How are your resolutions going?

With the New Year, resolutions to eat better and exercise more have likely been made by many. However, creating broad goals such as these make it easy to falter. Fortunately, it is possible to gain healthier eating habits and engage in more physical activity if small changes are implemented one at a time. It is easy and understandable to become overwhelmed with change, especially when it pertains to one’s diet and overall lifestyle. In this post, simple and manageable ways to incorporate healthy changes into one’s life will be provided and briefly discussed.

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Many people have heard the phrase, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, but what does it really mean? Breakfast is literally breaking the fast. When one wakes up from a night of sleep, the body requires fuel, i.e. food, to replenish nutrients that were metabolized to maintain the body’s primary functions. If one does not eat anything within a couple of hours of waking, then the body is forced to resort to other stores and parts of the body to obtain fuel. For this reason, it is very important to eat a healthy breakfast in order to set one up for a day of balanced eating. Try to include a whole grain, a protein such as nuts, nut butter, or an egg, and a source of nonfat or low fat dairy to achieve a well-balanced breakfast. For those individuals who do not regularly consume breakfast, this could be set as the first small change.
 

In the office environment, it is easy to snack too much on the candy that may be in the office or the sweets that are left in the break room. Another small change that can be set is to limit the intake of these foods. For some individuals, it may be unreasonable to completely give them up, and this is certainly understandable. Instead, it may be more realistic to set a limit of only enjoying these foods once or twice a week.

 

With hectic work schedules and other life demands, it can be difficult to incorporate physical activity. Thankfully, there are ways to increase one’s physical activity by doing things such as parking farther away from the store, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and going on a walk during part of one’s lunch break. One could resolve to integrate these changes one at a time rather than all at once. Again, once an individual feels comfortable with the change, (s)he could then focus on the next small change.

 

Hopefully, this post has made the resolutions to exercise more and eat better less intimidating and much more achievable. Remember that one is not a failure if (s)he slips up in some way. Just take it as a learning experience and press onward. Not one person is perfect, and perfection should not be the desired outcome. Feel a sense of pride every time a small change is achieved. Know that every small change adds up and the ultimate prize is a healthier body!

Submitted by:

UTK Dietetic Intern

Happy New Year from Eat Right Knox!