How's that New Year's resolution going?

2015 is here and in full swing! With a new year comes a new opportunity for reflection and, for some, inspiration for change. Many people create New Year’s resolutions with a goal of self-improvement in mind. There’s no doubt that can be time-consuming, expensive, inconvenient, and even overwhelming at times. Changing what you are used to eating is always a challenge. Healthy eating can always benefit you and your family both in the present and down the road. It’s important to make sure you are following sound nutrition recommendations, focusing on just one or two small achievable goals at time, and using tools to help you along the way.

Writing down and tracking everything you eat in the course of the day can be an eye-opener. It also helps you to be more mindful about what and how much you are eating.  Just being aware of your food choices can be very helpful. There are various free apps that can help. Like other nutrition information, it is always good to check when it was created and/or updated, see who created it and look for expert reviewers who check to see how accurate it is. You deserve the best, most up-to-date information available.

Apps to keep you connected to nutrition and well-being:

My Fitness Pal

Great for tracking your intake and you can even scan bar codes with your smart phone and the nutrition label will pop up on your screen. Do note though, I’ve noticed a few labels that are incomplete and questionable. Anyone can add recipes in, so use it if you’d like to have a general idea of your intake.

Lose It!

This app can work as a food log and help you keep track of what you eat while focusing on weight loss. It contains a database of foods with information regarding their carbohydrate, protein, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and fiber content.

Apps can be great, but does anyone else get tired of looking at screens all of the time? I know I do. Another way of tracking can be a simple piece of paper that contains your healthy living goals and a number of days. Each time you work on that goal, you can put a check by it under the day. You can work on one or two a day, and some days you may only have one check, but other days you may have more. Don’t try to change everything all at once. Small goals tend to be more realistic and achievable. If you keep working at it, you could eventually turn those checks in to long-lasting healthy habits. Here’s an example:

Goal	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7	Day 8	Day 9
Eat 3 servings of fruits/vegetables a day	ü					ü	ü		ü
Drink 6 cups of water a day					ü			ü	ü
Take a 30 minute walk			ü			ü			ü
Try a new healthy recipe			ü				ü
Make lunch the night before		ü		ü			ü	ü

Making changes to better your health doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Focus on one or two achievable goals at a time. Take the time to make them new habits before taking on another new goal. Maybe you start with trying a new healthy recipe once a week and taking a 30-minute walk at least twice a week. When you stick with it, you will feel good about your progress and enjoy some success that will encourage you to add another goal. Even changes that seem to be small add up to big health and wellness benefits over time.

Guest post written by Lily Swedenhjelm, RDN, LD

GRMC Clinical Dietitian