KEEPING HEALTHY IN THE NEW YEAR HOWTO STICK TO YOUR GOALS
Everyone is eager to start fresh with New Year’s resolutions. Whether it’s to begin exercising, lose weight, or drop a bad habit, most people will find that within a few weeks into the new year, their commitment wanes. How do you maintain passion for your goals? DECIDE ON YOUR GOALS Coming up with a plan that you can follow is crucial to accomplishing your goals. An easy way to do this is by sticking with the SMART method: Make your objectives specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time- based. It’s easier to accomplish resolutions if they are set within the realistic boundaries SMART provides. PICK YOUR FAVORITE You may have a long list of resolutions you would like to achieve in the next year. However, trying to tackle more than one goal at a time can be overwhelming. Many people burn out before accomplishing even one. To counter this, choose to focus on one objective at a time. Once you’ve achieved it, you can move on to the next one. FIND SUPPORT When you set a goal for yourself, whether you’re deciding to exercise more or quit smoking, it’s important
to build a support system around you. This could be family, friends, a support group, or an exercise class. Having people around you supporting your decision can encourage you to accomplish more and strengthen your resolve. Knowing there are individuals that you can speak to about both your successes and struggles will also help manage your stress in a healthy way. DON’T BE HARD ON YOURSELF You’re allowed to have a bad day. If you end up not going to the gym for a day or even a week because your schedule becomes too busy, don’t beat yourself up about it. Taking an occasional break from your workout is recommended, because it allows your body time to rest and heal. Recovering from the slip-up and getting back on track is essential, too. Mistakes happen. Ensure that you come back from them, and you’ll be stronger and more resilient than ever. Following your New Year’s resolutions might seem impossible, but with the right mindset and help, anything is achievable. Set and chase your dreams in 2019!
SURVIVING THE SEASON OF SWEETS How to Indulge Your Sweet Tooth With Less Sugar
overindulge. Dried fruit is high in sugar and calories, but the fiber and vitamins make fruit much healthier than just about any other sugary treat.
Cookies, cakes, and pies, oh my! The holiday season is brimming with sweet treats of all kinds. Sometimes it can feel like candy and sugary desserts are around every corner, and yet you still want to indulge. However, when you consider that over 50 percent of Americans are insulin-resistant, prediabetic, or diabetic, that piece of pumpkin pie with whipped cream starts to look more dangerous than appetizing. During the holidays, how can you satisfy your sweet tooth without worrying about consuming excessive sugar and calories? Skip the candy and go for the fruits and nuts. Keeping a bowl of fruit and nuts nearby can help keep sugar cravings at bay. Dried fruits, such as cranberries, pineapple, or apricots, are both sweet and nutritious. Just be sure to check the packaging for added sugars. You can even make your own dried fruit with a food dehydrator. This way, you are completely in control of the ingredients. No matter what you do, just be mindful not to
Another way to cut down on your sugar intake is to use dark chocolate in all your chocolate-based treats. Dark chocolate has about half as much sugar as milk chocolate, twice as much healthy fat, less cholesterol, 4–5 times more iron, twice as much potassium, fewer carbs, and more flavonoids and theobromine. The antioxidant properties of the theobromine and flavonoids make dark chocolate as good for your heart as it is for your soul. If you have a recipe that calls for chocolate, reach for the dark stuff, whether it’s dark chocolate chips, cocoa powder, or baking chocolate. While it may seem as though everyone and their grandma is overindulging in sugar this season, know that you have the choice to opt for healthier sweets. And come New Year’s, you won’t have to spend the first few months of 2019 working off that extra cookie weight.
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