Increasing exercise and improving diet are the cornerstones of New Year's resolutions. There is a 1-in-2 chance that you are among your neighbors in creating a resolution to improve your health. But is your resolution specific and realistic? Have you failed in the past at attaining your annual goal?
This year, incorporate some tips from Calumet Medical Center (CMC) health care professionals to help minimize your failure with goal attainment and maximize your success to improve your health.

Patrick McGinnis, Manager of Rehabilitation Services, Ursula Mueller, Manager of Cardiac Rehabilitation, and Pam Tews, Registered Dietician, combine multiple decades of expertise with assisting others in establishing realistic goals to improve health.

"When someone is new to exercise, I advise them to pick something very simple to start with like walking. A specific goal of walking three times per week for a half an hour can go a long way," said McGinnis.

To ensure success McGinnis stresses, "It is important to begin to build up the habit of exercise that the individual never had before establishing further goals. Once the individual is dedicated to their exercise time frame further investments can be made."

McGinnis points out that further investment reflect both increasing exercise time and purchasing equipment. "I do not recommend purchasing exercise equipment at the start of an exercise program. Perhaps treating yourself to a really good new pair of shoes is all that is needed. Goals need to be kept small and realistic," said McGinnis.

Ursula Mueller adds, "Research has shown, if you do purchase a piece of equipment select something that you enjoy, because if you don't enjoy it chances are you will not use it. Secondly, if you do not have a lot of self discipline or motivation, it helps to find a partner. On the day or days you don't feel motivated; your partner is ready to go and will encourage you."

Short-term and long-term goals should be established. "To ensure successful outcomes research also shows that the person should establish the goal, verbalize the goal to others, and write down the goals," said Mueller. She adds that keeping a journal of both food intake and exercise are also helpful in assisting people with a visual reminder of their daily habits.

Registered Dietitian Pam Tews prefers a change in semantics from resolutions to reevaluating your life and making changes. She recommends making those changes in increments by picking out two to three goals at a time rather than becoming overwhelmed with too many changes.

Tews provides a host of suggested ideas for dietary goals, "Commit to adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet is always a positive move. Add more healthy fats, omega 3 fats and decrease your saturated fats. Make sure to eat breakfast that includes a protein. Protein is an energizer and will help to maintain your weight.

"Increase your fiber and experiment with different grains. Each week try something new like barley, oats and bran and look on websites for different recipes on how to use these grains. Clean out your spice area and try something new; if you find broccoli, brown rice, and chicken too bland, experiment with spices and fresh herbs."

Considered a key to weight main-tenance -- make more meals at home. "If you often eat out, increase this goal a little at a time. Make extra meals on the weekend and freeze them to use throughout the week. Most often there is an added benefit of increasing family time that goes along with eating meals at home," said Tews.

Small, specific, voiced goals – commit and it's a start to improved health in 2012.

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