You can make a New Year’s Resolution or Goal at the beginning of the New Year, 2023, but also can make a New Start Resolution/Goal any other time of the year! 1 Doing it Together: Teamwork
Make your New Year’s Resolution /Goal or New Start Resolution/Goal not by yourself, but with others; neighbors, friends or family who also want to make one. How can you help each other out with your/their Resolution or Goal?
Connect with those who care and are serious, take health and their health seriously, and want support, assistance and accountability like you. Team up, form partnerships and help each other out.
A New Year’s or New Start Resolution is, of course, an opportunity to strengthen/ improve our health; wellness but also consider one that focuses on helping others with theirs. Some find it’s much easier and more rewarding to keep a promise to someone else rather than to themselves. ____________ 2 Support and Accountability. Can’t go anywhere without it. Are you trying to accomplish a New Year or New Start Health resolution like losing weight or eating less processed, junk food by yourself, on your own? If so, you’ll have a much better chance of sticking to and making it if you can talk about the issue, get support and assistance from friends and families, and be accountable to them. Tell your family, friends and coworkers what your Health Resolution/Goal is. Surround yourself with people who share the same Health Goals. Form your own personal partner or team of supporters. Invite them to help keep you on track and be accountable. 3 Make a Health Action Plan or Behavior Contract not only for yourself, but help someone with creating theirs. See Action Plans and Behavior Contracts in Resources maxfulfillment.kinsta.cloud/healthmodel/. If we are serious and determined to change and be successful, a goal or great idea can’t be abstract, vague or a generality. It must have action steps, timelines, completion dates and accountability. For example, turn losing 50 lbs in a year into a SMART goal that makes actions specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-specific, such as: <> Go for a 20-minute walk during my lunch break on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. ____________ 4 Cutting out vs Putting Something In Its Place The first thought or approach to a New Year or New Start Health Resolution/Goal might be cutting out something bad or that is not good for you. But it could be the other way around and just working in something more healthier and more nutritious to your diet. Instead of vowing to never eat chocolate again, just include more protein in your diet or eat a vegetable with every meal. Think of adding and eating more and more fresh vegetables, fruit, eggs, fish, whole grains, nuts and seeds that would slowly crowd out and take the place of unhealthy junk, processed foods. 5 Smaller Portions. It’s less than you think and better for you. Eating portions that are too large is the biggest reason people overeat. Try not to eat anything bigger than your fist or palm and balance your plate. “The protein at any meal should be the size of your smartphone, with half a tennis ball’s worth of starch (rice or quinoa) and two tennis balls’ worth of produce, plus 1 tablespoon of a good fat.” Or ¼ of your plate should be protein, ¼ starch, and ½ vegetables and/or fruit. If you are still hungry after 20 minutes, eat more vegetables to provide a lot of bulk (fiber) and few calories. Your body might take a few weeks to adjust to a new (lower) calorie level so give your stomach a chance to adapt to eating less. 6 Healthy Fats Instead of No Fats Ignore “the fats are bad for you scam”. Fats are an essential part of our diet. Some are bad for you like saturated and trans fats found in high-fat dairy products, meats, fried and processed foods. Healthy fats include mono and polyunsaturated fats such as olive oil, grapeseed oil, nuts, seeds and avocados. Also, omega-3 fats from foods such as salmon or tuna help decrease inflammation and can protect the heart. 7 Limit Liquid Calories Soda, juice, coconut water, fancy coffee drinks, and most commercial smoothies are simply calories in a cup that have little or no nutritional value. Most people do not realize that their morning Frappuccino or mocha is putting on 300-500 calories without eating. Although some smoothies offer protein, vitamins and minerals, many are very high in calories and sugar. They also don’t fill you like food does. You may find yourself still hungry despite drinking 800 or so calories! 8 Less Meat, and More Lean Protein Sources Eat less red meat, chicken and turkey, and more fish, eggs, beans, legumes, tofu, nuts and seeds that are also good; better protein sources. If at all possible, eat meat from grass-fed livestock. Otherwise, it’s coming from animals fed with GMO grains, injected with hormones to make them fatter faster, and antibiotics to contain infectious diseases as a result of the filth in miserable, confined quarters. It’s about as unhealthy as you can get. 9 More Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, and Less Junk, Processed Foods Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, and cut back on anything boxed, bagged, or canned. Most processed foods contain added salt, sugar, preservatives, and/or fat. Fresh fruits and vegetables are “nutritional powerhouses” and loaded with essential vitamins and minerals, fiber and antioxidants. They are good sources of fiber, fill your stomach and have many health benefits, such as lower blood pressure, lower risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke, and fewer digestive problems. 10 More Whole Grains, Less White Foods Eat more whole grains such as oatmeal, whole wheat bread and brown rice, and less white foods like white bread, rice, pasta, packaged cookies and crackers. Your body takes longer to digest whole grains which helps keep you fuller longer. Both insulin and blood sugar levels are also more stable due to the high fiber content which also helps lower cholesterol levels. White foods have already been processed so your body doesn’t have to. So they pass through your digestive system quickly, provide very little nutrition (stripped of many nutrients) and that in turn makes you hungry again right away. 11 Other, what would you add or suggest? Don’t wait, act NOW for setting your New Year or New Start Health Resolution/Goal to achieve one of the 11 above that is best for strengthening/improving your Health in 2023.
Contact Randy NOW if you have any questions; would like to discuss it, want any assistance or support, or have any ideas/suggestions. Thank You! <> <> <> <> <> <> Randy Bennett Ed.D. HCT (HEALTH Sources and Resources
1 Health Tips to Start the New Year Right!
2 19 Healthy New Year’s Resolutions from Dietitians https://sharonpalmer.com/19-healthy-new-years-resolutions-from-dietitians/
3 Ways to Keep Your ‘Eat Better’ New Year’s Resolution (for Real) https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/keep-those-new-years-eat-better-resolutions
4 23 Healthy New Year’s Resolutions You Can Actually Keep https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/realistic-new-years-resolutions
5 Setting Successful New Year’s Resolutions
6 A Psychologist’s Secrets To Making New Year’s Resolutions Stick
7 10 Great Tips to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-keep-your-new-years-resolutions-2795719
|
Not The Answer, but
YOUR ANSWER
HCT (HEALTH Change, Support and Accountability TEAM/COMMUNITY)
There’s way too much information.
What’s needed is transformation,
YOUR TRANSFORMATION.