For many, the New Year brings new goals and aspirations. One popular one involves changing one's diet and exercise routine for a healthy start.
“Everyone is excited and motivated to start things off fresh – ‘I want to be healthier. I want to lose weight,’” Denae Sink, a registered dietitian at Carle Health Methodist Hospital, said. “Often that leads people to want to make drastic changes, which can sometimes cause them to bite off more than they can chew.”
Experts at Carle Health have some tips and guidance to help to develop health and fitness goals, manage expectations, and stick with those goals for the long run.
Small Steps
Amid the excitement and surge of motivation for a healthy lifestyle in 2025, experts say starting small is best rather than going all out.
“People can sometimes be quick to resort to extreme dieting or weight loss programs for a quick fix but wanting to see the results more quickly is tough to keep up with,” Carle Health registered dietitian Kristina Adams-Smith, said. “It is important to make your goals realistic – it may not be as quick in the beginning, but it’s much more manageable.”
“In nutrition, slow and steady wins the race,” Sink added.
Sink advises it is best to set just a few goals at a time rather than overload oneself with too many all at once.
“Pick one to two small goals and focus on doing those as best you can. For example, you could set a goal like, ‘I will eat a serving of vegetables at lunch 3-4 days per week.’ A goal like this is specific and realistic. It can be built on over time for greater success and is much more manageable than working on five or six goals at once,” Sink said.
When it comes to exercise, Sink recommends the same pattern of small goals and increasing over time.
That could be something like 20 minutes of exercise a couple of days per week. She says any
amount of movement can have health benefits and a routine can always be built upon once the habit is established.
Adams-Smith adds it is important to manage expectations and not be hard on yourself, either.
“Go by the 80-20 rule. If you do decide to go all in – whatever the goal might be – if you aren’t totally perfect, do not feel like you failed. 80% of the time, follow through and make those healthy choices, but 20% of the time, it’s okay to have that soda or the donut that was brought into work. It’s much easier to manage it that way,” Adams-Smith said.
Don’t Delay
Experts say oftentimes, making big health and lifestyle changes is a lot easier said than done, adding it is common for people to overdo things and end efforts early.
Setting realistic goals and sticking to them can make it easier to develop a rhythm and lessen the urge to give up.
“In nutrition, we often say, ‘Don’t delay – get started today!’” Adams-Smith said. “Try not to fall into the idea of, ‘I’ll start tomorrow or Monday’ – get on track as soon as you can – maybe even the next meal.”
Sink adds small steps, when practiced consistently, can make a massive difference over time.
“If you can stick with exercise and diet for an extended period – even with just those easier-to-achieve goals – that’s much more helpful than just a month or two. Play the long game and do something you can stick with for a lifetime,” Sink said.
Find Your “Why”
Experts say many people develop strict (and often unachievable) New Years health goals without even evaluating what it is they really want or need to improve.
“Everyone knows they need to do something, but they don’t know where to start. That overwhelming feeling can make it hard to even get started,” Adams-Smith said. “The challenge is making the change – be specific about your changes rather than ‘I need to be healthier and exercise more’. What does that look like for you?”
“Are you wanting more energy, to be stronger, or to be more active with your kids? I encourage people to write it down. Put it in your phone or on a poster by your bed so you have something to look at and it can remind you,” Sink added.
For more tips to improve your wellbeing and information on Carle Health Nutrition Services, visit Carle.org.
“Everyone is excited and motivated to start things off fresh – ‘I want to be healthier. I want to lose weight,’” Denae Sink, a registered dietitian at Carle Health Methodist Hospital, said. “Often that leads people to want to make drastic changes, which can sometimes cause them to bite off more than they can chew.”
Experts at Carle Health have some tips and guidance to help to develop health and fitness goals, manage expectations, and stick with those goals for the long run.
Small Steps
Amid the excitement and surge of motivation for a healthy lifestyle in 2025, experts say starting small is best rather than going all out.
“People can sometimes be quick to resort to extreme dieting or weight loss programs for a quick fix but wanting to see the results more quickly is tough to keep up with,” Carle Health registered dietitian Kristina Adams-Smith, said. “It is important to make your goals realistic – it may not be as quick in the beginning, but it’s much more manageable.”
“In nutrition, slow and steady wins the race,” Sink added.
Sink advises it is best to set just a few goals at a time rather than overload oneself with too many all at once.
“Pick one to two small goals and focus on doing those as best you can. For example, you could set a goal like, ‘I will eat a serving of vegetables at lunch 3-4 days per week.’ A goal like this is specific and realistic. It can be built on over time for greater success and is much more manageable than working on five or six goals at once,” Sink said.
When it comes to exercise, Sink recommends the same pattern of small goals and increasing over time.
That could be something like 20 minutes of exercise a couple of days per week. She says any
amount of movement can have health benefits and a routine can always be built upon once the habit is established.Adams-Smith adds it is important to manage expectations and not be hard on yourself, either.
“Go by the 80-20 rule. If you do decide to go all in – whatever the goal might be – if you aren’t totally perfect, do not feel like you failed. 80% of the time, follow through and make those healthy choices, but 20% of the time, it’s okay to have that soda or the donut that was brought into work. It’s much easier to manage it that way,” Adams-Smith said.
Don’t Delay
Experts say oftentimes, making big health and lifestyle changes is a lot easier said than done, adding it is common for people to overdo things and end efforts early.
Setting realistic goals and sticking to them can make it easier to develop a rhythm and lessen the urge to give up.
“In nutrition, we often say, ‘Don’t delay – get started today!’” Adams-Smith said. “Try not to fall into the idea of, ‘I’ll start tomorrow or Monday’ – get on track as soon as you can – maybe even the next meal.”
Sink adds small steps, when practiced consistently, can make a massive difference over time.
“If you can stick with exercise and diet for an extended period – even with just those easier-to-achieve goals – that’s much more helpful than just a month or two. Play the long game and do something you can stick with for a lifetime,” Sink said.
Find Your “Why”
Experts say many people develop strict (and often unachievable) New Years health goals without even evaluating what it is they really want or need to improve.
“Everyone knows they need to do something, but they don’t know where to start. That overwhelming feeling can make it hard to even get started,” Adams-Smith said. “The challenge is making the change – be specific about your changes rather than ‘I need to be healthier and exercise more’. What does that look like for you?”“Are you wanting more energy, to be stronger, or to be more active with your kids? I encourage people to write it down. Put it in your phone or on a poster by your bed so you have something to look at and it can remind you,” Sink added.
For more tips to improve your wellbeing and information on Carle Health Nutrition Services, visit Carle.org.
Categories: Staying Healthy
Tags: diet, dietitian, exercise, health, new, nutrition, year