Making Resolutions for a Healthier 2011? Keep Them Simple and Specific

Making Resolutions for a Healthier 2011? Keep Them Simple and Specific

Like millions of Americans, you may be thinking about making New Year’s resolutions. Losing weight, eating healthier and being more physically active are some of the most common.

 But many New Year’s resolutions focused on adopting healthy behaviors are often abandoned after a few weeks. One of the reasons for this is a lack of a specific goals. Research shows that the more specific the goal, the more successful the outcome. A New Year’s resolution that simply states ‘I will lose weight’ is not specific enough to provide you with detailed information to actually meet your goal.

In terms of weight loss, there are some steps that New Year’s resolution-makers can take. Research shows individuals who lose weight and keep it off engage in specific strategies. Adopting the following as New Year’s resolutions may bring you better outcomes.

New Year’s resolution #1 Eat breakfast. People who consistently start their day with a healthy breakfast tend to have healthier weights, and are more likely to lose weight and maintain their loss.
New Year’s resolution #2 Exercise one hour per day. Individuals who engage in daily physical exercise for at least one hour report greater success in losing weight.
New Year’s resolution # 3 Practice portion control. Reducing the amount of food you eat will obviously help with reducing your caloric intake and result in weight loss.
New Year’s resolution #4 Eat more fruits and vegetables. Increasing fruit and vegetable intake has many health benefits. Studies have shown that as fruit and vegetable intake increases, high fat and high sugar intake decreases ,which may result in weight loss and other health benefits.
New Year’s resolution #5 Limit sedentary activities. Studies indicate that people who set limits on sedentary activities such as watching television, tend to be more active.
Source: Julia Salomon, Specialist, UW-Extension Family Living Programs