Reasonable, Healthy New Year’s Resolutions Can Be Easier To Follow

December 15, 2000

EAST LANSING, Mich. — New Year’s resolutions can be easier to stick to when people choose healthy, moderate goals, according to Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM) Dean Allen W. Jacobs, D.O., Ph.D.

"A lot of New Year’s resolutions don’t last until the holiday decorations come down," Jacobs said. "One way to help keep your holiday resolutions is to choose reasonable lifestyle alterations rather than extreme change.""The new year is a new beginning and resolutions to protect our health are certainly in order and advisable," Ralph Otten, D.O., said.

MSUCOM offers the following suggestions for making New Year’s resolutions for 2001:

Diet

• Stick to a heart-smart diet. Reduce your intake of fat and cholesterol, especially saturated fat.Choose low-fat options when eating fast food. Choose a single burger rather than a double bacon cheeseburger or a burger loaded with mayonnaise.Eat lots of fruits and vegetables to increase vitamin intake and reduce the risk of cancer.Avoid binge eating. Instead of having too many servings at dinner, eat a snack later in the day.Rather than three large meals, eat smaller meals and snacks throughout the day to spread out your calorie intake.Eat big, hearty breakfasts in the morning to give you energy during the day. Then eat smaller lunches and dinners.
• Try to avoid sugars and refined flour that would be found in products such as white bread, croissants and pastries.

Exercise

• Participate in a structured exercise program, such as taking a brisk walk four to five times a week.Have your blood pressure and lipids checked regularly.Coordinate your exercise schedule with a friend. Having someone to work out with on the days you’re feeling less motivated may help.Set a specific exercise schedule rather than promising to exercise more. A planned schedule will be easier to follow.Set realistic weight loss expectations. Avoid the painful rebound of crash dieting by planning to lose no more than one or two pounds a week.
• Set small goals in your exercise program and reward yourself when you complete them. Good examples include extra time for yourself with a favorite book, a manicure or pedicure, or a trip with a special friend. Avoid rewards related to food and drink that may be sabotaging in the long run.

Quitting Smoking

• If you need to put something in your mouth, try sugar-free chewing gum or something healthy and non-fattening.If you need to do something with your hands, find something to fiddle with – a pencil, a coin – anything but a cigarette.
• Drink juice and eat fruit. Vitamin C helps the body get rid of nicotine more quickly.

• Each day, put aside the money that you would have spent on cigarettes. The average smoker could save more than $75 a month.

"It is important to choose resolutions that are attainable in order to stick with them," suggests Otten. "Dividing the resolution into smaller goals may also help with follow through."Otten is a professor at MSUCOM, one of 19 colleges of osteopathic medicine in the United States. More than 500 osteopathic medical students from widely diverse backgrounds are presently enrolled in MSUCOM.