Making New Year’s Resolutions? Helpful
Hints to Make Them Stick
Lily M. Taylor, RD,
LD
GRMC Clinical
Dietitian
If you have
trouble making your New Year’s resolutions stick, you are not alone. They are
notoriously hard to maintain.
One of the
most popular resolutions is to lose weight. When it comes to eating, healthy
eating works best when you can incorporate it into your everyday lifestyle. Examples
of healthy eating practices include eating breakfast. Even a small snack on the
go could be beneficial for your metabolism. Other examples include drinking
water throughout the day, eating from a variety of food groups, and watching
portion sizes.
Check the
MyPlate website www.choosemyplate.gov to see how many servings of each food
group are recommended for YOU and what counts as a recommended portion size.
When it comes to healthy eating goals, I like to focus on nutritional benefits
of food and how I can incorporate healthy choices, such as eating more fruits
and vegetables or planning out my breakfasts for a week, rather than focusing on
avoiding certain foods.
Making SMART Goals:
No matter
what areas of your life you choose to work on, try to make your goals
SMART.
SMART goals
are:
·
Specific - Address the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of your goal and
how you are going to achieve it.
·
Measureable – Determine a way to measure your progress
toward this goal.
·
Attainable - Set goals that allow you to be successful. Start
small and grow from your successes and challenges.
·
Realistic- Determine if your goal and action plans are doable
and not overwhelming. Are you willing and able to do the work?
·
Time sensitive - Give it a target date so it doesn’t
always get pushed to the bottom of your to-do list.
Here’s an example:
I will eat three servings of fruits
and vegetables daily, recording my intake in my calendar, to improve my
vitamin, mineral, and fiber intake. I will do this for three months. At that
time I will evaluate my progress and decide how to maintain or change my goal.
It’s
specific. I have a plan for tracking my success and measuring my progress. I
have also included why my goal is important. The time frame I’ve set also helps
me to evaluate whether or not the goal is realistic for me to accomplish. I
have a deadline to stop to evaluate my progress and decide where to go next.
It’s about YOU
Everybody is
different. It might be more realistic for some people to start with a goal of
having one serving of a fruit or vegetable daily. Your goals should be designed
for YOU. It’s important to not feel overwhelmed. You can always update your
goals as you become comfortable with your original plan.
Get moving!
Remember,
healthy eating works best when you also are physically active. The two work
together well.
If getting
more physical activity is part of your New Year’s resolution, make sure those
goals are SMART and consider checking out the PWA Fitness Center at GRMC.
I know
first-hand that the trainers are great at helping their clients come up with
individualized plans that fit their schedules and interests! Call them today at
641-236-2999 to set an appointment.
“When you’re
trying to motivate yourself, appreciate the fact that
you’re even thinking
about making a change.
And as you move forward, allow yourself to be good
enough.”
Alice Domar
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