New Year’s Resolutions time! Before we start, does this sound familiar? “I’ll join a gym, go every day for an hour, catalogue my workouts and my food…” …and not be able to live up to your well-meaning goals. Joining a gym isn’t a bad idea, but think about how much time you have available to actually go. Writing down your food is a GREAT way to stay accountable to yourself – but only if you do it (and are truthful). Regardless of what you SAY you’ll do, maintaining it is what will drive your results.
As optimistic as you might be for change in the New Year, let’s think a bit more realistically. I always suggest starting with one or two small changes (small = reasonable), like walking after work for 15 minutes or having a fiber-filled breakfast. If you can master those, take on something else. If you can’t handle something small, would you really have gone to the gym for an hour each day?
Walking after work is a great place to start, so let’s talk about that first. Walking doesn’t require any special equipment or training, and it can be done almost anywhere. I know it’s cold outside this time of year, but wear a coat and gloves (and since you’re going home afterwards, it’s ok if a warm hat messes up your hair). The walk will help clear your head before you go home so you can leave work at work. And 15 minutes will be over before you know it! If you’re hungry before your walk, plan ahead and have a piece of fruit or a low-calorie yogurt in the afternoon to help you make it to dinner. You’ll end up logging over an hour of walking a week this way. Bump your walk up to 25 minutes and now you’re doing over two hours a week. This gets your body stronger and more accustomed to exercise. Then, starting something else becomes so much more manageable. How about an hour-long walk with a friend over the weekend? A game of tennis, maybe? You can keep adding from there.
While you’re sticking to your reasonable exercise routine, small dietary changes are easier if they’re SMALL. Again, let’s pick some stuff you can manage... how about breakfast in the morning? A cereal high in fiber or an omelet (with mostly whites and lots of vegetables) would be a great start. The cereal takes only a few minutes to make and eat, and the omelet can be even quicker if you make it the day before and microwave it in the morning. Still no time? How about a greek yogurt and a piece of fruit to go? It would be a great start to your day. It’s also important to be mindful of what you’re eating the rest of the day. Most of us know better, we just don’t do it for whatever reason: too busy, nothing good available, or we say “just not today – maybe tomorrow.” Plan ahead. If you find that the cafeteria doesn’t have anything good, bring a lunch from home. You can guarantee what’s in it, and know that it’ll be ready for you. Instead of a big lunch from a restaurant or having (gasp!) fast food, maybe a local deli has a healthy sandwich with a low-cal bread, or pre-packaged salads to bring back with you to the office (just keep the dressing low-calorie, too). If you’re determined, I’m sure you can find something that’s both good for you and tasty.
So without committing to anything huge, we resolved to eat breakfast, make lunch healthier and have a snack before our walk after work. Those are great first steps and make it easier to keep our New Year’s promise. Next stop: maybe having more vegetables with dinner? Or reducing how much soda or beer you drink? Success with the first reasonable goals means you can take on more. Good luck!