Happy New Year to my lovely readers! I hope you had a fabulous holiday season and got to enjoy some delicious food without feeling [too] guilty! The holidays are a time to enjoy the company of family and friends. And our celebrations are hugely centered around food! Of course, as always, listening to what our bodies are telling us about hunger and satiety, and not overdoing it too much!
Maybe you have made some resolutions for yourself this year that involve your health, specifically your nutrition. If so, hopefully you will find some valuable tips on this post, as well as recipes and other tips from past blog posts that can help you make some healthy changes in the new year.
There are many people that are opposed to making new years resolutions because they believe setting goals for yourself should be something that is done all year long. However, I believe that as long as you follow some simple guidelines, making a new years resolution to improve your health and nutrition can be very worthwhile.
Here are my tips for making and maintaining healthy changes for the long term:
1. Make sure your goal(s) are specific and concrete. For example, 'to eat out less' is not a resolution that you are likely to achieve or maintain in for the long term. Instead, think more along the lines of 'I will only eat fast food once per week'. Maybe you are someone who eats fast food 3 times per week right now, and reducing it to 1 time per week would be an excellent improvement! Having a specific number to stick to makes your goal more concrete and easier to self-monitor. Then, as you begin to feel comfortable with this achievement, you can reduce how often you eat out even further!
2. Write down your goal(s) and keep them in a place you can see them daily! This will remind you of what you are working towards and keep you on track if you are tempted to slip!
3. Start small, and know that making small changes that you can maintain and make habits of is much more sustainable in the long run. Instead of making a list of 10 things to change in the new year, make a list of maybe two or three. Then after several months (a time frame that you should determine when you write your goals down), when you feel that your change(s) have become solid habits, attempt another healthy change!
4. Have consistency with your eating. Eat on a regular schedule and plan your meals ahead of time! For example, bring your lunch to work instead of eating out. This prevents you from running to a fast food restaurant or springing for an unhealthy entree because you are hungry and your stomach is deciding what to eat instead of your head!
5. Plan in snacks so you are not famished at meal time. If meal time rolls around and you have not eaten in 4 or 5 hours you are likely to be starving. This will lead to over eating and derail your efforts!
5. Keep a food journal! People who keep a journal are more successful at maintaining their nutrition goals. At the end of the day if you are craving an unhealthy snack look back at your journal to remind yourself of what else you have eaten that day. It is easy to forget small things that might really add up. Also, keeping a journal forces you to take notice of your portion sizes and prevents overeating without noticing! Include what food you ate, what time you ate it, and how much you ate. Be honest; no one has to see it but you!
6. Do not let one slip-up destroy your entire resolution! Just because you slipped up once (or twice, or three times!) does not mean your have fallen off track! Stay strong and remind yourself that once your healthy changes become habits they will stay with you, and the sense of accomplishment you feel will be worth it!
I hope these tips are helpful to you! Given the right planning and effort a new years resolution can be have a real impact on your health and nutrition. And don't be afraid to make a April (or any other month!) resolution too! Healthy changes all year long is never a bad idea!
Cheers,
Brittney
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