seeking support and direction. Barbara Doyle, our new client services coordinator, is delighted to field their calls and reassure and direct them. Since joining the firm in June 2024 as an attorney assistant, Barbara has transitioned into a newly created role as client liaison. In
that role, she serves as a readily available point of contact for clients at any stage, offering them a clear map of next steps in the process and ensuring that they have a pleasant follow-up experience. When a client calls asking, “I do not know what to do, my mom is declining. Can you help me?” Barbara loves being able to relieve their stress and reassure them: “I love to tell them, ‘Let us take on a little bit of that burden for you and help you figure out how to proceed.’”
Barbara, whose husband Alex is a software engineer, spent many years as an at-home mom to her two sons, Finn and Thayer. Both have graduated from college and launched careers, Finn as an EMT bound for medical school, and Thayer as a finance and economics specialist working in banking.
During those years, she held a variety of paid and volunteer positions, as a product development specialist for a scrapbooking company, a website editor, a volunteer in her sons’ schools, a Cub Scout leader, and a volunteer for the SPCA. With those experiences behind her, “I decided to figure out Act II of my life,” she says. “Taking care of people was a big priority of mine, and I know it’s a priority for the firm,” she says. “I have a lot of pride in this firm. There’s a sign in the employee copy room that does not focus on money and figures but instead asks, How many families have we helped? I like the fact that helping families is our focus,” she said. “I had a gentleman call recently who said, ‘I am very old, and I have had a plan with you for a long time. Now, I am recognizing that I do not have that much time left. Can my daughter call you when I pass?’” Barbara took satisfaction in reassuring him and explaining how the firm would be readily available to help.
“I am happy to be part of this family,” she says. “And we want clients to recognize that we are a part of their family as well.”
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