Published on January 12, 2017

Living Well: Don’t Give Up On Your New Year’s Resolutions

How are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions?

Now that we’re almost two weeks into January 2017, many people are facing the reality of their News Year’s resolutions. Some may have already given up. The good news is that if you’re one of those who is struggling with a resolution or has given up, it doesn’t have to be a lost cause.

The key to keeping a resolution is to pick one that is practical, timely, and realistic. A New Year’s Resolution of losing weight is too broad for most people. By creating small goals that are reachable and adding in more throughout the year you are more likely to reach the ultimate goal of losing weight or eating better.

Here are a few healthy tips that will go a long way.

Start By Taking A Food You Love & Make It Healthier

Try adding vegetables to your pizza. Who doesn’t love some good mushroom or peppers? Make some of your fast food favorites at home. Homemade baked chicken nuggets are easy and delicious. If you are a dessert person, you may love treats like black bean brownies.

Add-In Fruits & Vegetables

Making a goal of having one serving of produce at each meal is a great start to meeting your fruit/vegetable goal for the day. It becomes a lot easier when we add produce to what we are already eating. Try adding fruit to your cereal (bananas and cheerios go great together), add spinach or kale to your pasta dish, or even add berries to your ice cream.

Prepare Ahead Of Time

By preparing food ahead of time on a dedicated day of the week, you can save time on busy a weeknight. Doing things like making menus, portioning out ingredients, chopping produce, or even cooking meats can greatly help reduce the hassle of making a homemade meal. I look ahead at my menu and simply see what would still taste good if made ahead and reheated. These are ways that I avoid making unintended trips out to eat, and can easily make a healthy meal.

Make A Grocery List

The best way to avoid eating junk is to never buy it at the store in the first place. Create a list and stick to it. Do not buy things at the store because they look good or are on sale. If it’s not on your list, you don’t need it. Shop on the outside aisles of the store. Only go down the middle aisles for essentials like coffee or oatmeal. Also, never go to the grocery store when you are hungry. This greatly affects what goes into your cart. It’s a good idea to make sure your list has some quick and easy healthy snacks. Some possibilities include nuts, grapes or string cheese. Make it as easy as possible to snack healthy.

Eat Breakfast

Sometimes in our busy schedules we forget to eat a good breakfast, more times than not I am in this group myself. Breakfast is important for us to kick start our metabolism. Try some of these quick, on-the-go breakfasts to get in the most important meal of the day. Greek yogurt with granola and berries, instant oatmeal (unsweetened) with apple slices and cinnamon, or sweet potato muffins.

Sweet Potato Muffins

  • 2 cups of flour
  • 1 1/8 cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. nutmeg
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 4 cups of peeled and shredded sweet potato
  • ½ cup raisins
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • ½ cup ground flaxseed

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 12 muffin tins.
  2. Whisk together brown sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs in a small bowl.
  3. Mix flour, baking powder, spices, flaxseed and sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the egg mixture and stir. Gradually add in the walnuts and raisins.
  4. Pour the batter into the muffin tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

If you are one of the many who have broken your New Year’s resolutions, you can start working on these five steps today. If you have kept you resolutions or didn’t make any, these tips can still help you down a path to a healthier you.

Amanda Giebink is a registered and licensed dietitian at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. She holds a bachelor’s degree in human biology from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and completed her internship and master’s certificate in dietetics practices at Western Kentucky University. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, jogging, working out, gardening and drinking coffee.

About Owensboro Health

Owensboro Health is a nonprofit health system with a mission to heal the sick and to improve the health of the communities it serves in Kentucky and Indiana. The system includes Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, nationally recognized for design, architecture and engineering; Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital; Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center; the Owensboro Health Medical Group comprised of over 350 providers at more than 30 locations; three outpatient Healthplex facilities, a certified medical fitness facility, the Healthpark; a weight management program, and the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center.

On average each year, we have more than 19,000 inpatient admissions, deliver 2,000 babies and provide the region’s only Level III NICU. Owensboro Health physicians perform nearly 33,000 surgical procedures, including nearly 150 open-heart surgeries. Our physicians and staff have 90,000 Emergency Department visits and more than 1.25 million outpatient visits annually. Visit our home page for more information.