10 Tips to Help You Achieve Your New Year's Health Goals
With the new year comes the opportunity for a fresh start.
For many people, this means leading a healthier lifestyle and losing weight. If
this is your goal, follow these tips to stay on track.
1. Find Your Motivation
What is motivating you to lose weight? Do you want to look
better in your clothes, feel more energetic, or simply improve your health? Get
clear about what you want, and then use that to inspire you throughout your
journey.
2. Have a Plan
If you were to go on a long road trip, you wouldn't just
jump in the car and go. If you did, you'd arrive hungry, tired, and fatigued.
That's the same way you'd feel if you jumped into a whole new lifestyle with no
planning. Before January 1st arrives, outline the changes you want to implement
and decide how you'll fit them into your schedule. Keep in mind that it may be
best to take steps rather than tackle everything at once.
3. Make Goals
Goals help measure progress. If you don't know where you
want to end up, you won't really know how to get there. When making your goals,
you need to make SMART goals:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely
For example, a SMART goal would be something like, "I
will walk for 15 minutes 3 days for one week." Or, "I will prepare
one new healthy recipe each week for the month of January."
4. Track What You Eat
Looking closely at what you eat is often an eye-opening
experience. UseFitDay's free online Calorie Counter and Fitness Log
to keep track of everything you put into your body. You don't have to do it for
the rest of your life, but it is a great habit to start. Tracking will help you
tweak your diet so that you can still enjoy foods you love without sabotaging
your weight loss or healthy eating efforts.
5. Use Reliable Resources
It may be tempting to try a fad diet, but these are usually
unrealistic, difficult to maintain, and sometimes even dangerous. Instead, find
a reliable source of information to help you understand nutrition. The USDA offers a number of
tools and resources, or you can consult a registered dietitian in your area. An
RD is specially trained and can give you tips and tricks to help you achieve
your specific goals.
6. Eat Breakfast Every Day
Surely you've heard that breakfast is the most important
meal of the day. It is! Eat a big healthy breakfast as early as possible. It
will give you more energy, lead you to make healthier choices during the day,
and keep you feeling full so you eat less later on.
7. Fill Up on Vegetables
Vegetables are filled with nutrients, water, fiber, and very
few calories. If you fill half of your plate with vegetables, you'll get fuller
faster and cut down your calories without feeling deprived. Use herbs and
spices to jazz up vegetables instead of using butter and/or salt to flavor
them.
8. Exercise
In order to
burn calories at a faster rate and build a healthy body, you'll need to
incorporate exercise into your life. Take it slow at first, and then increase
your time and/or intensity once you feel comfortable. If you haven't exercised
in a while, talk to your doctor to make sure that you are healthy enough to
begin an exercise plan.
9. Take It
Slow
A major
mistake many people make when trying to tackle a health resolution is trying to
do everything at once. This is almost always a recipe for disaster. Spend a few
weeks just trying to achieve 1-2 goals at a time. When you have established new
good habits, put a couple more goals on your plate. Remember: You want to make
permanent changes, and these will take time to implement.
10. Be
Prepared for Lapses
A lapse is
when you temporarily "fall off the wagon." This is a normal part of
the process; no one is perfect. It is important for you to take a moment to
recognize that you got sidetracked, but don't use it as an excuse to throw in
the towel. Every day is a new chance to start over, so return to your healthy
lifestyle immediately.
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