A new year may signify a fresh start for many Lakelanders. For some, this may mean setting healthy goals, such as losing weight, following a healthier diet and starting an exercise routine.
However, most often people make the same resolutions year after year after failing to stick to their goals. Health and wellness resolutions can sometimes be highly restrictive and unsustainable, which leads people to break their resolutions with weeks into the New Year.
If you are once again, attempting to break that cycle, and keep your resolution to improve your health try these healthy lifestyle habits and goals supplied by Jeanelle Richard, a registered dietician and certified weight management educator with the Lakeland Primary Care Network in St. Paul.
Top 5 Healthy Lifestyle Habits:
- Drink more water and less sugar-sweetened beverages like pop, juice, and iced tea.
- Eat more vegetables. Aim for half your plate to be vegetables of all colors, shapes, and sizes.
- Practice portion control by slowing down and being mindful of how much you are eating.
- Find types of exercises or activities that you can enjoy regularly doing. Check out all the group fitness classes available in the Lakeland or try different fitness apps on your own.
- Schedule time for your mental well-being.
How to be successful with healthy lifestyle goals:
- Set yourself up for success.
- Plan and prepare for the week ahead to make the healthy choice the easy choice.
- Attend local nutrition classes, grocery store tours, or support groups through the Lakeland Primary Care Network.
- Make small goals that are specific and realistic for you and your unique life circumstances.
- Be in it for the long run. Any lifestyle change you make must be something you can enjoy for the rest of your life. Short-term diets and quick fixes do not benefit your health in the long run.
- Aim for practice, not perfection. Be kind to yourself; life presents different challenges every day. It is how you practice healthy behaviors over time that matters the most.
- Get ongoing support from your local health care team. The Lakeland Primary Care Network offers individualized and ongoing support with Registered Dietitian or Supportive Counselor for free. No doctor referral needed.
Lakeland Primary Care Network can be reached by phone at (780) 645-1188.
