Now that we are well into 2010, think back to the original New Year’s goal(s) that you set for yourself. Did you set one gigantic looming goal or maybe a few smaller ones that led to a greater accomplishment? Earlier we wrote about the value of creating goals through small steps and how that can help you to reach your desired result.

If you feel that you’ve lost sight of the small steps, or even the larger overarching goal, it’s never too late to restart. Sticking with your goals can be difficult, especially with those that seem overwhelming. Below are a few tips that will help you to stay on track and stick to the goals you set for yourself, even if you felt that you have lost sight of them recently.

First, have you been realistic and honest with yourself? Losing 20 pounds in a month is not reasonable. Reflect on your goals. Are they achievable? Honesty is also critical. If you are keeping a food diary and not writing down those five handfuls of munchies that you are eating throughout the day, those will add up. At the end of the day, you will only be disappointing yourself.

Leading a healthier lifestyle, whether that is eating healthier foods, becoming more active, or losing weight, doesn’t have to be a chore. Make it fun! Everyone is different and we all like different foods and activities, so if you despise running, don’t force yourself to do it. If you do, you are destined to fail. Why would you want to keep doing something that you don’t enjoy? As you continue on your journey to a healthier lifestyle, try something new. Who knows, you may find new friends and an activity that you love!

Write your goals down. When we write things down, we tend to stick to them more strictly than when we simply say that we are going to do something. Put the exercise that you will do that day on your calendar. You can then schedule things around exercising, helping yourself to stick to that goal. A lot of us don’t feel like we have time to work out, but the truth is that anyone can make time for it. Set aside at least 20-30 minutes each day for you. Use this time to exercise or reflect upon your progress during the week.

Create a network of supporters by sharing your plans and goals with friends and family. To reach any goal, knowing that you have supporters to pick you back up when you’re feeling down or defeated can help you to stay on track, even after those bad days.

Keep an eye out for pitfalls. Stressful days at work or bad days in general often cause us to create excuses. Burning off stress by taking a brisk walk will make you feel much better in the long run than the candy bar that might be tempting you.

Lastly, reward yourself for accomplishments. Buy new gym clothes, cooking utensils, a massage or some sort of beauty treatment. You’ve worked hard to reach your goal and you deserve a reward!

The most important thing is to keep evaluating what is and what isn’t working for you. Continue to create new goals along the way, or break larger goals into smaller, more achievable ones. Taking these few ideas and putting them to work for you will help you stick to your goals and live a healthier lifestyle!

No matter how minor your progress towards a goal may seem, rewarding yourself for small accomplishments along the way will help you achieve big results!

How often have you ignored the small steps needed to reach your ultimate goal and instead focused on how far away the goal remains?

Small steps are those things that are not always obvious or that don’t receive praise. It might be avoiding a second helping at dinner, eating breakfast more often than you did the week before, walking for 15 minutes at lunch, or any other personal ideas. These small steps may not be your ultimate goal, but they are getting you there and should be celebrated!

Don’t focus only on numbers on the scale. Eating healthier and moving more can lower blood pressure, reduce stress and improve your mood even if you don’t see an immediate change on the scale or in your waistline.

Rewards should be personal -- include those things that motivate you and that fit into your life. You might want to reward yourself with time alone or a night out with friends and family. Think of ways you can reward your progress -- mix it up to prevent boredom.

If you want to reward yourself with a massage for reaching your goal of exercising four days a week, do it. If you prepared meals at home all week instead of your usual restaurant dining, celebrate with a Saturday night out at your favorite restaurant by months end. When you celebrate, try not to choose rewards that will hinder your progress. Remember all of your hard work so that you don’t overindulge.

Make a point to keep your “celebrations” even if you have to schedule them on the calendar. It may be that little bit of extra encouragement you need to push yourself ahead. You can write down the small steps you make and record when you’ve accomplished them. When you feel discouraged, look at that list and keep going!

Celebrate your hard work, make it fun and remember that behaviors are best shaped through small steps, not giant leaps.

Tracy Witmer, R.D.

Dairy Council of California

As the Nutrition and Fitness Challenge is well underway, we hope that participants have found ways to improve their health by eating better and exercising more. Recently we have been giving tips and advice on how to create nutritious, quick and easy meals.  Utilizing these steps and tips is only the beginning to a lasting lifestyle change for the better.

Many people will turn to a gym or fitness club, thinking that they will be inspired to go if they are paying a membership fee and/or monthly dues.  What people soon find out is that after a few weeks, motivation dwindles and they wind up not going very often or they stop going altogether. 

If you are looking for ways to get a workout into your day, but don’t have the budget to join a gym, or the interest in working out at a gym, here are a few things you can do to create a fitness routine:

• Each day, take a brisk walk before dinner. Time yourself and try to do the same distance each week, but in less time. If you are on a shopping trip to the mall, do 2 or 3 full laps around the mall before you leave. At work, if you usually take the elevator, take the stairs. If they are short flights, walk up and down a few times throughout the day. Exercise during the day can also release positive endorphins which can help your mood and reduce stress.
• If you are already involved in a fitness routine, add some weight training to your current routine. Purchase dumbbells to take with you on your daily walk. This will make the walk slightly more difficult and make your heart work a little bit harder. If you don’t wish to purchase dumbbells, you can always clean out some milk jugs and add water or sand to achieve the desired weight. Purchase resistance bands and use them while doing sedentary tasks such as watching TV with your family.
• Rent fitness DVD’s or videos. The video stores carry a wide variety of videos and rotating through many different types of videos may keep it fresh and compelling for you. Also with online movie rental subscriptions you can have DVD’s delivered right to your home. Some services will even allow you to stream movies through your computer. With this service, if you find one you like, you can stream it over and over again.

Fitness doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg.  You don’t need an expensive gym membership to stay active throughout the week.  A little creativity and resourcefulness is all you need to get started on your journey to a healthier, more active lifestyle.  Take the above tips and see what else you can come up with.  If you have other tips for fitness on a budget, please share them on the MealsMatter Facebook Page!

We all take a different approach to grocery shopping. Some prefer to make multiple trips to the grocery store throughout the week and purchase a few things at a time. Others prefer to make a trip to the grocery store only once per week to pick up all of the necessary items. However you prefer to shop, creating a shopping list can be beneficial for many reasons.

First, groceries can add up and stores are filled with items that are very tempting. When you have a list with only the items that you need, you will be less likely to make expensive and unnecessary purchases, which will help you to stay within your shopping budget. Meals prepared at home are also less expensive than pre-packaged or take-out foods. Avoiding impulse purchases and making meals at home can help you to save hundreds throughout the year.

Through carrying a shopping list, you can not only save money but simply taking the time to make a shopping list can help with your meal planning. Making one trip to the grocery store a week can motivate you to plan the meals that you will be preparing throughout the week, without forgetting any important ingredients. Getting into the habit of creating a shopping list will make it easier to try new recipes since you will be able to easily add the ingredients to your list. As the week becomes hectic with work and family activities, you can feel assured that you already have the foods and ingredients that you need, without having to rush to the store before dinner to try a new recipe. Keep in mind that meals prepared at home are typically much healthier than restaurant meals. By making your meals at home, you will know exactly what you are eating and what it contains, which can affect our bodies.

Your shopping list is really the first step to healthy eating. What you put on your shopping list is what you will buy, and therefore is what you and your family will be eating. Take a look at your shopping list for the week or save your lists if you go shopping multiple times per week. What types of foods are you and your family eating? Similar to a Food Diary, you will be able to reflect on those foods and try to tweak your eating habits to start eating healthier. Are you purchasing lots of sugary, processed foods or are you purchasing a wide variety with fruits, vegetables, dairy and lean meats? Grocery shopping with a healthy list will help you to bring home foods that are better for your body.

An example of Meals Matter’s Shopping List is below.

Try it out today to save money, better plan meals, and start eating healthier!