#23 - NEW YEAR'S HEALTHY RESOLUTIONS

The Healthy Rotarian – “New Year’s Healthy Resolutions”

Making healthy lifestyle changes affects not only our risk for disease and the way we feel today but also our health and ability to function independently in later life. What we do for ourselves is often more important than what medicine can offer us. Yet making healthy changes is easier said than done. Even when we’re strongly motivated, adopting a new, healthy habit — or breaking an old, bad one — can be terribly difficult.

Experts who study behavior change agree that long-lasting change is most likely when it’s self-motivated and rooted in positive thinking.  Studies have also shown that goals are easier to reach if they’re specific (“I’ll walk 20 minutes a day,” rather than “I’ll get more exercise”). It is not wise to set  numerous goals at one time as  having too many goals limits the amount of attention and willpower you can devote to reaching any single goal.  Another recurring theme is that it’s not enough to have a goal: You also need practical ways to reach it. For example, if your goal is to stick to a low-calorie diet (1200 - 1600 calories), have a plan in place for quelling hunger pangs such as keeping a bottle of water or cup of tea nearby, or chewing sugarless gum.

Research has also produced models that help account for success and failure, and explain why making healthy changes can take so long. The expert conclusion is that any effort you make in the right direction is worthwhile, even if you encounter setbacks or find yourself backsliding from time to time.

I invite each of you to set one specific goal for a behavior change that will improve your health status,   Here are some examples:

• I will walk 20 continuous minutes at least 3 X a week.
• I will drink 4, 6, or 8  (depending on where you are now with water intake) – 8 oz. glasses of water a day.
• I will eat a small apple every day.
• I will reduce my sugar intake by half of my current intake. Figure out your current sugar intake so you can be specific with your goal setting.  Remember that any sugar substitute turns your liver-pancreas “machine” on and increases blood glucose levels.

Stay tuned for more on this topic next week.

Nurse Sipple