What are your goals for this year? Lose weight? Has that little ditty worked for you in the past? I guess if you are considering it yet again, probably not. Now is the time to add some attainable goals to your list. Adding is so much easier than taking away (think of how easily you added those extra pounds). Taking away leaves us with a feeling of loss. We don't like to be deprived of anything. Instead of focusing on what you're not going to do this year, focus on what you're going to do.
Increase Your Vegetables
When making goals it's important not to make lofty ones like "do more this" or "do more that". You need to be specific. Instead of promising to "Eat more vegetables!" make a plan like "I will add 1/2 cup of vegetables to my lunch and dinner meals even if it's just carrot sticks to begin with. If I get tired of a veggie I'll try another.
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Move
Exercise is important to a healthy lifestyle but you don't have to run a marathon to do it. It's time to make a brain shift. Instead of focusing on the 'exercise' you should be doing and never do, focus on increasing your physical activity. Move. Empty the dishwasher, walk up and down the stairs five times, stand up while watching TV and do some stretching. Increasing your physical activity is vital to your health. Take these little steps instead of committing to an 'exercise' program you know you will drop after a few weeks. Like above, be specific and list all the ways you can increase your physical activity just by simply moving.
Drink Water
Water hydrates the skin and mucus membranes. We've heard the eight glasses a day theories left and right. And we all stop because we don't like to pee every 20 minutes. If you don't drink any water jumping to 8 glasses overflows the sink. Start low. If you don't drink water even a glass or two a day is an improvement. Work on adding one glass first thing in the morning and one in the afternoon. If you drink 4 glasses a day already then work on adding one or two. One or two glasses is more attainable than eight. What's a glass? Skip the big 20 oz glass in your cupboard and go for the measuring cup (one glass is 1 cup or 8 oz).
Falling off the Wagon
What happens if you fall off the wagon? Stand up, dust yourself off and start again. Don't beat yourself up over your failures. You're not alone. Every 24 hours is a new day. You may forget, get depressed, get angry, or just not give a... Don't sever your goals. Begin again.
Now you've increased your veggies, increased your physical activity and added some water to your healthy goals for this year. Simple things you can add without feeling cheated. Shifting the focus from removing will give you a better chance at keeping our goals. Be healthy, be happy. Enjoy Life.
