Be SMART About Goals

Posted on November 8, 2022 by Hollis Bass

Behavior change is tough. It’s uncomfortable. Staying in our comfort zones is easy and feels safer.

But, like it says on our Comfort Zone poster, the comfort zone might be a beautiful place … but nothing changes there!

Help your clients or students get off the comfy couch and on track for a healthier life by teaching them about SMART goals. Here are some ideas to get started:

SMART goals are Specific: keep them small and simple.
- Eat at least one vegetable for lunch every day.
- Meditate for one minute while your coffee is brewing.
SMART goals are Measurable: you can’t change what you don’t measure.
- Keep track of your progress with an app on your phone, a calendar, or a pen-and-paper log.
SMART goals are Attainable: that’s why making them small and simple is such a good idea.
- Remember, small changes add up over time!
SMART goals are Relevant: set goals that mean something to you.
- Do yoga because you want to be able to play on the floor with your grandchildren.
- Walk daily because you want to hike with your family on an upcoming vacation.
SMART goals are Time-Bound: decide when your goal will be completed so you can celebrate your success.
- Eat fruit at breakfast every day for one week.
- Take a walk after dinner three times per week for one month.

New Year’s resolutions will be here before we know it. SMART goals give your students or clients a chance to keep those resolutions for a change!

By Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD

Free Handout: SMART Goals

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Habit Wheel Keeps on Rolling

Posted on September 6, 2022 by Hollis Bass

Get the school year off to a healthy start with the Healthy Habit Wheel!

The Healthy Habit Wheel poster features four healthy habits for each category: Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Food & Drink, and Exercise. While the poster is geared to students, the habits apply to adults as well.

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Here are some teaching tips to go along with the Healthy Habit Wheel:

The 12 habits make perfect SMART goals. Let students decide how they will track their habits over the course of a week, a month, or a semester.
The wheel concept reflects the idea that you’re never done with making healthy choices. The wheel keeps on turning!
You don’t need to tackle all 12 habits at once. In fact, that would be quite overwhelming! Students can master a habit and move to another one.
Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone has habits that come easy to them, and everyone has habits they need to work on.
Personalize your Healthy Habit Wheel with other goals that are important to you.

Keep the Healthy Habit Wheel rolling in the right direction, culminating in good health for a lifetime!

Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD

Back to School Bucket List

Posted on August 2, 2022 by Hollis Bass

Back-to-school time is right around the corner. The new school year is a time of transition. It often feels like a new beginning, much like New Year’s in January.

This is the perfect time to build a bucket list. A Healthy Bucket List, that is!

Our Healthy Bucket List poster helps your students or clients choose goals to create their own Healthy Bucket List using simple changes that have a big impact over time. Here are some teaching tips to go along with it:

In the classroom:
- Let the class vote on which Healthy Bucket List goals they want to work on each week, month, or year.
- Have kids of all ages create their own version of the Healthy Bucket List using markers, crayons, pictures cut out of magazines, etc. (Adults would enjoy this activity, too!)
On social media:
- Introduce the Healthy Bucket List concept and ask followers to build and share their own list.
- Post about your own Healthy Bucket List goal – what you’re going to do and how it turns out.
In the office:
- Display the poster in your waiting room so clients can ponder the simple goals that add up to a healthier life.
- Let clients vote by putting small sticky notes on the items they plan to add to their bucket lists.

By Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD

Healthy Bucket List Poster 18" x 24" Health Poster - Laminated

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Fill Your Bucket with Healthy Goals

Posted on January 10, 2022 by Hollis Bass

Help your students or clients kick off the new year with a healthy bucket list.

Use our Healthy Bucket List poster to get people thinking about the goals they want to work on over the course of a week, a month, a semester, or a year.

What are the benefits of our healthy bucket list concept?

Bucket lists are much more positive than new year’s resolutions.
Bucket list items focus on small changes that add up over time.
Bucket list goals are SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based.
Bucket lists can be personalized – students or clients can choose how many goals as well as the time-frame.
Bucket lists are fun to share on social media.
Bucket lists are perfect for a class (touch on each item briefly) or series of classes (concentrate on one at a time).
Bucket lists can be created any time of year!

By Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD

Healthy Bucket List Poster 18" x 24" Health Poster - Laminated

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New Year’s Resolutions Losing Their Shine?

Posted on February 9, 2021 by Hollis Bass

This is the time of year when New Year’s resolutions start to lose their shine. People who vowed to follow fad diets are getting discouraged, finding it harder and harder to stick to them.

Take advantage of this time to re-energize your clients, students, or employees with practical, science-based messages about healthy eating. Here are three ideas for helping individuals or groups move on from unhealthy, unrealistic resolutions:

Start Over with the Best: If you kicked-off the new year with a restrictive fad diet, start over with U.S. News & World Report’s top-ranking diet. The Mediterranean diet is number one overall, easiest to follow, heart-healthy, and plant-based. It’s also visually appealing – something that’s captured in our Mediterranean Diet Class PowerPoint Show. The beautiful photographs of foods, herbs, spices, and prepared dishes will have everyone’s mouth watering.
Buckle Down with the Basics: When it comes to nutrition and healthy eating, misinformation is the rule rather than the exception. When you’re confused, it’s time to go back to the basics, bootcamp-style. Our Nutrition Bootcamp PowerPoint Show provides the knowledge needed to ditch the fads and focus on what really works.
Reset with New Goals: Do you start every year off with big goals that you never achieve? Stop, step back, and reset your expectations. Our Getting Started PowerPoint Show puts you on track to a new, practical way of looking at nutrition and diets. It starts with setting realistic goals and moves on to other secrets to success, like following a sensible, simple eating plan (MyPlate) and teaming up with others for support.

Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD

What’s Your Word for the Rest of 2020?

Posted on September 8, 2020 by Hollis Bass

Back in January, we talked about setting a word for the year in lieu of new year’s resolutions. So much has happened since then – those words (and any resolutions) have probably been forgotten.

That’s ok, because September is much like the new year. Even if you don’t have children, there’s something about back-to-school time that feels like a fresh start.

Don’t miss this opportunity to engage your clients and students in choosing a new word or theme for the rest of the 2020. Be sure to set the right tone for the time we’re living in now:

Don’t dwell on what you have or haven’t done during the pandemic – this is your chance for a do-over!
Be realistic about what the rest of the year might bring, and how it may affect your goals.
Focus on positive affirmations, like the ones on our I Am motivational poster. These gentle reminders can get you back on track to a life of health and well-being:
- Self-care: get enough sleep, forgive yourself for setbacks.
- Diet: eat mindfully when you’re hungry, love fruits & veggies.
- Physical activity: move more, be consistent.
- Attitude: don’t give up!
- Intention: make a plan and work toward success.
Now is the time for your 2020 re-start! Like our Change It Up theme says:
- Eat healthier food + Be more active = You will feel transformed!

Hollis Bass, MEd, RD, LD

I Am - Motivational Health Poster - 18" x 24" Laminated Poster

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Change It Up Stickers 2" - Pack of 100

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COVID-19 Goals: It’s Time for a Do-Over

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Hollis Bass

Raise your hand if, when the COVID-19 shut down began, you vowed to use this time at home to do big things — like cook from scratch with only unprocessed foods every night; organize those boxes of family photos; workout twice a day; or learn a foreign language.

We had good intentions, but our goals were unrealistic, especially given that we’re in the middle of a pandemic. The news took over our lives and we had to get used to working virtually in many cases.

Chances are, your clients also set themselves up with some lofty goals, many relating to diet. When they failed to meet these unrealistic expectations, they may have thrown up their hands and quit trying. Let them know this is normal. Then help them move on with small goals for healthy eating.

This might just be the perfect time to introduce yourself and your clients to the Start Simple with MyPlate App. Free from the App Store and Google Play, this app helps you set and meet healthy eating goals that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely).

Here’s how the app works:

Choose up to three goals per MyPlate food group. Some examples: “add vegetables to your lunch,” “have fruit for a sweet treat,” “have a whole grain at dinner,” “start your day with a protein food.” You can do this for each food group, or just pick one or two food groups to work on.
When you meet a goal, you check it off for that day. The app lets you see your daily progress, get simple how-to tips to help you meet your goals, and select options for notifications and reminders.
As your goals are completed, you can earn a variety of badges, like first goal complete, daily-streaks, food group badges, and the ultimate MyPlate badge.

Why we like the Start Simple with MyPlate App:

Easy: although it’s not designed for kids, they’ll pick it up quickly and can probably teach their parents/grandparents to use it.
Fun: the app is colorful, appealing to the eye, and fun to use.
Uplifting: when you check off a completed goal or earn a badge, you get a little celebration on your screen. (Sounds corny, but it will make you smile.)
Flexible: you can change your goals at any time.
Educational: users can learn more about MyPlate by clicking on the MyPlate 101 section.
Basic: the goals are simple enough for anyone to do.
Maintainable: when the world is overwhelming, this app helps you make a small change that you’ll be able to maintain.
Shareable: when you earn a badge, you can share this success on social media. This may encourage others to join you.
Challenging: there are built-in challenges for each season, providing a sense of competition and something larger to work toward for those who want it.

Tips for using the Start Simple with MyPlate App with your clients:

Use the app for a day or two before you share it with your clients.
Watch this one-minute video and read these FAQs.
Introduce the MyPlate concept to your clients with our MyPlate PowerPoint show and/or videos and other resources on the MyPlate website.
Use the MyPlate Kitchen Recipes playlist on YouTube.
Start a private Facebook group where clients can interact and share successes with you and each other.

Check out our new and popular MyPlate materials:

Introducing the Healthy Bucket List

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Hollis Bass

It’s February … time to ask your clients how those new year’s resolutions are going. If they’re like most of us, it’s probably not good. This is the perfect time to introduce them to the Healthy Bucket List!

People love bucket lists. Our new Healthy Bucket List poster introduces 12 small goals that can add up to big changes over time. Things like learning to read a food label, making a salad, drinking water, and eating a healthy breakfast.

Our Healthy Bucket List goals align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate, so you know they’re based on sound nutrition advice for a healthy lifestyle.

Here are six simple ways to use the Healthy Bucket List in classes, individual counseling sessions, health fairs, and more:

#HealthyBucketList Challenge: Start a social media challenge by asking friends and followers to complete one of our Healthy Bucket List goals every week or month and post updates about their progress using #HealthyBucketList or another tag you come up with.
Family Bucket List & Chat: Get the family together and come up with a family healthy bucket list. Set up a family group chat to remind each other of your goals and to share pictures when you accomplish a bucket list item. You could also do this with co-workers or groups of two or more friends.
Take-Home Bucket List: For young children, talk to them about healthy foods. Then give each student a paper with a drawing of a bucket (see below for ‘how to draw a bucket’ links, or use clipart). Have the kids draw pictures of the healthy foods they want to eat at home. Now they have a cute bucket list to take home to show their family.
Bucket List Display: Use the Healthy Bucket List poster at a health fair. Ask people to look over the list and tell you which goals they’ve already achieved (maybe give out a sticker for each one). Then have them choose a goal or two to work on, and talk about how they can get started.
DIY Healthy Bucket List: Hold a class to help people make their own Healthy Bucket List. You could do a traditional class or get social and do it via Facebook Live. (Never done Facebook Live? Put it on YOUR bucket list!)
Healthy Bucket List Series: Hold a series of classes focusing on our Healthy Bucket List goals. Or integrate the bucket list concept into classes and counseling that you’re already doing.

For instructions on how to draw a simple bucket, click here or here.

Healthy Bucket List Poster 18" x 24" Health Poster - Laminated

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12 Little Goals

Posted on January 24, 2017 by cheryle

I’m still thinking about New Year’s resolutions.

The idea in my last post was to approach resolutions like you would a pyramid: start with the basics and build. Instead of making large and broad resolutions, make 12 little changes to your lifestyle. Basically, you can try one new approach per month and then keep adding on to your project for tho entire year.

And the best part is that it’s not too late for this month!

So, what would you like to do to make your eating pattern a little more healthful? Remember, these small goals don’t always need to be taking something away or stopping doing something; they could be adding things, too.

Only you know what you’re doing now and what you would like to change.

To help get you started, I came up with a list of 20 little goals.

Use this list however you’d like — add to it, choose your favorites, pat yourself on the back for what you’re already doing, etc. Do whatever works for you. Seriously.

Eat one more vegetable every day.
Eat one more fruit every day.
Plan one meatless meal every week.
Buy a refillable water bottle and use it.
Walk an extra 15 minutes each day.
Try a new vegetable this month.
Experiment with an exotic fruit that you’ve never tried before.
Add healthful nuts to your shopping list.
Use more olive oil. Swap out solid fats like butter or margarine for olive oil.
Make your own salad dressings.
Pack your lunch two days a week.
Eat dinner at home at least three nights a week.
Experiment with a “new” whole grain and eat it four different ways.
Wash your hands before eating (even in restaurants).
Experiment with a new spice or herb.
Eat more beans.
Drink less juice.
Eat fish twice a week
Buy old-fashioned oatmeal instead of packaged cereal so that you can eat more oatmeal.
Try one new recipe each month — at the end of the year you will have increased your repertoire of healthy dishes.

I think we all know that eating and being healthful needs to become a lifestyle, not just something you do for a few weeks. Why not try it this year? Small changes at a time. Just think of where you can be 12 months from now.

By Cheryle Jones Syracuse, MS, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University

Finding Success on the Path to Wellness

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Stephanie Ronco

Have I mentioned that I just updated all of our comprehensive wellness programs?

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Because I have, and I’m really proud of what my team and I have created. The latest updates include information from the 2015-2020 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, along with a streamlined presentation platform and general improvements that will make these resources more fun for your audience.

So to celebrate that excitement, I’m sharing some slides from one of the most popular programs, The 12 Lessons of Wellness. Today’s preview comes from the show Getting Started, and the slides I’ve chosen offer advice for staying motivated and sidestepping pitfalls on the path to good health.

Let’s take a closer look!

As you embark on any path to wellness, you’ll eventually encounter a few stumbling blocks. That’s totally normal! If you plan ahead, it will be easier to overcome those obstacles and continue on your road to success.

Make sure to have a plan B for when the going gets a bit tougher. Fill your freezer with healthy meals. Prep healthy snacks and store them in the fridge or pantry. Keep some in the car in case an on-the-go craving strikes. Speaking of putting things in the car, toss a few exercise clothes in the trunk so that you’re always prepared for a workout. This will help you avoid skipping workouts because you didn’t plan ahead, and it will also ensure that you are prepared if an unexpected exercise opportunity pops up.

Remember that reaching and maintain a healthy weight is your lifetime plan. When you feel discouraged, focus on your successes and review your reasons for wanting to lose weight in the first place.

Now let’s delve into some detail. How can you stay motivated during special occasions?

One tip is to eat before the party so that you aren’t starving when you face down a festive and lavish spread. While you’re there, focus on the conversation. If you do want to indulge a bit, keep things small, exercise the next day, and eat lighter for the rest of the day or the day after.

At these parties, you may encounter a weight loss saboteur or two. Avoid people who don’t support your efforts and instead find people who share your goals. Who knows? This may be a great opportunity to get a workout buddy!

Let’s move on to another challenge. What happens when you hit a period of slow/no progress?

To start, have patience with yourself. Some days are easier than others. Revisit your goals and make sure that they’re realistic. You can always talk with your dietitian or doctor about your frustration too — they’ll have lots of great ideas for you.

When it comes to keeping your motivation through health and fitness challenges, sometimes a reward is just the boost you need. Establish what your reward will be ahead of time, and remember, the reward shouldn’t be food!

It’s often helpful to set up rewards for milestones, not just the final goal. Plan a few rewards that you can earn along your path to fitness and weight loss — don’t just save one big reward for the end!

The show goes on in much more detail, but that’s where I’d like to stop the sample for today.

If you like what you see, consider exploring the 12 Lessons of Wellness and Weight Loss program. It’s one of the most comprehensive and effective programs for employee weight loss that my team and I have created, and it has been hugely popular.

And, as a special bonus, here are the free printable PDFs of the slides we previewed today!

And here are some of the top-selling weight loss resources from the Nutrition Education Store!

7 Simple Ways to Save Calories

Reward Chart Handout

Feel Full with Fewer Calories PowerPoint and Handout Set

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