The Time is Now

Posted: Jan 15 in Health And Wellness, Weight Management Strategies by Dr. Lazarus

Wow, it’s already mid-January! We can now truly say that we survived the holiday stuffing (turkey, ourselves, our friends?) and all of the New Year’s goodies. Are you already into this year’s remaking, re-fitting and re-planning? What are your health goals for the next 11 1/2 months? What is the sweet-spot goal that’s achievable without being meaningless? Are you looking at pounds lost, calories burned, weights pressed, trails hiked, roads cycled? Maybe your goal is to make more healthy meals at home. What activities can involve your whole family? Are there foods that you’d like to eat more frequently? Which super-healthful foods are you willing to try this year? Which do you plan to avoid? What foods are kindest to your body?

Once you’ve set a few goals (not more than three – the number shown to be the limit of our “stick-to-itiveness”), prioritize them. This can be by importance to health, by level of enjoyment, or by vote, if your family will is involved. Next, make up a plan to implement them. Decide on an end date, or is this something that needs to be part of your life forever? How will you create accountability for your behavior changes? Perhaps you could try telling another person: enlisting them to “coach” as a helpful monitor to help you stay on track. Set up a calendar of contact dates to go over your successes and challenges with your coach. Remember to gift yourself with rewards along the way! Though the nobility of the goal is worthy, we do our best with carrots, not sticks. At CNC we’re very happy to fill the coaching roll for you!

Happy New Year!

Tracy Boykin, RD