National Nutrition Month® is an annual campaign, created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and occurs each March. It spotlights the importance of making informed decisions and developing beneficial eating and physical activity habits. Taking charge of your health promotes overall well-being, a healthy weight, disease prevention, increased energy and a healthier heart just to name a few.
Adopting new habits doesn’t need to happen in one giant leap or even in the one month of March. Changes don’t need to be drastic and feel out of reach. Instead, focus on small changes that you can realistically incorporate one day at time. It is better to take baby steps on your quest to build a stronger, healthier version of yourself. Setting small goals and accomplishing those goals can be just the motivator you need.
Most people go through four phases of change when adopting a new habit. Don’t feel defeated when a new habit doesn’t automatically stick. It takes time and thought.
- CONTEMPLATION: You are considering a change
- PREPARATION: You decided to make a change
- ACTION: You have taken action to make the change
- MAINTENANCE: A change has become a new part of your routine.
Grab your calendar and start jotting down just one challenge on each day of the month and start creating some new beneficial, healthy, long-term habits!
Here are a few daily challenge ideas to get you started:
- Eat a healthy higher protein breakfast
- Eat 3 servings of veggies, make one of them dark green
- Take a brisk 20-minute walk
- Try a NEW fruit you have never had
- Try a NEW vegetable you have never had
- Eat no added sugar for the whole day
- Make a switch to a whole grain, such as eating brown rice in place of white rice
- Drink 8 glasses of water and start your day with one glass before you eat or drink anything else
- Do two 30 second planks
- Make a new healthy recipe for dinner
- Prepare a meatless meal
- Eat grilled or baked fish for dinner
- Go to bed 1 hour earlier
- Read the food label on one of your favorite foods
- Write down what you eat as you go through the day
- Plan meals and snacks ahead of time for the next day
- Place fruits and veggies at eye level in your fridge
- Meditate for 10 minutes in middle of your day
HOW WILL YOU CELEBRATE NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH®?
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