Resolutions are healthy: Community leaders offer tips on how to get started, be successful

Americans are reflecting on the past year and, hopefully, making resolutions for the coming one. Among the most popular resolutions are to: get organized, go to church more often, save money, get more exercise and eat healthier. by Kevin Anderson

It’s healthy to make resolutions for the coming year even if you oftentimes don’t follow through.

“Improvements are good, and self-improvement is fantastic. I don’t think we should ever get to the point where we are like, ‘I’m done,’” said Marciana Vequist, a therapist at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. “I think we should always be growing. Change is good.”

When making a resolution, Vequist recommends setting realistic goals and framing them in a positive way. For example, don’t set a goal of losing 20 pounds. Instead, set a goal of exercising five times a week for 30 minutes. Also, share your goals with a friend or loved one because it will hold you more accountable.

Susan Johnson, nutritionist with K-State Research and Extension — Douglas County, takes it a step further. She says to be successful you must be specific, write it down and tell a friend.

“Research shows that if we just write down what we eat or write down how much we exercise, we are going to be more successful,” she said. “Sounds crazy, but it’s true.”

Exercising more and eating healthier tend to be among the top resolutions. Others include: organization, saving money, stop smoking and going to church more often.

Lawrence health experts recently offered their tips on being successful in the new year:

EXERCISE

Vequist says exercise is the best medicine and hopes everyone resolves to do more.

“That doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon or work out at the gym every day for two hours. It just means having some kind of routine,” she said. “I think that makes people feel a lot better.”

Chad Richards, owner of Next Level Sports Performance, said it’s important to start with something you enjoy whether it’s lifting weights, boxing, biking or dancing.

“Finding something that you love is ideal,” he said.

Also, link exercise to something positive whether it’s walking a dog or listening to your favorite music.

“Everyone has that soundtrack that gets them moving regardless of what they were planning on doing. It gets you happy, amped up and excited about what you are doing,” he said.

He recommends having short-term goals and short-term rewards like getting a massage.

Also, be patient.

“It took a certain mount of time to get out of shape, so it’s going to take the same amount to get in shape or maybe double that. That’s the realization of it,” he said.

Ann Gabel, director of education and learning services at Lawrence Memorial Hospital smiles her way through a series of stretching exercises during the first WorkWell Lawrence Symposium on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011, at the Holiday Inn Lawrence, 200 McDonald Drive. Gabel and other professionals listened to speakers tell stories of their efforts to help create a healthier workplace. by Nick Krug

EATING HEALTHIER

Keep it simple.

Johnson said too often people want to overhaul their diet and change too much at once. Instead, she suggests picking one or two habits and trying them for a month and then re-evaluating to see if they are working. Maybe, it’s eating whole-grain bread instead of white.

“We want to keep it so simple that we hardly even recognize that we are doing it,” she said.

Another example would be to eliminate one 12-ounce soda every day. That would be 140 calories a day or 51,100 calories a year. That equals 14 pounds.

“I don’t ever want to recommend a particular diet because there should never be a diet. It should be a lifestyle change,” she said.

If you’re looking for suggestions on how to improve your eating habits, she has eight and they are from the book “Water with Lemon” by Zonya Foco and Stephen Moss. They are:

• Drink water.

• Include breakfast every day and stop eating two or three hours before bedtime.

• Tame your sweet tooth. Don’t just switch to sugar substitutes but gradually cut back on sugar, starting with maybe cereals. “Once our taste buds no longer enjoy that heavy sweet taste, then we naturally eat less sugar without feeling deprived.”

• Find the fat. Eat more of the good kinds that are contained in salmon, nuts and seeds and less of the kinds found in baked goods.

• Replace processed foods with wholesome foods that are produced on farms. “We really need to avoid food that have enhanced colors and preservatives that you can’t even pronounce. If you look at the ingredients and they are basic, that’s a good thing.”

• Eat only until you are no longer hungry. Eat slower and savor each bite and don’t feel like you need to clean your plate. Also, know what your weak links are whether it’s continuing to eat that extra bite at the table, sampling while cooking or buying junk food at the store. For Johnson, it’s buying it. “If it’s not in my house, then I won’t eat it,” she said. “Some people can have chocolate in their desk and not touch it, but not me.”

“There’s not a perfect plan for eating right. Moderation is still the key,” Johnson said.

Posters and signs serve as healthy reminders for employees at Golf Course Superintendent's Association of America. This one focuses on nutrition. by Mike Yoder

ORGANIZATION

Kimberly Erwin, owner of Family and Home Organizing in Lawrence, joked that most people don’t get that tingling feeling that she does when it comes to organizing.

“So, you need to look at it as a tool for the things you actually want to do in life,” she said. “It helps you enjoy life more, be more productive and prevents those little emergencies from happening.”

Before starting, you need at least two things: a filing cabinet for papers and a little tray or cup to hold odds and ends like paper clips and pens.

“A lot of times we have piles because we don’t have the proper containers for them,” she said.

When organizing, keep it manageable by doing just a corner of a room or a closet. Maybe, it’s just the shoe rack in the closet. She said to only keep things that:

• Inspire you or that you really love.

• You need.

• You regularly use.

Get rid of items that are depressing and that bring you down, like things you are never going to get around to fixing or using.

Other tips:

• Create a master calender that has everyone’s schedule and the household budget.

• Don’t check the mail until you have time to sort it.

• Pay bills online. “It’s more efficient, I think, and more peace of mind and productive, just making sure you have money in the bank. Instead of remembering I need $60 for this one and $120 for that one. Just remember the maximum amount you need every month to cover bills.”

Kimberly Erwin, owner of Family and Home Organizing is pictured on Monday, Sept. 12, 2011 at Weaver's Department Store, 901 Mass. She says organizing should be looked at a tool for the things you actually want to do in life. by Nick Krug

FINANCES

Dan Cary, a Lawrence financial planner, said everyone needs to take a look at where they stand financially and then set goals.

“Most Americans don’t know where their money goes, they just know it goes,” he said.

He said people should have three to six months worth of savings for emergencies, a retirement plan and a will.

“Seventy percent of Americans don’t have a will and when you have children, it’s so important,” he said.

He also recommends paying down debt as early as possible, but he said that needs to be weighed with accumulating savings. It’s good to do both, and it’s possible if you live within your means, make a plan, and stick to it.

He won’t soon forget a client who approached him in 1994. She was a respiratory therapist, single and in her mid-40s. She questioned whether she would ever be able to save enough to retire. She said to him: “I think I will be living under a bridge. I can’t save any money.”

He said she started by putting spare change under her sink and then taking it to the bank. She was able to retire three years ago.

“The important thing is to have a goal in mind,” he said.

Vequist, a therapist, said she commonly sees people who are distressed about their financial situation. “Debt brings a lot of psychological distress for people and it’s one of the common things that I see.”