New Year's Resolutions: Let's Make Them Work for Us!

This year, I'm going to:

• Make at-home meals so my family spends more time together.
• Lose the extra weight that I gained from last year.
• Get more physical activity.
• Eat better.

Wow!  That's a long list of goals!  By setting New Year's goals, we focus our attention on parts of our lives that we want to improve.  However, if we make goals that are too broad or not specific enough, we might be setting ourselves up for not reaching our goals.  What to do?

Let's look at the goals listed above and try to break them down into smaller steps that will make it easier to meet and track the progress made to keep motivated.

• Family meals.  Choose a reasonable number of times that your family can make meals at home.  What would work for your family?  Can you eat two dinners a week together?  How about "I will make at-home breakfast on weekends" if that is more likely to work.
• Weight loss.  Adding extra pounds doesn't just happen over the holidays.  It will take some time to get rid of the extra weight.  Set a realistic goal of losing one pound a month.
• Physical activity.  Getting more physical activity will help to reduce the weight too.  Set goals on physical activity like "I will take a walk during lunch whenever the weather allows" or "I will bike with the kids two nights a week after dinner".  Build activity plans as specific steps that you can accomplish.  You can always increase your physical activity as you get into a routine and start to enjoy the benefits!
• Eat better.  Look at the way that you and your family currently eat and find ways that you can improve.  Do you drink soda?  Drinking soda provides empty calories.  Set a goal to reduce (or stop) the amount of soda  you drink.  You can also set a goal to eat fruits and vegetables every day.  If you already eat fruits and vegetables, eat one more each day.  Drink lower-fat milk and choose lean meats and poultry as often as possible.

For additional tips on how to make specific, realistic goals check out our previous blog post. 

By making your goals specific, you will have a great change of reaching them!  Have a healthy New Year!

New Year's Resolutions for a Healthier 2013

Another great blog about New Year's Resolutions to help you have a healthier 2013!

The New Years has always been a time for looking forward to the coming year and reflecting on the changes you want to make.  Many people's New Year's resolutions involve efforts to improve health through choosing healthier foods and becoming physically active.

To help you and your family be successful in becoming healthier in 2013, moderation is the key.  Focus on realistic goals that are you can reach.  For example, rather than trying to lose 5 pounds in a week, work towards a pound a week or even a half a pound.  Rather than deciding to exercise an hour a day, start with a simple 15 minute walk every other day.  Once you have established the physical activity habit, you can increase the time and frequency of your exercise routine.

Here are some realistic New Year's resolutions that will help you and your family members become healthier in the coming year.

1. Limit sugary treats, especially soda and high sugar fruit juice.   When you eat foods high in sugar you get a lot of calories but only a few nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber.  Try limiting treats to one a day or only on weekends. 
2. Prepare healthy meals together.  Involving family members in cooking increases the changes of them trying new foods.  Depending on the age of the children, they can help set the table, measure ingredients or participate in planning meals and snacks.
3.  Increase physical activity.  Being active is another important part of being healthy.  Getting children involved in sports, or other extracurricular activities is a fun way to get kids to enjoy exercise.  Plan family time to include some form of physical activity so that all members benefit.
4. Start a garden.  There is no better way to get family members to eat more fruits and vegetables than plant a garden.  Depending on the space you have available, you can plant an  in-ground  garden or use containers for just a few plants.  Becoming involved in planting and tending a garden may be the extra push that both children and adults need to try and enjoy healthier foods.

If you begin to fall short of your goals, ask yourself what is keeping you from achieving them and then try to make some changes.  Focus on the positive changes you have made, and remember that it is small steps over time that will enable you to reach your New Year's resolutions.

New NEW Year's Resolutions -- A Positive Spin on Our Yearly Goals

 

If you are anything like me, you make New Year's Resolutions to improve your health.  Have you ever noticed how we often word these goals with a negative spin?  For example, we say things like, "I have to stop eating chocolate" or "I need to lose 15 pounds".  Wording our goals in this way can decrease our motivation to achieve them.  And sadly, by the end of January, many of us have forgotten our plans to improve ourselves and we resort to old habits.

This New Year, try putting a positive spin on your health goals.  It is much easier to maintain New Year's resolutions with a positive attitude.

Old New Year’s Resolution	New New Year’s Resolution
Lose weight Reduce blood pressure Burn calories Eat less junk-food Drink less soda Eat out less often Shrink waistline Decrease clothing size Watch less television Spend fewer hours at work Quit a bad habit	Eat more fruits and vegetables Drink more water Have family dinners more frequently Strengthen muscles Have more wiggle room in clothing Spend more time talking to loved ones Play with kids more Start a new hobby

See for yourself how much easier it is to accomplish your goals with a positive attitude!