New Years Resolutions - Healthy Eating

Most of us will make a New Year's resolution - maybe to lose weight, quit smoking or drink less - but only one in 10 of us will achieve our goal. Psychologists have found we're more likely to succeed if we break our resolution into smaller goals that are specific, measurable and time-based.

 

Top tips for New Years resolutions:

• Make only one resolution. Your chances of success are greater when you channel energy into changing just one aspect of your behaviour.

• Don’t wait until New Year’s Eve to think about your resolution and instead take some time out a few days before and reflect upon what you really want to achieve.

• Avoid previous resolutions. Deciding to revisit a past resolution sets you up for frustration and disappointment.

• Don’t run with the crowd and go with the usual resolutions. Instead think about what you really want out of life.

• Break your goal into a series of steps, focusing on creating sub-goals that are concrete, measurable and time-based.

• Tell your friends and family about your goals. You're more likely to get support and want to avoid failure.

• Regularly remind yourself of the benefits associated with achieving your goals by creating a checklist of how life would be better once you obtain your aim.

• Give yourself a small reward whenever you achieve a sub-goal, thus maintaining motivation and a sense of progress.

• Make your plans and progress concrete by keeping a handwritten journal, completing a computer spreadsheet or covering a notice board with graphs or pictures.

 

• Expect to revert to your old habits from time to time. Treat any failure as a temporary setback rather than a reason to give up altogether.

How to make your diet better and make eating your 5-a-day easier:

• Add fruit to your cereal, oatmeal, waffles or pancakes at breakfast.

 

• Create your own yogurt flavours with plain yogurt and different combinations of fresh fruit.

• Snack on raw vegetables or fruits instead of chips or pretzels. Keep sugar snap peas, raisins or carrot sticks in your car, your office or your backpack.

• Use chunky salsa instead of thick, creamy snack dips. Drink 100% juice instead of addictive coffee, tea, or soda.

• Going out to lunch? Take a trip to the grocery salad bar. Use lots of dark green leaves and other vegetables instead of piling on all of the extras like eggs, bacon and cheese.

 

• Add frozen veggies to any pasta dish. It's an easy way to get in another serving of the good stuff.

• Keep fruits and vegetables in line of sight. Grapes, oranges, bananas, and apples make a colorful bowl arrangement on the table. If you see them, you will eat them.