One Small Change
If you don’t feel happy about the trajectory of your health, now is the time to make a change. Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, Katie Schaeffer, offers some hopeful perspective one how one small change a day can have a big payoff towards a healthier you.
Let’s play a little game. Take a moment to think about your lifestyle. What do your eating habits look like? What does your daily physical activity look like? Think about your sleep habits and your stress levels. Really think about it and be honest with yourself. Ask yourself: If you continue on your current path, what might your life look like in 5 years? How about 10 years? How do you feel about what you see? Will you be able to enjoy your life and do the things you love, or will you be limited by your health, your energy levels, or your physical abilities?
If you don’t feel happy about the trajectory of your health, now is the time to make a change. And the good news is, it doesn’t take much to make a difference down the road!
What if you swapped one soda a week for a glass of water? What if you packed some veggies in your lunch instead of chips one day a week? Over the years, that one little change can really add up to something huge. For example, one bottle of soda a week could lead to either a 20 pound weight gain, or a 20 pound weight loss over 5 years. Letting go of 1 serving of chips a week can help you lose 12 pounds over 5 years. So 1 less soda and 1 lunch without chips can contribute to 30 pounds of weight loss! Maybe you don’t drink soda or eat chips, but you can probably find one small item you can change in your diet to make your life better in the future.
Making lifestyle changes is hard, and sometimes it is frustrating to work hard and not see the results we expect. Instead of giving up, focus on the big picture. If you made one small change every month for the next year, how would your life be different? Inspired Health Group offers a variety of lifestyle programs to help you stick to your goals, no matter how big or small they seem. Consider joining the National Diabetes Prevention Program for continued support in making small changes for an entire year, or talk to a registered dietitian to identify simple dietary changes that can add up to big results.