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Thursday, December 30, 2010

New Year Resolutions: Nurture Stick-to-it-ness

Every New Year, millions of people want to pick up a healthy habit or drop an old one.  In struggling to keep resolutions, many people fall into the trap of:
1) Trying to do too much and becoming overwhelmed or
2) Not using support or resources to meet their goals.

Here are some ideas for resolutions to get you started:

Drop a Bad Habit  
Obvious bad habits such as late night KFC chicken have repercussions, but small habits may not be as obvious such as what your portion sizes look like.  This can add up to thousands of calories and inches on your waistline every year.

To do: Think about your goals and what habit you want to break.  Send comments to the blog and I will post the top ten goals next week!

Cook at Home
If today's economy doesn’t provide you with enough incentive to eat out less, cooking has significantly less calories than the food at restaurants. Restaurants stay in business because their food tastes better and this is due to added sugars, sodium and fats.
Try cooking more at home.  You will get more satisfaction out of fewer calories by losing inches.  Also, preparing the food yourself can feed your creative side by experimenting with sauces and spices. 

Stay tuned: In my next blog, look for simple and tasty recipes!


Crowding Out 

Like most people looking to tone up or lose weight for the New Year, the simple addition of more green vegetables may be enough to shed pounds without really trying to eliminate the foods you enjoy.
Adding more green vegetables to your diet will fill you up so you’re less likely to look for added calories throughout the day. (i.e.: you may not crave that candy bar mid-afternoon)  Green veggies are also a great source of vitamins, minerals, fiber and dark green veggies have plenty of Vitamin D to boot!

Pick Your #1 and Stick-to-it 
New Year's resolutions tend to come in bunches which make it difficult to complete a certain task.  The key is focus - prioritize the most important change you want to make and you can accomplish your fitness, nutrition and lifestyle goals in 2011, one by one.

To do: Think about your top goal and send comments my way.  I will post the top ten goals, next week!

When you create your 2011 goals, try to follow these guidelines:

Make your resolutions clear:  Saying “I want to be in shape” is a basic statement. Attach a timeframe and choose a goal that’s realistic. Try saying: “By April 1st, I plan to lose 3 inches from my waist.”

Take baby steps: Break your goals into small, manageable steps that can be done on a daily basis.

Add resolutions in your schedule like other appointments: Schedules are used at work so why not apply them for your personal goals? Use the baby steps and schedule time on your calendar to complete them.

Envision yourself being successful: How would you feel after achieving your goal? Remember this feeling when you need some motivation to keep going. 

Post your resolutions:  Find a location (refrigerator, desk, post-it board) that you use often to post your goals and stay motivated. Creating a vision board of your goals is also a healthy exercise which stimulates creativity and focus.

Here’s to a healthy and happy start of 2011.  Comments and feedback are welcome!

Always remember, healthy is a lifestyle!

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