North Central Health District

5 Tips for Staying Healthy in the New Year

2018 is among us and one of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions is to get healthy. Check out these tips to help stick to your resolution and live a happy and healthy 2018!

Set Realistic Goals

Most people want to change too much at one time and set unrealistic goals for themselves. This is the first step to a New Year’s resolution flop. Try to focus on small changes that are actually sustainable for you. Once you have accomplished one goal, move on to another small goal. By the end of the year you will have accomplished so much! Remember, your goals should be S.M.A.R.T.:

S= specific
M= measurable
A= achievable
R= realistic
T= timely

Focus on adding to your diet rather than taking away

One of the best ways to get healthy is to add more healthy foods to your diet. Instead of focusing on restricting your intake, focus on adding more healthy fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and dairy to your diet. That way you are getting all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals your body needs. Try using MyPlate as a guide.

Find exercise that you enjoy

If you really hate running, it isn’t realistic to set a New Year’s resolution to run five days a week because chances are you won’t stick to it. Find an exercise class or program that you genuinely enjoy and work towards incorporating more of it into your daily routine. Remember, it’s recommended to exercise for at least 30 minutes most days of the week!

Plan Ahead

One of the biggest reasons people fall off the New Year’s Resolution bandwagon is that they don’t have enough time. That’s why an important key for success is planning ahead. If you are planning to start going to an exercise class in the mornings, pack your gym bag the night before so that everything is ready when you wake up. Or, if you know you’re usually too tired to cook a healthy meal for dinner, take some time one day that week to make some healthy staple items, like baked chicken, brown rice or quinoa and roasted vegetables. That way you have some healthy options available when you’re too tired to cook.

Have a bounce-back plan

Often times a slip becomes a fall, meaning you slip off track for a meal or a workout and that turns into a month of unhealthy eating and skipping the gym. There will inevitably be times when you get off track; relapse is part of the process. Focus on figuring out why this happened and resolve to start fresh at the next meal or the next day instead of waiting until the start of next week or even the start of next month!