The Eternal New Year's Resolution: Get in Shape

Not that we have a crystal ball, or even a Magic 8 Ball, but our bet is that there is one item high on your list of New Year's Resolutions: "Get into better shape." That's because it's on a lot of lists. Every year.

No surprise: most of us won't stick to our resolutions. Statistics indicate that there is a huge drop-off in resolve after the first week or two of the new year. But if you can lay out a reasonable plan, get the support or participation of your family and friends, and measure your progress along the way, you can defy the odds.

Getting into shape involves eating better and exercising right. One without the other is really insufficient.

On the nutrition side, you have probably heard by now that you should try to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Well, it's a good goal, even if the marketing campaign seems a little hokey. But the fact is, every body type is different. A great resource is the U.S. government's website, where you can get a customized recommendation based on your age, gender, and physical activity level. They also have a neat interactive tool that allows you to drag pictures of food onto a virtual plate so that you can see the nutritional content of your meals.

Also, when you visit a Sprouts store, be sure to stop by the Vitamin Department. Not only will you find a well-trained and knowledgeable employee to help you with your needs, there's also a computer you can use to access Health Notes — a rich database filled with data about vitamins, nutrition, recipes and food.

When it comes to exercise, it's all too easy to offer up excuses. "Exercise is boring." "I don't like to exercise in the colder weather." "Gym memberships are too expensive." And then of course the most common one: "I just can't fit it into my busy schedule."

But you will be encouraged to know that you don't need to be a six-workout-a-week fanatic. Even a little exercise helps... and the more you do, the more it becomes part of your busy routine.

As we reported in the January 2008 edition of Sprouts Magazine, "clinging to a remnant of an exercise routine is better than nothing." A 2004 study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that even a single workout can improve heart health for at least a day. Believe it or not, an ongoing 60-year project called the Framingham Heart Study has shown that moderate physical activity, like walking 30 minutes a day five times a week, increased life expectancy by 1.3 to 1.5 years! Maybe it's time to start parking on the other side of the lot at work, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

So maybe with a little bit of foresight and planning (and, we hope, a few extra shopping trips to Sprouts), 2012 will finally be the year you don't ship out that resolution to shape up.

From the January, 2010 edition of Fresh Off the Press