Welcome to a new term, a new year, and a new decade! You might be tempted with so many fresh beginnings right now to set up some “new years resolutions”. Reflecting on yourself, your lifestyle, and your habits and identifying things you’d like to change can be a good thing. Make sure you are setting yourself up for success by carefully considering before you commit to a goal. If you choose a goal that is too difficult to maintain, or isn’t addressing the issue, you’ll end up giving up after a few weeks and feel frustrated and demoralized.
Many people choose health and fitness related goals in the new year. Lots of salad-eating and hitting the gym in January, but most have given up by February and fallen back into old comfortable routines and foods. Why is this? Often goals are just too big.
“I’ve been a couch potato all my life, but starting this week I’m going to go to the gym 3 times a week forever!” is hard to execute without complete lifestyle upheaval, and when another major stressor comes along (hello midterms), people don’t have the strategies and skills to balance it all and their all-or-nothing health goals get abandoned. With a little more consideration to building in flexibility for life hurdles, health goals and resolutions can weather the long term
Here are a few tips to help you consider health goals and resolutions moving into 2020.
- Don’t focus on numbers on a scale. Focus on your health and ability to do activities you enjoy. Exact weight is not the best indicator of health, and the number can vary by several pounds in either direction on any given day based on a variety of factors like hydration and how much salt you consumed recently. For many people, getting on a scale is highly linked with anxiety, frustration, and feelings of defeat and insecurity. Consider ditching the scale all together as a measure of your success. Instead focus on how healthy and able you feel (ex. How winded or invigorated you feel after hiking across campus between classes, or up a flight of stairs, or after a swim). If you are struggling or exhausted and sore after doing something you know you will or want to do again, then making a plan to reach the goal of getting healthier to support that activity is a better way of framing your health goals.
- Choose smaller, sustainable changes for goals. Huge goals can be intimidating and increase the likelihood of giving up. Small changes really do add up over time! Once you’ve mastered one small change and feel like it is second nature, choose another to focus on! Examples include:
- Drink more water. Always carry a water bottle with you to reduce the temptation to buy pop, juice, etc.
- Prioritize Sleep. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier regularly.
- Try new foods! Buy or try something you never have before once a week at meal hall, or buy one new or unusual thing at the grocery store to try out whenever you stock up.
- Try to add a serving of vegetables to your diet every day. Most people in Canada don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. Make an effort to choose colorful veggies to add to your plate more often.
- While eating on campus, choose items with the “Get the Good Stuff” logo when you see them more often! Sure, sometimes you just want fries, but make an effort to pick up GTGS items most of the time for an “easy” win. These items tend to be healthier options based on some key nutrition criteria that support health needs of most Canadians.
Get The Good Stuff Criteria
Entrees may have 3 or more of the following qualities:
- 500 calories or less
- Under 10g fat
- Under 960mg sodium (sandwiches)
- Under 720mg sodium (entrees)
- Made with whole grains
- Loaded with veggies
Sides and snacks may have 2 or more of the following qualities:
- 300 calories or less
- Under 5g fat
- Under 480mg sodium
- Made with whole grains
- Loaded with veggies
I’ll be around the dining halls this month doing pop-ups and more. Please feel free to come chat with me when you see me around health goals, or you can always send me an email or set up a one-on-one if you’d like to further discuss your health and wellness goals and needs!
Cheers,
Rai-Lee
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