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Read MoreBy Pamela Parker Lindsey
There’s no better time than now to take steps toward healthy living—and every small step counts. Challenge yourself today to make one change to living better and watch the results come your way.
“Someday I want to…”
“One day I will…”
“When I have more time, I plan to…”
Those “some days” and “one days” and days when we have “more time,” rarely seem to come. When we really want to achieve something, we need to set a goal, set a target for it, then begin working toward it.
Don’t set yourself up to fail by making a goal so lofty it’s nearly impossible to meet. If you’ve never been a runner, for example, you might not want your goal to be, “I’m going to run a marathon in a month.” That’s not to say your goal can’t be running a marathon. It absolutely can. But set the challenge—and the target—accordingly.
Exercising
Challenge yourself to run more often, walk further, go faster. If you usually run 1 mile 3 times a week, try for 2 miles 3 times a week for a month, or 1 mile 5 times a week for a month. Maybe it’s something you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t, like yoga. Go for it. Find a studio near you, choose a class time that fits your schedule, and put it on the calendar as an unbreakable appointment. Maybe there’s a long bike ride coming up that you want to push yourself to train for and complete, or maybe you want to challenge yourself to get that recommended 30 minutes a day of exercise.
Healthy eating
Have a tendency to start grazing on food at the end of the day, even when you aren’t hungry? Maybe your goal is to not eat after 8:00. Is the closest you get to fruits and vegetables a glass of OJ every once in awhile? Challenge yourself to incorporate a fruit or vegetable into every meal for a week (or a month or a year…). Tend to reach for a candy bar when hunger strikes? Challenge yourself to replace junk food with healthy snacks like air-popped popcorn or a handful of almonds.
When you begin, mark your calendar for the day you start, then key dates to hit along the way, including the success mark. As you go, check off how you’re doing on each of those days. Consider keeping a log of your challenge in a notebook or on your phone. Being aware of how you’re doing makes you more likely to get where you want to be.
Invite friends or family members to take on a challenge as well. Encourage one another through phone calls or emails. Maybe take on a challenge as a family and use a progress chart to see how everyone is doing.
Mark your success in some way, even if it’s simply sharing your feeling of accomplishment with friends or family. Perhaps you had a “reward” in place for when you achieved your goal, like a new pair of running shoes or a nice dinner out. Bask in it. You’ve earned it. Then…
Once you’ve reached your goal, set a new challenge for yourself. You can step up the one you were working on before, or create an entirely new challenge altogether. The more you set goals toward being well, the closer you get to staying well.
Choosing a weight loss program can be tricky. So pick a plan that’s based on extensive scientific research, like the Atkins Diet.
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