Health habits – one month at a time

Rita Klavinski, Michigan State University Extension -

Select a new health habit each month to help you get on track for a healthier life.

One month into the New Year and some set goalsof those well intended resolutions to lose weight and eat healthier may have fallen by the wayside. Instead of thinking that you have broken your yearly resolutions, start over with month by month goals. For instance, start each month with a goal (resolution) and either continue the goal into the next month or add another goal. Adding a new goal each month does not seem as overwhelming and by the end of the year you could have several health related goals that you have accomplished for the majority of the year.

Michigan State University Extension recommends these healthy ideas to get you started. Pick one and see how well you do at achieving that goal for the month. Next month pick another goal as well, and continue your previous goal. You may discover that this approach works better for you than a once a year resolution plan.

Here are some ideas of goals to get you started:

  1. Eat a variety of foods
  2. Exercise more (body and mind)
  3. Reduce your screen time (TV and computers)
  4. Brush and floss your teeth daily
  5. Drink more water
  6. Reduce fats and cholesterol in your diet
  7. Increase vegetables and fruits in your diet
  8. Walk more, drive less
  9. When dieting, aim for a weight loss of no more than one or two pounds a week
  10. Cultivate a new hobby or outside activity
  11. Eat fewer fried foods, fast foods and junk foods
  12. Use stairs more
  13. Wear your seatbelt all the time
  14. Use a sunscreen with a sun-protection factor

Think of other ideas that you can add to this list to get you on track to live a healthier life. Remember don’t expect to redesign eating or fitness routines overnight. Changing too much too fast can cause feeling of failure. Make a number of small changes that add up to lifelong healthy habits.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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