It’s the New Year, so a steady influx of diet/exercise posts are flooding our social media feed. The biggest problem with dieting is trying too much too fast. Don’t complicate your life by adding even more rules about what and when you can eat. Make a few small, healthy changes and when you have those down, make a few more. One diet change that I encourage is drinking more water. People who drink mostly water have been shown to consume 200 fewer calories per day, on average, than those who drink other beverages. Another tip is to eat your greens first. By doing so, you will most likely finish all of your veggies while you are the hungriest and be apt to eat less of other, perhaps less healthy, components of the meal.
Also, be loving to yourself. As one steps into the new year, you might have the goal of looking a certain way by February. Instead try to shift goals from appearance-based to performance-based. Notice how strength increases over a few weeks of exercise or how your energy changes with healthier food.
No matter what, applaud yourself for wanting to get healthier and be patient as you figure out a routine that works for you.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20796216
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/blog/can-diets-ever-be-body-positive
OWU Sponsoring Organization/Office: Student Health Center.
Contact: Lexi Lease at health@owu.edu