Dieting does not work for long. However, creating healthy habits with good, consistent decisions is effective in the short and long term.
When most people think about cleaning up their nutrition, they turn to popular and common diets. These diets are often restrictive, commercial, and unsustainable in the long run. At SPARC, we believe that there isn’t one diet everyone should follow. Finances, free time, and personal preference play a huge role in determining whether or not a prescribed diet is successful.
In order to make the most effective changes to nutrition, it is better to focus on daily nutrition and healthy habits. In order to help, we have implemented 11 nutritional guidelines that give you the freedom to forge the best nutritional plan for your lifestyle. These guidelines encourage you to assess your current dietary behaviors, educate you on the healthy options out there, and empower you to set realistic goals that lead to habitual change.
Behavior changes take time, so we encourage you to focus on one nutritional change per week. Some changes may take longer than others, and that’s okay! Wait until you solidify one healthy habit before moving on to the next one. Put these guidelines somewhere you can see them, such as your refrigerator door, bathroom mirror, or office desk.
Finally, remember to use S.M.A.R.T. Goal setting when going through these nutritional guidelines. Effective goal setting should be:
- Specific
- Measureable
- Attainable
- Realistic
- Time Oriented
