resolutions made in recent years, 30% are related to diet, weight and/or health. A lucky 20% of people will stick it through and see significant, long term change. And the other 80%? It's usually a mix of stating a resolution but not seeing it through, or attempting to create change and eventually reverting back to old ways. So how can you have a successful and healthful New Year you ask? Below are the tried, tested and true ways to get yourself on the 2012 path to success for eating and living well. Think SMART. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. If you can keep these factors in mind when setting a goal you're one step ahead of the rest. It's much easier to stay motivated and feel a sense of accomplishment if you are working towards something.
Be sure to strive for something that can be easily obtainable within say one month. And pick only one thing to change at a time and go from there, as change can sometimes be difficult. Suppose you may want to eat the daily recommended servings of fruit and vegetables, or lose 5lbs. It's may not sound like much, but these are good goals. Speaking from experience, it's the small, manageable steps people make that usually end up becoming habits in the long run. A good example of a small smart resolution would be over the next two weeks transitioning from a double double every morning to a medium coffee with just one milk. It doesn't seem like much, but over the course of a year calorically speaking this alone you could save you roughly14 lbs! When you achieve your healthy eating goal determine another and be sure to set your sights a little higher.
New Year resolution tip #2 is to be more aware of what goes into your body. Think of your body as a
car. When you put gas in a car it runs well, but if you put something else in there which doesn't belong it likely won't go very far. It's no different for our bodies and what we eat. When it comes to food try and keep temptations at bay. This is certainly challenging any time of the year, but especially so after the holidays. Remove tempting foods from the refrigerator and pantry, plan meals ahead for the week, make a grocery list for these meals based on the foods you already have on hand, and buy only what you need. When going for something to eat ask yourself if you have a heart or stomach hunger.
A stomach hunger, is when you are truly physically hungry, but a heart hunger is more an emotional
desire for food. Feed the hunger, hold off on the desire. If you need even more motivation place a
reminder in a frequented spot. A motivator could be the picture of the bathing suit you'd like to buy
for that spring vacation, a photo of your former self, or some key words to help inspire you to see your resolution through. A food journal is also a good way to help you become more aware. Not only
can this help you recall everything you eat, but you can also use it to record how you feel when you
ate something. This works for two reasons. One, because people who write down what they eat, are
usually more accountable for what they are putting in their bodies and two, because they are probably
going to review it later they will be prone to eating less.
My third offering of advice is the simple saying two heads are better than one. Whether it's a goal to
lose weight or eat better, doing it with a friend increases your chances of success that much more than
if you were to do it alone. The other benefit here is that because this resolution is so popular you are
quite likely to know at least one other person with this goal in mind who can be your buddy. If you
haven't made a resolution yet, it's not too late to grab a friend and set a smart resolution. All the best
for health in 2012!
As seen in The Telegram January 2, 2012
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