Take Life On
New Year is traditionally a time when we make resolutions to take better care of ourselves, often with healthy eating and being more active at the top of the list.
Unfortunately, plans to eat better, drink less and be more physically active often don't last, as we set our expectations too high and quickly fall back into bad habits.
You're much more likely to stick to your resolutions if you choose to make small, achievable changes to your lifestyle which can be sustained all year round.
The Scottish Government's Take Life On campaign highlights the benefits of small lifestyle changes and encourages Scots to adopt healthier lifestyles.
By making small changes to your diet, such as swapping chips for a baked potato or replacing fatty pizza toppings like pepperoni with peppers or sweetcorn, you could cut down your saturated fat intake and look and feel a lot better.
You can also get a step closer to a healthy weight this year by becoming more active in your everyday life. Try getting off the bus a couple of stops earlier or even walking to work and you'll feel more energetic for the rest of the day. A short walk during your lunch break can also help you feel more alert during those long afternoons.
Other simple steps, such as taking the kids to the park or walking briskly for a total of 30 minutes five days a week, can also help reduce the risks of heart disease, some forms of cancer and diabetes and will help you to feel better every day. The 30 minutes doesn't need to be done all at once – three 10 minute walks are just as good.
Andrew McWilliamson has already felt the benefits of adopting a healthier lifestyle. As a result of an unhealthy diet, including snacking on junk food at work, Andrew began to suffer from migraines, feel lethargic and put on weight.
After making simple changes to his diet, such as taking a packed lunch to work and increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables in his diet, he is now happily maintaining a healthy weight and the frequency of his migraines has lessened considerably. Andrew is now looking forward to maintaining his healthy habits into 2009 and offers the following advice ...
"I think if you make too big a change to start with you can fail easier – the key to it is making small changes such as snacking on fruit instead of having a packet of crisps or a biscuit. It makes it easier to get into the habit of eating healthy and sticking with it."
The Take Life On campaign also encourages you to adopt other steps to a healthier lifestyle -such as aiming to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day or having at least two days without alcohol every week.
For more information on how you can be healthier this year go to www.takelifeon.co.uk
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