1. Begin a holistic approach to health care: Use innovative medical testing as a basis for improving overall health, reducing stress and enhancing quality of life. For details, call Holistic Services at the CentraCare Heart & Vascular Center at (320) 240-7841.

2. Complete a health care directive: Let your physician, family and friends know your preferences for end-of-life care and organ donation. File the directive in your medical records. Visit the Minnesota Board on Aging web site for the forms.

3. Exercise: Bundle up and take a walk on a nice winter day. The fresh air will clear your mind and your lungs! Register your entire family for a run, walk or other healthy activity. Subscribe to the BLEND online newsletter for a weekly listing of local wellness activities.

4. Socialize: Plan regular visits with family and friends. Pull out a board game and laugh a little!

5. Call the clinic: Schedule your mammogram, colonoscopy or other health maintenance appointment, including your children’s well-child visits.

6. Find easy, nutritious recipes as well as health information on topics of interest to you: Subscribe to CentraCare’s, free personalized monthly e-newsletter called My Healthy News.

7. Quit tobacco: Enroll in the Nicotine Dependence Program for personalized treatment, support groups, medication therapy and relapse prevention. Call the CentraCare Heart & Vascular Center at (320) 656-7020.

8. Read: Curl up on the couch and relax with a book. Take a nap if you feel the urge.

9. Attend a wellness event this year to learn more about your health: Mythbusters: which health & fitness products really work?, Day of Dance and Women’s Health 101.

10. Volunteer: Make a difference in the lives of patients and their families. Contact St. Cloud Hospital’s Volunteer Office at (320) 255-5638 for details.

11. Identify your heart disease risk and customize a plan for minimizing that risk: Modestly priced screening packages include one-on-one consultations with a nurse practitioner, dietitian and exercise physiologist. For details, call the CentraCare Heart & Vascular Center at (320) 240-7841.

12. Make healthful food choices: Eat a variety of grains, fruits, vegetables and proteins -- avoiding those high in sugar, carbohydrates and sodium.