Megan Nechanicky

As we ring in the New Year, countless people embark on resolutions to get healthier, lose weight and start working out. These aspirations are wonderful and if maintained will help achieve a healthier life. However, most people unknowingly set themselves up to fail before they even begin. To maintain your health resolution beyond just the first week of January, try to avoid these common health mistakes:

1. Setting Unachievable Goals- Setting goals similar to the ones you hear about in popular weight loss plans: “Six-pack abs in 6 weeks” or “Lose10 pounds in 10 days”, set you up to fail. When establishing a health goal think about what is actually achievable and work each day to meet that goal.
2. The Starvation Diet- Cutting too many calories at once will leave you starving and obsessing over food. This way of eating is extremely hard and unhealthy to maintain. Instead reduce 250-500 calories (small snack) each day and work toward lasting weight loss.
3. Hitting the Ground Running- For some, hitting the ground walking in better than running. Beginning a fitness routine too fast can leave you sore and unmotivated to do another day. Build slowly and gradually progress to reaching your fitness goal.
4. Expecting Immediate Results- Don’t fool yourself into believing health results occur overnight. Stepping on the bathroom scale daily to see if you have lost a pound since that day prior or thinking you could run 10 miles after working out one week is unrealistic. Expecting fast results is setting yourself up for disappointment; give yourself appropriate time to reach your goals.

 

With Christmas just one week way, it’s hard to avoid the added holiday calories and easy to push off exercising until 2012. This past week alone I had 3 office parties and countless boxes of beautiful and delicious Christmas cookies arrive at my house.   So here are a few last minute holiday health tips:

Get Outdoors-The weather is perfect for outside activities—throw on a great fleece, hat and gloves and take a hike, run, ski or skate. Even if you have only 30 minutes, you will feel so much better and your body will thank you.

Freeze the Sweets- Great holiday treats can always be saved until next year. Have one or two and put the rest in a Ziploc and freeze until you really want something sweet. Removing cookies from plain sight will make you less likely to eat them and save you the extra calories.

Start Your New Year Today- Who said you need to make a life change the 1^st of every year? If you want to start living a healthier life, don’t wait, do it now! Make simple changes these last two weeks of December such as eating more colorful in-season fruits and vegetables, drinking more water or eating meals on smaller plates. These small changes can add up to big results in 2012.

Can you imagine a day when you go to a restaurant and they automatically give you a side of fruit or salad instead of french fries? Last week I joined First Lady Michelle Obama at the Partnership for a Healthier America’s Building a Healthier Future Summit. The theme throughout the two days was creating solutions to make living healthy lives easier for Americans. The default choice should ALWAYS be the healthier choice. I think about the default choice as the one that automatically fills in the box when you’re completing something online or it’s automatically given to you without requesting a substitution. What if a bottle of water was automatically given to you with a meal instead of a soda? What if your kids were automatically given fat free or low-fat milk instead of juice or soda? What if every employer gave their employees 30 minutes per day for exercise?

What healthy choice would you like to see become the default choice?

I find life to be crazier than ever before, with a fulltime job and part-time dietetic internship, there is so much to accomplish it feels like I’ve run a marathon by the end of the day. Being overwhelmed is an understatement, but what I realize the most is the need to give myself time EACH day to relax, recharge and do something for myself. With the holiday season now underway, everyone will need a little time away from the chaos. When I need to breath, I head for a run along the C&O Canal starting from Swains lock in Potomac, Md. It’s quiet, serene and peaceful—the perfect spot to rejuvenate and recharge.

Where do you go for some breathing room?

 

Q: Is it necessary to eat breakfast immediately upon rising in the morning?

A: Absolutely not, yet eating breakfast is extremely important as it provides the body with early morning energy and prevents extreme hunger later in the day. However, every person's body and schedule is different. Waiting until mid-morning (10:00 am) to eat breakfast is just as beneficial as consuming a meal first thing upon rising. Remember to divide total calories throughout the day, and to never go more than 3-4 hours without re-fueling.