
Happy New Year 2023!
With the new year here. We know that making healthy choices can help us feel better and live longer. Maybe you’ve already tried to eat better, get more exercise or sleep, quit smoking, or reduce stress. It’s not easy. But research shows how you can boost your ability to create and sustain a healthy lifestyle.
It’s frustrating to experience setbacks when you’re trying to make healthy changes and reach a goal. The good news is that decades of research show that change is possible, and there are proven strategies you can use to set yourself up for success.
Lots of things you do impact your health and quality of life, now and in the future. You can reduce your risk for the most common, costly, and preventable health problems—such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and obesity—by making healthy choices.
Know Your Habits
Regular things you do—from brushing your teeth to having a few drinks every night—can become habits. Repetitive behaviors that make you feel good can affect your brain in ways that create habits that may be hard to change. Habits often become automatic—they happen without much thought.
The first step to changing your behavior is to create an awareness around what you do regularly. Look for patterns in your behavior and what triggers the unhealthy habits you want to change.
Maybe you eat too much while watching TV or join a friend on smoke breaks even when you don’t want a cigarette. You can develop ways to disrupt those patterns and create new ones. For instance, eat meals with the TV off or join friends for healthy activities, like walk breaks.
Make a Plan
Make a plan that includes small, reasonable goals and specific actions you’ll take to move toward them.
If you walk by the vending machine at work and buy junk food every afternoon, try walking a different way to eliminate that decision and bring healthy snacks from home. Whenever possible, make the healthy choice the easy choice.
Consider what you think you’ll need to be successful. How can you change things around you to support your goals? You might need to stock up on healthy foods, remove temptations, or find a special spot to relax.
Get friends and loved ones involved. Research shows that people’s health behaviors tend to mirror those of their family and friends. Invite them to join you, support you, and help you stay on track.
It’s also important to plan for obstacles. Think about what might derail your best efforts to live healthier. How can you still make healthy choices during unexpected situations, in stressful times, or when tempted by old habits?
Stay on Track
Doing positive things for yourself can feel exciting and rewarding. But there will also be times when you wonder if you can stick with it.
Identify negative thoughts and turn them into realistic, productive one.
Keeping a record can help. You can use a paper journal, computer program, or mobile app to note things like your diet, exercise, stress levels, or sleep patterns. A study of people who lost at least 30 pounds and kept the weight off for at least a year found that they often tracked their progress closely.
Even when you think you’re about to ‘fall off the wagon,’ hold on. Continue to track your behavior. Sometimes when you feel like you’re failing, you can learn the most.
Think About the Future
Focusing on how a change might heal your body and enhance your life can help. When you stop smoking, your risk of a heart attack drops within 24 hours. Reducing stress can lead to better relationships. Even small improvements in your nutrition and physical activity can reduce your health risks and lengthen your life.
Be Patient
Sometimes when you’re trying to adopt healthier habits, other health issues can get in the way. You’re never too out of shape, too overweight, or too old to make healthy changes. Try different strategies until you find what works best for you.
Things may not go as planned, and that’s okay. Change is a process. What’s most important is to keep moving forward.
Aspen Fitness & Nutrition
Aspen Fitness & Nutrition has many things that can help you with your habits from our Wellness Calendar 2023-Click here to join (free to join): https://app.arketa.co/iframe/aspenfitness/series/ajh8kfWKhfQZmOF9SNXp
Personalized programs, habits and nutrition programs, email me at Stacie@aspenfitness.org for more information.
Free live virtual classes: Sunrise Stretch 6:00am-6:20am CST, sign up here: app.arketa.co/aspenfitness (sign up if you can not make it I will send you the recording)
Let me know if you have any questions. Have a great New Year 2023!
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