Nutrition & Wellness Tips for 2022
- mavseatwell
- Feb 22, 2022
- 4 min read
With the New Year comes several new years resolutions! According to Statista, the top three resolutions for US adults going into 2022 were to exercise more, eat healthier, and lose weight. For many, the New Year is a time to set new goals, but often, many fail to keep their resolutions just after one week of making them. Like many others, I too would like to create some goals to live a healthier lifestyle, but how can I do that and ensure that these lifestyle changes are sustainable and realistic? What are some simple wellness tips I can add to my routine, that will have a beneficial impact on my health? Let's focus on 4 habits where we can create change to positively impact our health including water intake, fruit, veggie, and whole grain consumption, exercise, and sleep.
1: Water.
The Mayo Clinic explains how water “regulates body temperature, protects our organs and tissues, helps carry nutrients and oxygen to cells, helps lessen the burden of kidneys and liver by aiding with product waste, and has many more benefits.” Knowing all of the health benefits that water has, how can we include more water in our daily life? Here are a few of my favorite tips to stay hydrated. Having a reusable water bottle is a great way to ensure you always have water with you. If room temperature water isn’t appealing, try adding ice cubes to make it more refreshing. Infused water using fresh fruit, veggies, and herbs is another option to change up the flavor. One example is infusing with lemon, mint, ginger and cucumber. Setting goals for drinking water can also be helpful. An example might look like: “I will drink one cup of water every hour throughout the day”. Creating these small goals can help hold yourself accountable for reaching your recommended daily water intake. One good rule of thumb to figure out how much water in ounces you need each day is to take your weight in pounds and divide it by 2.
2: Fruits, veggies, and whole grains.
Most Americans don't consume near the recommended amount of fruits, vegetable, and whole grains. Take a moment to think about how many servings of fruit you eat in a day. Most people only eat 1-2 servings of fruit per day, but The American Heart Association recommends 4-5 servings of fruit daily. A serving of fruit can look like one medium fruit, ½ cup of fresh, frozen or canned fruit, or ¼ cup of dried fruit. One of my favorite ways to incorporate fruit is by making a smoothie or smoothie bowl in the morning. If you have a busy schedule, making a smoothie is quick and easy to take on-the-go! Having hand fruit on hand, such as apples, bananas, and oranges is another way to ensure you're getting your fruit in. As for veggies, The American Heart Association recommends 5 servings per day. A serving can be 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables, ½ cup of fresh, frozen or canned vegetables, or ½ cup of vegetable juice. You can add some vegetables such as carrots, spinach, celery, beets, or cucumbers to your fruit smoothies to be able to meet both your fruit and veggie needs. Another great way to sneak veggies in is by adding them to eggs, pasta dishes, soups, and casseroles! Try to incorporate a new veggie or cook your vegetables in different ways to make them more appetizing. It is also known that whole grains are often under-consumed. Try to make half of your grains whole grains for the benefits of fiber and additional nutrients. Opt for whole wheat bread, quinoa, brown rice, farro, oats, or whole wheat pasta!
3: Exercise.
We all know about the importance of exercise, so I will make this brief. Physical activity has many benefits including improving heart and brain health, weight management, reducing risk of chronic disease and developing certain cancers, strengthening muscles and bones, etc. Find movement you enjoy, such as playing your favorite sport, going to HIIT or cycling classes, swimming, yoga, going for a long walk, or even dancing! Exercise should be fun rather than feel like a chore. Finding some exercise and movement you like will help motivate and encourage you to get moving. Having a friend or partner to exercise and move with will also make it more fun to exercise. It is recommended to exercise for at least 30 minutes 5 days per week. Try to incorporate both aerobic and strength training exercises into your movement routine!
4: Sleep.
If you are a college student, I know the struggle of actually getting enough sleep. Sleep is more than just allowing you to feel well rested, but also can help to support your immune system, prevent unwanted weight gain, strengthen your heart, improve mood, increase productivity, improve memory, and has many other benefits according to SCL Health. Young adults between the ages of 18-25 need about 7-9 hours of sleep. A few tips to reaching this goal include limiting screen time before bed, meditating or stretching, and trying herbal or sleepy time teas. Incorporating these tips help to calm your mind and body down to prepare for a restful night.
One thing we know is that several habits relating to diet and exercise all come together, and have a big impact on overall health and wellness. While the general intake and movement goals are listed above, we are all at different places in our wellness journeys. If you are struggling or want to improve in any of the categories I touched on, I challenge you to aim for at least 2 servings of fruit and 2-3 servings of veggies per day, 2 servings of whole grains daily, and to switch out at least one beverage for water. Other great starting points include exercising at least three times per week and getting at least 7 hours of sleep 5 days of the week. These changes can slowly start to become habits, and eventually part of your daily routine. Focus on modifying these suggestions and challenges to fit where you are at, with goals to get where you want to be. It’s a New Year, so let’s make a better you by slowly making changes to benefit health that will last long term!
Stay healthy, Mavs!
Written by: Jennifer Lara, dietetic intern
Reviewed by: Carly Richter, RDN, LD
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