The New Year!
As the New Year gets underway most people will have at least one New Years resolution that involves improving their eating habits or general health.
It’s important to make sure resolutions are achievable and realistic. Remember resolutions and general health goals can be adjusted and changed to best suit you as you progress.
Some helpful tips for sticking to and achieving healthy eating habits include:
- Start small and build up. It’s much easier and more achievable to have a goal of losing 2kg as opposed to 20kg. Once you’ve achieved your goal you can go on to set more challenging goals.
- Remember, you have to start somewhere and any healthy change to your eating habits or any small weight loss greatly benefits your overall health.
- Realistic and healthy weight loss is between between 0.5 – 1kg/ week.
- Get friends or family members involved.
- Exercise and healthy eating work hand in hand.
- Don’t give up! If you find you ‘break a goal’ it doesn’t end there, just start again.
- Don’t cut out major food groups, you’ll be missing out on important nutrients, vitamins and minerals. If you are unsure contact you local dietitian (APD) for help and advice. We aren’t dieting short term, we are changing our eating habits and making changes for long term health and well being.
- It’s ok to treat yourself occasionally. Healthy eating isn’t about denying yourself or cutting out certain foods forever, instead it’s about eating certain foods in moderation.
- Familiarize yourself with portion sizes.
- It’s a good idea to have a regular check up with your GP, particularly if you have more serious health conditions, and also before starting any new or strenuous exercise.
- Be positive!
(Note, these tips are general, if you have certain health conditions or would like more individualized advise, please feel free to contact Body of Life Health Centre to organise a consultation on 9453 3046)
Article written by Danielle Dive (APD)
