Another year came to an end (or a beginning, depending how you look at it) and it is time to make our new year’s resolutions. Many people choose to be healthier or exercise more, hoping that this year will be the year of change. It is great to work towards health and fitness, but sometimes it is easier to try something a little more approachable. Make a specific resolution, something small that can be achieved and built upon throughout the year. Setting small achievable goals can help with a gradual transition to a healthier lifestyle. Below are my top five health habits to help you reach your health and fitness goals in 2015.
1. Get Moving
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity each week. However, it is not always feasible to set this as your goal right away. If you can, that is great! But if you are completely new to exercise or don’t think you have the time, just try to get moving a little more throughout the day. Park at the far end of the parking lot at work, stand up every time you take a phone call, or walk the long way to the bathroom. If your co-workers, family, or friends are up for it, take a walk at lunch or after dinner. You could even try hiking at a local state park to add a little more adventure. Exercising as a group can help with accountability. For strength training, try a contest with your friends or family for who can do the most pushups or body weight squats during a TV commercial break. These small actions add up, and the important thing is that you stay active to help relieve stress, improve body composition, and promote lean muscle growth. If you want to track your daily steps with a pedometer of fitness tracker, work up to a goal of 10,000 steps a day.
Please note that if you haven’t exercised in a while are overweight or with medical concerns such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or asthma you should want to check with your doctor first before starting an exercise program. For more on who should check with their doctor first before exercising, check out this link.
2. Get Enough Sleep
Everyone has a life packed full of school, work, exercise, cooking, and/or family responsibilities, but it is also important to remember to get at least 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night. Sleep doesn’t just affect our mental sharpness the next day, it affects our hormones, immune system, appetite, and blood pressure. Lack of sleep has also shown to increase risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetic-like conditions. If you have trouble sleeping, try some of these tips.
3. Set a Day For Food Prep 
With a crazy schedule, it can sometimes be difficult to prepare lunch for the day, which may result in a junk food vending machine purchase or fast food. Then, tired from a long day’s work, how convenient would it be to have a healthy dinner prepared (or mostly prepared) waiting for you in the refrigerator or freezer? Pick a day, maybe Sunday, when you can sit down and decide on meals for the week, then start prepping. Cut up vegetables for snacks or dinner prep, prepare a few actual meals for freezing or decide on meals that would be great leftover for lunch the next day. One of my favorite meals is “Beginner Dinner”, which is just pasta, quinoa, vegetables of your choice, and a sauce made of maple syrup, tamari, and red pepper. It is simple to make, flexible with ingredients, and can be used as a lunch, salad topper, or another dinner the next day. Like EatFitHealth on Facebook to see frequent posts with links to recipes.
4. Hydrate
Water is in many foods such as fruit and vegetables as well as drinks such as coffee, water, and milk. But it is important to make sure you are consuming about 6-8 cups of water each day. Staying hydrated helps reduce work of the heart, contributing to cardiovascular health. Water is also important for our blood to help transport nutrients and it is important in our digestive system (saliva and stomach acid). I like to carry around a reusable water bottle, so whenever I am thirsty, I have water available. Carrying it also helps to remind myself to grab a sip. If you are out and about and forgot your water bottle, many fast food restaurants or other establishments will provide you with a cup of water, which you can reuse throughout the day. Try to use glass or stainless steel for drinking over plastic when you can.
5. Sneak in your Vegetables
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends eating at least 2 ½ Cups of vegetables each day for most adults. Vegetables are, of course, loaded with micronutrients and fiber, but they are also lower in calories and higher in water content, which can help you fill up faster with fewer calories. The USDA recommendation may sound like a lot to some, but there are a lot of creative ways to sneak them in throughout the day. Add vegetables to your favorite foods; they especially work well in stir-frys, pasta dishes and soups. Make a small snack bag of already cut vegetables that can be taken to work for your afternoon snack attack, dip them in hummus or eat them plain. Load up a salad with all your favorite veggies and maybe try a few more. The salad bar at your local grocery store is the perfect place to try new items without much commitment.
Whatever your resolutions for this year are, remember the bigger picture. Work towards your overall goal with several smaller, more achievable goals. These will help keep you on track, and set you up to create lasting improvements. So whether your goal is to create a better work/family balance or to improve health, just take it one step at a time.
by Margaret Merlie
Eat Fit Health Intern
Graduate Student, Drexel University
MS in Human Nutrition, 2015