Originally published in Hideaway Lake News on January 1, 2020
“Lose 50lbs”, “work out for an hour every day”, “get 8 hours of sleep every night”, “don’t eat any sugar.” These are what a lot of our New Year’s resolutions look like. But most of us never achieve them because they are just too daunting, and some goals like “don’t eat any sugar” are simply not attainable! Here are some resolutions that you can actually keep, baby steps that can end up being a giant leap for your health.
Eat ONE more vegetable every day. The USDA guidelines tell us to eat 5-13 servings of vegetables and fruits daily. I challenge you to find a doctor that eats 13 servings a day! Many of us don’t even get one serving, and when we see 13, we just say forget it. But one extra serving is very doable. Make it at breakfast and you’ve really cut down on processed carbs. Frosted flakes and spinach just don’t go well together. Try a bowl of oatmeal cooked in chicken broth and top with an egg and some sauteed veggies. It’s a deliciously savory way to start your day!
Replace ONE sugary or “sugar free” beverage with a glass of water daily. Most will think of sodas and diet sodas, but you might also replace that glass of morning orange juice with an orange and a glass of water instead. The fiber in the whole orange makes that sugar go up so much more slowly and you will eat one orange, not the equivalent of three or more oranges in your glass of juice. That is a lot less sugar.
Exercise ONE more day per week. So if you’re not exercising at all, then start with a short walk on the weekend. If you’re walking 3 days a week, let’s move it to 4. The goal is to exercise every single day, but that may sound too intimidating to those who never leave the couch. Take baby steps to get yourself started.
Here’s to a lot of baby steps this year. Before you know it, you’ll be miles ahead.
Happy and Healthy New Year to all!