Happy New Year everyone!
I hope all readers had a great New Year's celebration. It's time to get back to work, and most of us start the year with a new year resolution. How many of us could really stick to our new year resolution? According to an article in Forbes back in 2013, only 8 % of people achieve their new year resolution. (
http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2013/01/01/just-8-of-people-achieve-their-new-years-resolutions-heres-how-they-did-it/). Losing weight and better health have always been at the top of topics. In the past two years, I have adopted a healthier lifestyle, lost some weight and was able to maintain a healthy Body Mass Index. I do not take any diet pills or join any weight management programs. I simply eat right, stay active and I go to the gym at my workplace. I did not have any health issues when I started. If you do, please consult a Doctor before you start exercising or see a nutritionist for healthy choices advice.
Here are a few tips on how I stick to my healthy lifestyle regimen for the past two years. I am not a registered dietitian. Just a simple person who wants to share her experience with her readers. So, here are my tips:
1) Make it simple
The more simple and less time required for you do to a chores, the higher the chances it will be for you to achieve your result. If you are joining a gym, don't join a gym that is not convenient for you. If you have to go out of your way to go to that gym, you will most likely not go there. If you are going to follow a healthy lifestyle, don't look for complicated recipes. The goal is make it simple!
2) Slow and steady win the race
Just because you start to eat healthy, you shouldn't expect to see results right away. I did not see any results for the first six months. Reason being is, I did not start changing everything in one go. I started by reading food labels. It helps me to make better choices and be more aware of what I put in my body. I believe there is no quick fix. The quicker you loose your weight, the quicker you gain it back!
3) Stay active
I go to the gym at least 5 days a week now. When I first started I only went 2-3 times a week. Since I have never been active and never stepped foot in a gym when I first started, I hired a personal trainer for three sessions to teach me how to exercise safely. This is crucial as it teaches me how to avoid injury in the gym. It also helps me to gain confidence to "touch" those machines. Do not get intimidated in the gym. Most people are not looking at you. Just stay focused. Listen to your music or watch the television while you are working out. Do what you enjoy. Classes are not good for me. I am really bad in coordination. I could never follow any instructions. Yep! I am one of those people in those funny videos that could never follow the instructor! If the weather is good, you can also go out for a walk or use the stairs instead of the elevator. That counts too :)
4) Eat more vegetables and fruits and less processed food
I am sure everyone knows fruits and vegetables are good for you (unless you have certain health issues). Apart from eating a diet filled with fruits and vegetables, I try to stay away from processed food. The more organic or natural the food is, the more nutrients the food contains. It also have less added calories that are not good for your health. For example, If I want an Orange juice, I will have freshly squeezed orange juice. If I want a burger, I will buy ground lean beef and make my own burger.
5) Give yourself a break
I think this is the MOST important tips of my diet. Give yourself a break from time to time. Just not everyday or every week. If you really really really want a slice or two of your favorite pizza or that nice piece of cake, go for it. As long as you don't do it everyday, you will be fine. If you cut everything unhealthy out at one go, your chances of sticking to your diet will be slim. Be nice to yourself, its okay, you have earned it.
A lot of people commented it's easier to stick to a healthy diet if you prepared food at home, but most people find it hard to do so. At the Cafeteria at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, we offer a lot of healthy choices. Here are a few of my favorites. Hope this will help you in your healthy new year resolution!
1) Chicken Teriyaki noodles with lots of vegetables. (Choose the bottled water instead of soda)
2) Soup station - Go for vegetarian or clear broth option instead of the creamy option
3) Salad bar ( I stay away from dressing. I opt for Hummus instead)
4) Seasonal Farmers market (My favorite)
5) Wellness series lecture by our RDs (You can learn how to cook a healthy meal and tips on healthy eating from our RDs)
Hope this will help you stick to your New Year's resolution!
Wishing all readers a Happy and Healthy 2016!
