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Revitalize your Resolutions

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Revitalize your Resolutions!

 

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “New Year’s resolution”? Do you think of people saying they want to quit smoking, improve their diet, or exercise more? Do you think of people giving up their resolution before February 1st? Last year, Time.com posted a list of 10 of the most commonly broken New Year’s resolutions. Two of them were “lose weight and get fit” and “eat healthier and diet”. Why do New Year’s resolutions to get healthy often fail? Maybe it’s because they’re not SMART.

 

A SMART goal is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. It should be something you are highly motivated to do and think will be easy to achieve. Success with one SMART goal can boost your confidence and lead you to tackle another, slightly more challenging SMART goal. “I will stop eating junk food” is not a SMART goal. “This week, I will snack on vegetable sticks instead of chips while I study” is a SMART goal. Here are more examples of SMART goals for healthy eating.

 

  • I will drink water instead of buying pop or juice when I am thirsty this month. Tip: carry a reusable bottle with you and fill it at water fountains or sinks.
  • I will choose the vegetarian option at dinner once a week. Tip: the vegetarian option will often be higher in fibre and lower in saturated fat than the meat option.
  • I will eat vegetables or fruit at every meal this week. Tip: choose a variety of colourful vegetables and fruit, especially dark green and orange ones.
  • I will choose whole wheat or whole grain bread products at least once a day. Tip: “multi-grain” does not equal whole grain.
  • I will not buy food from a vending machine this week. Tip: purchase and carry around some healthy non-perishable snacks such as nuts, dried fruit, or low-sodium pretzels.

 

So now it’s up to you. Pick one of the ideas I’ve listed above or come up with a SMART goal of your own. Follow through with it, and then, once it has become part of your normal routine, add another. Step by step, small SMART goals can help you reach your larger goal. Here’s to a healthy New Year!

 

Katrina Goertzen

Year 4 Dietetics, UBC

 

Cruz, G., Tharoor, I., Silver, A., & Webley, K. (2012, Jan. 1.) Top Ten Commonly Broken New        Year’s Resolutions. Retrieved from http://www.time.com