Establishing a healthier lifestyle doesn’t happen overnight—it’s built step by step, block by block. Taking the first steps can feel like the hardest part. By focusing on a few core building blocks, you can strengthen your foundation for long-term well-being and reduce your risk of illness.

Healthy Eating

Food fuels your body and mind. A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats gives you the nutrients you need to thrive. Limit processed foods, sugary drinks and excessive salt to protect your heart, weight and energy levels.

Physical Activity

Movement is medicine. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week—whether it’s brisk walking, dancing, biking or anything you enjoy that makes your heart beat faster. Exercise helps manage weight, improves mood, lowers blood pressure and strengthens your muscles and bones.

Sleep

Rest is not a luxury—it’s essential. Adults should strive for seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night. Sleep recharges your body, sharpens your mind and helps regulate hormones that affect hunger, stress and immunity.

Emotional Fitness

Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Practice stress management through deep breathing, mindfulness, journaling or connecting with loved ones. Don’t hesitate to seek support from a counselor or health professional if you’re struggling.

Know Your Numbers

Awareness is essential. Keeping track of your health numbers helps you and your doctor catch and treat any concerns early.

• BMI (Body Mass Index): Indicator of weight and body composition.
• Blood pressure: High blood pressure can damage your heart and arteries.
• Blood sugar: Helps identify risks for diabetes.
• Cholesterol: High levels can raise the risk of heart disease.

Avoid Smoking, Vaping and Other Substances

Tobacco, vaping and recreational drugs can harm your lungs, heart and overall health. If you smoke or vape, talk to your doctor about tools and programs that can help you quit. Even small steps toward cutting down can make a big difference.

Putting It All Together

Think of each of these building blocks as part of a structure. When you strengthen one area—like sleep or nutrition—you support the others. Over time, these healthy habits work together to build resilience, energy and a better quality of life.

Start small, be consistent and remember: Every positive choice you make builds a healthier you.

Learn more about resources and programs to support your health journey, by visiting the Healthy Living Resource Center.

Member Leadership in Action
Onward to 2026 & the Medicaid Fightback!

By 1199SEIU President Yvonne Armstrong

As we enter a new year, we do so with the acknowledgment that 2026 will set the stage for the future of healthcare for generations to come. Our collective fight to defend Medicaid, the nation’s most important healthcare program, which sustains life-saving care for 70 million Americans, is our overarching priority. Why? Because the stability of the Medicaid system underpins everything we are fighting for: our ability to deliver quality care, to secure fair wage increases, to protect and improve our benefits, to prevent layoffs and fix the staffing crisis in our institutions, and to win real healthcare equity in this country.

If 2025 was about getting our own house in order—recentering our Union around principles of trust, transparency, and empowering members to lead—2026 is when we will unleash the full force of our collective strength as an organization.

Through our Union-wide listening tours this fall, Secretary-Treasurer Veronica Turner-Biggs and I have traveled to every corner of 1199, met with thousands of elected delegates, visited worksites and gathered your input about how we grow as a union. The ideas, insights and priorities shared by members are being transformed into a comprehensive plan of work that will be discussed and voted on by delegates at our Union-wide convention early next year.

This incredible work that members are undertaking to build our union from within coincides with the major strides we are making to grow political power. 1199 members delivered resounding victories in the November 4 election: electing Zohran Mamdani as our next mayor of NYC, securing a blowout victory for Mikie Sherrill as New Jersey governor, winning important mayoral races in Boston, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany, and winning numerous down-ballot races in the Orlando City Council in Florida, in the NY legislature (where 22 of 24 of our candidates won), in county races in the Hudson Valley and Long Island, and beyond.

A very special shoutout goes to two 1199 members at Guthrie Corning Hospital in upstate New York who were themselves elected to office: Lauren Gaige, RN, won a seat to the Corning Town Council and Justin Eberlin, Surgical Tech, was elected to the Steuben County Legislature. This is the type of 1199 member leadership that will transform our nation!

Trump and Republican leaders cut $1 trillion from Medicaid and are about to let Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies expire, causing premiums to skyrocket for millions of people, making healthcare the defining political issue for 2026. We need to make our individual states bulwarks against these federal cuts and call on our state leaders to enact budgets that fill in the gaps. Our states have so-called “rainy day funds” meant specifically for times of crisis—and it is certainly the time to draw on these resources.

Everywhere, we must call attention to the fact that protecting access to healthcare is not a partisan issue: It is supported by overwhelming majorities of Democratic and Republican voters alike. We must let politicians know that voting in any way to cut Medicaid or the ACA, or refusing to spend vital dollars needed to safeguard care, will spell the end of their political careers in the next election. We will be in our state capitals, week after week, starting in January, with an unrelenting message that healthcare must be protected!

As we embrace this new year, clear-eyed about the heavy challenges ahead but also with deep resolve, commitment and love for our families, communities and co-workers, let’s carry forward the spirit of unity that defined our movement in 2025. Let’s recharge our batteries and prepare ourselves to expand the boundaries of what is possible when healthcare workers stand together. I wish you and your family a Happy New Year, and I look forward to marching alongside you in 2026.

Liderazgo de Miembros en Acción
¡Rumbo al 2026 y a la Medicaid Fightback!

Por la Presidenta de 1199SEIU, Yvonne Armstrong

Al comenzar un nuevo año, lo hacemos reconociendo que el 2026 marcará el rumbo del futuro de la atención médica para las generaciones venideras. Nuestra lucha colectiva para defender Medicaid, el programa de salud más importante del país que brinda atención vital a 70 millones de estadounidenses, es nuestra máxima prioridad. ¿Por qué? Porque la estabilidad del sistema Medicaid sustenta todo por lo que luchamos: nuestra capacidad de ofrecer atención de calidad, asegurar aumentos salariales justos, proteger y mejorar nuestros beneficios, evitar despidos y resolver la crisis de personal en nuestras instituciones, y lograr una verdadera equidad en la atención médica en este país.

Si el 2025 se trató de poner nuestra casa en orden—recentrando nuestro sindicato en principios de confianza, transparencia y empoderando a los miembros para liderar—el 2026 será el año en que desatemos toda la fuerza de nuestra unidad como organización.

Durante nuestras giras de escucha sindical este otoño, la Secretaria-Tesorera Veronica Turner-Biggs y yo hemos recorrido cada rincón de 1199, nos reunimos con miles de delegados electos, visitamos centros de trabajo y recopilamos sus aportes sobre cómo crecer como sindicato. Las ideas, perspectivas y prioridades compartidas por los miembros se están transformando en un plan de trabajo integral que será discutido y votado por los delegados en nuestra convención sindical a principios del próximo año.

Este increíble trabajo que los miembros están realizando para fortalecer nuestro sindicato coincide con los avances que estamos logrando para aumentar nuestro poder político. Los miembros de 1199 lograron victorias contundentes en las elecciones del 4 de noviembre: eligieron a Zohran Mamdani como nuestro próximo alcalde de NYC, aseguraron una victoria aplastante para Mikie Sherrill como gobernadora de Nueva Jersey, ganaron importantes elecciones municipales en Boston, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse y Albany, y obtuvieron numerosos triunfos en elecciones locales en el Concejo Municipal de Orlando (Florida), en la legislatura de NY (donde 22 de nuestros 24 candidatos ganaron), en elecciones de condado en Hudson Valley y Long Island, y más allá.

Un reconocimiento muy especial para dos miembros de 1199 en el Hospital Guthrie Corning en el norte del estado de Nueva York que fueron elegidos para cargos públicos: Lauren Gaige, RN, ganó un puesto en el Concejo Municipal de Corning y Justin Eberlin, Técnico Quirúrgico, fue electo a la Legislatura del Condado de Steuben. ¡Este es el tipo de liderazgo de miembros de 1199 que transformará nuestra nación!

Trump y los líderes republicanos recortaron $1 billón de Medicaid y están a punto de dejar expirar los subsidios de la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA), lo que hará que las primas se disparen para millones de personas, convirtiendo la atención médica en el tema político definitorio del 2026. Necesitamos convertir a nuestros estados en bastiones contra estos recortes federales y exigir a nuestros líderes estatales que aprueben presupuestos que cubran las brechas. Nuestros estados tienen llamados “fondos para emergencias” diseñados específicamente para tiempos de crisis—y sin duda este es el momento de usar esos recursos.

En todas partes debemos destacar que proteger el acceso a la atención médica no es un tema partidista: cuenta con el apoyo abrumador de votantes demócratas y republicanos por igual. Debemos dejar claro a los políticos que votar para recortar Medicaid o la ACA, o negarse a gastar los fondos vitales necesarios para proteger la atención, significará el fin de sus carreras políticas en la próxima elección. Estaremos en las capitales estatales, semana tras semana, comenzando en enero, con un mensaje inquebrantable: ¡la atención médica debe ser protegida!

Al recibir este nuevo año, con plena conciencia de los grandes desafíos que se avecinan pero también con profunda determinación, compromiso y amor por nuestras familias, comunidades y compañeros de trabajo, llevemos adelante el espíritu de unidad que definió nuestro movimiento en 2025. Recarguemos nuestras energías y preparémonos para ampliar los límites de lo que es posible cuando los trabajadores de la salud se unen. Les deseo a usted y a su familia un Feliz Año Nuevo y espero marchar junto a ustedes en 2026.