You are either a Backstreet Boys or NSYNC fan and Chris and I both are team NSYNC! Hello Justin Timberlake! Anyways, if you haven’t heard the song “It’s Gonna be Me”, here it is! As you listen J.T. makes “me” sound like “may”. So of course, the internet ran with it and around this time of year NSYNC and Justin Timberlake blow up social media with memes, hyping you up that “it’s gonna be MAY”.
Long story short, It’s gonna be May! We are entering a new month! So what can we tackle? What can we focus on? What new goal or goals can YOU create for yourself! Here are some ideas that I have for you, since it’s gonna be May.
M:
“M” stands for MORE. Now I’m not saying more soda, cookies and bacon. I’m saying redirect your focus from restricting yourself to adding more of the foods that nourish our body.
- MORE fruits and vegetables
- According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025, most individuals need to consume more fruit and vegetables! About 90 percent of us don’t eat enough vegetables and 80 percent do not eat enough fruit. So this is your opportunity to up your game!
- Think if you’re only eating vegetables at dinner, maybe your goal to start is to add a vegetable at lunch each day. From there you continue to expand.
- Another example might be if you only eat bananas as your fruit, expand your palate by adding different colored fruits. We say eating the rainbow as a recommendation to keep you open to exploring new fruits and vegetables and to gain different nutrients from each color group.
- MORE water
- Sweetened beverages like soda or sweetened iced tea are considered empty calories or beverages that don’t give our body any nutrients.
- Let’s try substituting a sweetened beverage with a plain old glass of water. Does that not appeal to you? No problem, I get it! Check out our previous blog on ways to add flavor to your water to help you out.
- MORE whole grains
- The recommendation is 50% of your daily grain intake be whole grains. Whole grains are fiber filled which help improve our digestion, promote heart health, keep our blood sugars more regulated, keep us feeling fuller longer and support weight management, just to name a few.
- Let’s create the goal in a simple way. If you’re used to buying white bread create the goal to buy a loaf of whole wheat bread (make sure whole wheat is the first ingredient) or substitute your white pasta for whole wheat pasta during pasta night next week. Slowly start making the change! You might find yourself liking what you eat!
A:
“A” stands for activity. April showers brings May flowers, right? So let’s get moving and get outside and see them in bloom!
- Physical activity is important for addressing various disease states like coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension and osteoporosis, promoting aerobic capacity, muscle strength and endurance, supports the ability to engage in daily life activities, promotes brain health and conditions that affect our cognition (such as depression, anxiety and Alzheimer’s disease) and prevents fall or injury risk from falls. Moral of the story there’s a lot of good from moving so what is the recommendation?
- We are trying to get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity or at least 75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic activity. In addition, it is recommended to strength train using all major muscle groups at least 2 days per week.
- Examples of moderate intensity activity are a brisk walk, casual bike ride, water aerobics, dancing, gardening, tennis or recreational swimming
- Examples of vigorous intensity aerobic activity are running, swimming laps, cycling, Zumba, jumping rope, hiking uphill or playing a sport like soccer or basketball
- So if you read this as just a chunk of information that seems out of sight, no worries. Assess where you are currently and how you can improve. Are you walking your dog each day of the week but lacking the strength training? Now is your opportunity to add it in by lifting some hand weights in the living room. If you are able to walk for 20 minutes on the treadmill, maybe you set your goal to add on another 5 minutes. Do you see what I am doing here? Keep it simple with the goal of improvement.
Y:
“Y” stands for YOU. You are in control of your diet and lifestyle! If you’ve ever worked with Chris or I, we work with you to create the goals that are suitable for you and your needs. Making change is a process and sometimes it helps to start on a new day, a new week or new month like now! If you are interested in making change, here are some options:
- Consider creating SMART goals. SMART is an acronym that stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. If you want to learn more about creating SMART goals for yourself, check out our previous blog all about it.
- Work with us! Not only do we create the goals with you but we work with you to make them come to life. With time we continue to adjust them based on your needs from session to session if needed. We are here to help you have the tools you need to make the change you want to see.
Now whether you are an NSYNC or Backstreet Boys fan, I hope that this MAY you find a goal to strive towards. I’m going to wrap this up now. It’s time to blast some NSYNC and get some movement in because it’s gonna be MAY.
Cheers to a new month,
This blog was written by Amanda J. Stahl, RD, LDN, co-founder of Simple Start Nutrition. For more blog posts and nutrition information follow @simplestartnutrition on Instagram and Facebook. Also feel free to contact us, by visiting our website (simplestartnutrition.com) to schedule an appointment to discuss your nutrition related needs.
References:
https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/
https://www.myplate.gov/
https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/
https://odphp.health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf
