Healthy in the New Year

Blog originally posted through WellCats Newsletter

Finding the return to balance in the New Year can be a challenge for many especially when it comes to their health. Lack of physical activity and difficulty with meal preparation make if all the more difficult to shed excess holiday pounds or reach health goals. Below are some simple tips to help on your way to a well 2017!

1. Start with Reasonable Calorie Reduction – often our weight loss goals are significant at the start of the New Year. Being too restrictive and shaving off large amounts of calories can leave a person feeling deprived, bored, fatigued, and at risk of nutrient deficiencies. Evidence shows that slow and steady weight loss through reasonable calorie reduction is the key to weight that stays off long term. So instead, try decreasing your caloric intake by 500 calories per day. This manageable change will make a significant impact in weight within a relatively short period of time. Eliminating 500 calories per day from your diet may sound daunting but it is often easier than you think. On average 1 slice of pizza is around 250 calories, a bagel with cream cheese is roughly 500 calories, and many specialty coffee drinks such as frappuccinos or lattes can run up to 500 calories or more! By reviewing your diet and eliminating some of these items, the small changes you make will add up quickly supporting progress in your weight and health.

2. Track Food for Success – figuring out how many calories you consume in a day can be difficult to assess. The best way to stay on top of your diet is to track your foods. This is especially true when you first start making changes in your eating and are unaware of the calories in many of the foods you eat. SuperTracker and My Fitness Pal are both excellent food tracking resources. Getting familiar with the foods you consume on a regular basis can help to direct the changes you make to your diet to adjust calories. A tip on tracking your calories – recommended daily minimum caloric intake for women is 1,200 calories and for men is 1,500 calories. Make sure when tracking you are meeting these minimums for optimal health.

3. More Fruits and Veggies – it cannot be stressed enough the importance of more fruits and vegetables as part of a balanced diet. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends a minimum of 2.5 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit per day. Not only do fruits and veggies pack a powerful health punch of vitamins and minerals essential for your body but they are also low in calories. This can be very useful when trying to reduce calories in your diet. Try replacing high calorie desserts with fruit or adding more veggies to soups, omelets, and family favorites like lasagna to reduce use of more calorie dense foods like cream and cheese.

4. Move More – You don’t have to be in the gym hours every day to stay healthy. ANY exercise is better than NO exercise. One of the biggest challenges for working Americans is that being on the job requires sitting ALL. DAY. LONG. Excessive sitting has been linked to many detrimental health outcomes, contributing to conditions such as obesity and high blood pressure. So rather than feeling overwhelmed by the idea of living at the gym, focus on finding ways to be less sedentary. Take the stairs, park farther from stores when shopping, walk with a friend at lunch, stand at your desk whenever possible, or start the day with a brisk walk around the block. These small changes develop positive habits that support larger exercise efforts, improve mood, reduce stress, and can have ripple effects in your health.