How to get healthy this year
Living a healthy lifestyle prevents illness and improves quality of life. Parkland dietitians, physicians and physical therapists offer these proven tips for reaching your weight and fitness goals:
Exercise
- Choose an exercise you enjoy and can do safely. Start slowly and gradually increase to 30-45 minutes, five days a week.
- Track your progress daily in a journal or fitness tracker.
- Find a partner to exercise with you and motivate one another to keep going.
Nutrition
- Eat healthy meals and learn to control portion sizes. Don’t skip meals.
- Make a plan of what you are going to eat for the week and use a grocery list.
- Eat three planned meals and one to two healthy snacks like apples, berries, raisins or raw veggies each day.
- Try to eat every four to five hours, and have a snack if needed two hours after a meal.
- Avoid processed foods; eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, peas, lentils and whole grains.
- Limit sweets, sugar, fat and salt. Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
- Read food labels so that you can know your food’s serving size, calories, fat, sodium and carbohydrates.
- Get your sleep each night – seven to eight hours is recommended.
For healthy meal ideas, go to www.ParklandDiabetes.com/Recipes.
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