Pennington Biomedical Scientists Share Small Shifts You Can Make in the New Year

When the calendar flips from December to January, many people set goals and resolutions for the upcoming year. A number of those resolutions involve nutrition, exercise, and mental health. While drastic lifestyle changes can be overwhelming and difficult to maintain, research conducted at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center shows that subtle adjustments to habits and choices are easier to adopt, integrate into your life, and stick with over the long term.

Here are five tips provided by researchers at Pennington Biomedical on ways to make subtle lifestyle choices that have an impact in 2024:

• “Prior to a busy week, plan your meals and snacks for each day and shop accordingly. If you indulge or overeat on occasion, it’s okay. Just make sure the meals that follow are good for your health.” – Candida Rebello, Assistant Professor in Clinical Science and Director of the Nutrition and Chronic Disease Program
• When starting a new exercise routine, remember to start slow. A couple of days of exercise at a light effort is a great way to start. Gradually increase the number of days, amount of time, and the intensity of your exercise over a month or more. This will help to prevent soreness and help you set reasonable goals that you can achieve.  – Robert Newton Jr., Professor of Physical Activity & Ethnic Minority Health
• “If you are planning to lose weight in the new year, make sure you eat a healthy diet with enough protein included, and keep up a good exercise program.” – Steven Heymsfield, Professor of Metabolism & Body Composition
• “Sleep is free! It’s the easiest thing you can do to improve your health. If you focus on improving sleep, then depression and anxiety levels go down. You’re able to feel happier and see an improved quality of life.” – Prachi Singh, Director of the Sleep and Cardiometabolic Health Laboratory
• “Be kind to yourself when things don’t go as planned. Guilt and discouragement can’t undo what’s been done. Instead, regroup and identify achievable steps to move forward.” – Alyssa Button, Postdoc in Pediatric Obesity and Health Behavior

Portion Control

It’s no secret that portion sizes have gotten bigger over the past 20 years and those larger portions add up! Just 100 extra calories per day can lead to a weight gain of 10 pounds per year. Maintaining a healthy weight is a balancing act — balance calories in with calories out. Here are a few tips to assist with portion control:

• Start with a glass of H2O – Drink a big glass (16 ounces) before you eat. Filling your belly with water will naturally make you less likely to overeat.
• Use smaller dishes – If you downsize your portion size and feel it looks too small, serve it on a smaller plate so it looks larger. Using a smaller plate or bowl can also help you eat less.
• Don’t skip meals – If you are starving, you are more likely to eat an extra-large portion. For most people, the best plan is to eat three well-designed meals and one snack.
• Eat slowly– Taking your time while eating increases enjoyment and decreases portions. Remember to chew slowly, put down your fork between bites, and sip water to make your meal last longer.
• Don’t eat from the bag or box – When you purchase snack foods, divide them into smaller serving sizes. For example, if you buy a bag of pretzels or nuts that has 10 servings, divide the contents of the container into 10 smaller baggies ahead of time.
• Know your “rules of thumb” – Did you know that three ounces of lean meat is equivalent to a deck of cards? And one cup of breakfast cereal is about the size of a fist?
• Develop good “eating out” habits – First, fill up your plate with green veggies, and get full on those before eating other food. Then, when ordering, ask the server to bring you a “to go box” right away and place half of your meal in there.

For more tips on portion size and healthy eating in general, visit www.choosemyplate.gov.