Eating healthier and losing weight are among the most common New Year’s resolutions people make at the end of each year.
Making the decision to do these things is the easy part. The hard part is getting started and sticking to it. When it comes to being successful in reaching your goals, it’s important to make them SMART (Specific, Measurable, Acton-oriented, Realistic, Time-based).
- Specific: Be specific when deciding what actions need to be taken to reach your goal.
“I will eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.”
- Measurable: Make sure your goal is measurable so you can track your progress.
“I will start exercising for 15 minutes a day and gradually increase to 30 minutes a day.”
- Action-oriented: Having an action-oriented goal will make it easier to decide what actions need to be taken.
“I will not purchase soft drinks.”
- Realistic: You must be realistic when it comes to setting your goal. Don’t resolve to give up sweets when you know a food craving could lead to overeating.
“I will eat a small piece of dark chocolate every day to satisfy my food craving.”
- Time-based: If you make a time-based goal, you can develop a timeline for success.
“I will begin an eight-week program to go from walking to running.”
When it comes to reaching your fitness and weight-loss goals, there are several things you can do to ensure success. Making healthy food choices is crucial. One idea to help avoid making unhealthy food choices when you’re out and about is to pack healthy snacks to take along with you.
It may be tempting to grab that candy bar or bag of chips at the convenience store or in the vending machine, but pre-packaged foods are often packed with sodium and sugar. Having a piece of fruit, raw veggies or nuts on hand will help give you the energy boost you need to complete the day’s activities.
To reach your fitness goals, look for opportunities to increase your physical activity every day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Park farther away from your destination and walk more.
Tanner Health System’s Get Healthy, Live Well initiative offers several programs that can help you stay on track with your New Year’s resolution.
In partnership with the West Georgia Track Club in Carrollton, Get Healthy, Live Well launched Move It Mondays, an eight-week program designed to turn walkers into joggers. The program pairs beginners with experienced joggers from the West Georgia Track Club. The next session will begin on Feb. 1 with a drop-in meet and greet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton in Classroom 2.
Regular meetings for the program will begin at 6 p.m. on the walking trail on the Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton campus, with parking available in the Clinic Avenue Parking Deck.
Another program available is Kids N Fitness — a free, healthy lifestyle program for children ages 8 to 16 and their parents. Kids N Fitness is an evidence-based program where families meet once a week for 90 minutes over the course of six weeks. Together, the families learn the importance of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Get Healthy, Live Well is currently filling spots for the Kids N Fitness class that begins Jan. 19.
To learn more about these and other programs, visit GetHealthyLiveWell.org or call 770.812.9871.
By Chesley Large, CWWS, SET and Christina Schoerner, RDN, LDN