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The New Year is considered to be a new start for a lot of people. And on January 1, many people will begin making changes for a healthier lifestyle, according to Offers.com.
A survey by Offers.com revealed that exercising more and losing weight was the #1 resolution for Californians in 2019. Forty-six percent of Californians chose this as their resolution, moving it up from #2 in last year’s survey by 19 percent.
Studies from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for American's Health show that, while California is ranked 47 in the country for adults that are overweight or obese, the rate of adults that are overweight or obese is 60.9 percent. It also found that 20 percent of adults in California are not physically active.
For those Californians looking to make changes toward a healthier lifestyle, Dr. Rachel Scherr, Assistant Researcher with the Department of Nutrition at UC Davis, and Dr. Debbie Fetter, a Lecturer with UC Davis’ Nutrition Department, explain the best ways to get healthy in 2019.
Not big goals, but SMART goals
“What we would recommend is setting what we call SMART [Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound] goals,” said Scherr.
Ensuring that healthy eating and exercise habits stick is more about setting smaller, achievable goals than making big or drastic changes. This means that transitioning from a sugary or high-saturated fat diet to a vegan diet or going from being physically inactive to preparing to run a marathon might be too extreme for goals.
“So, essentially what we would recommend to somebody if they were trying to set a goal is, ‘[L]ooks like you don’t drink very much water. Why don’t you set a goal of drinking at least two liters of water a day?’” Scherr suggested.
That suggestion ticks every part of what Fetter and Scherr call a SMART goal.
- Specific- Drinking 2 liters of water
- Measurable- 2 Liter quantity
- Achievable- It’s possible to achieve
- Relevant- Pertains to health and weight loss
- Time-bound- It’s done every day
“A lot of the goals around healthy eating and fitness, it’s truly a lifestyle and so by starting small and setting these goals until they become a habit… it’s about making a positive lifestyle change,” Fetter added.
“Those sound really small, but they’re achievable,” Scherr said. “That feeling, where you say ‘Oh my gosh, I achieved my goal today.’ I think that’s more exciting than saying in four months I ran marathon….”
What to avoid, leave out when making healthier choices
“If your diet has a name, you probably shouldn’t be on it,” Scherr said.
Neither Scherr nor Fetter are fans of the fad diet or juice cleanses. Some of these fads can make it difficult for people to have a social life or balance other things that are important in life.
For Scherr, healthy lifestyles don't have a name. They’re just small decisions that people make every day toward being healthier.
“We’re all about variety and moderation with trying to fit more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into your diet,” Fetter said. She added that people could choose healthier fats and options but still leave room “for the occasional indulgences” like ice cream.
Meal Planning
“Meal planning doesn’t have to be anything too complicated,” Fetter noted.
Both Fetter and Scherr work long days with a long commute, but they still find time for meal planning.
For Fetter, it’s about being flexible with meal planning. Meal prep Monday can be any day of the week, prep doesn't have to take hours in the kitchen, and vegetables can be swapped out, along with grains and different protein to keep meals exciting.
Losing weight in the New Year
“It shouldn’t ever be more than one percent of your body weight at any given time per week,” said Scherr.
Scherr and Fetter say the key to this goal is keeping things slow and being consistent. One or two pounds per week should roughly be what to expect for a weight loss goal, although people who weigh more may occasionally see higher numbers.
“Don’t be discouraged if one of those weeks is a zero or a plus,” Scherr added. “That happens, maybe next week it’ll be a ‘-2’ or ‘-3’ instead. You have to stick with it and sort of trust that these small improvements and achievable goals will work in the long run.”
Tips to keep in mind:
- weigh yourself no more than once per week
- see how your clothes fit to track your progress
- be consistent in when and where you weigh yourself
Working out
“Walking is a great way to ease into exercise… but also there’s a lot of different fitness classes out there and many low intensity exercises that have great health benefits,” Fetter added.
While walking may seem simple, it is considered to be a moderate intensity exercise that can help people get in around 300 minutes of exercise a week for weight loss; 150 minutes is considered optimal for vigorous intensity workouts.
Those minutes count, even if they’re not all happening at the same time, according to Scherr. Small walks throughout the day, going up and down the stairs in the morning, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work are small tasks that can make a difference.
“It really doesn’t have to be done all at once. You could take three times throughout the day to work out for 10 minutes…,” said Scherr.
“All of these small amounts of activities do add up,” she added.
If health is at the forefront of your mind this holiday season, Fetter suggests that for people seek out professionals to help who aren’t physically active to talk to a doctor before starting a workout routine or even seeing a registered dietitian for nutritional expertise.
While both commend the transition to a healthy lifestyle, Fetter also recommends being selective in what goals you try to reach and "not just seeking these goals out because you feel like you should or [because] someone else is doing it" and instead "making it a pleasurable experience for yourself."
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Mysterious light spotted over California
A classified satellite launch had all eyes in the sky Wednesday night, as Vandeberg Air Force Base prepared for NROL-71. Unfortunately, the launch was scrubbed for a second time this week, and the fourth time overall. 30th Space Wing Vandenberg Airforce base said there were no launches on the west coast at all, that they knew of. So for now, the light in the sky remains a mystery!