The New You- Share Your Story With Others!

We have spent the month of January talking about The New You- making healthful changes in 2017 and doing it the right way in order to maintain those changes long term. We have talked about physical activity, nutrition, quitting tobacco and sustaining those changes. We have provided tips that we hope will give you some tools and resources and ideas to make sustainable changes in your activity level, your diet and your quest to quit tobacco use- and not changes just for a month or two, but changes that you can carry on as part of your day to day life for years to come. We want 2017 to be the healthiest year yet for all the residents of Allen County!
As we wrap up this series, it is also important to remember one final piece of the puzzle- tell others and share your goals, progress, challenges and changes with others! The conversation around your health and wellness journey should be something you are proud to talk about. Why is this important? The answer is many reasons, including that it helps to keep you accountable and may change a loved one’s life as well as they see the changes and progress you are making personally.
For those of you with families, especially young children, this is especially important. It is such a needed role for parents to pass along health and wellness as a priority to the young people we interact with on a regular basis.Teaching them why fruits and vegetables should be eaten, encouraging proper nutrition, allowing them to try new foods and cook in the kitchen alongside of you are just a few good habits from a nutrition aspect that you can pass along. The same goes for activity. Enjoying family walks, bike rides and other active adventures sets them on the track to value being active and correlate that with an enjoyable experience. There is no denying that growing up in a tobacco free environment leads to decreased health risks as the effect of secondhand smoke that burden our children long after they leave the home. There is no why to put a price to the value of raising our youngest citizens in Allen County to recognize and utilize healthy behaviors.
Even if you do not have children, you can still pass along your story and tips with those around you. Family members, friends and co-workers can support your efforts to sustain a healthier lifestyle and may even be encouraged to make changes personally as well. Not only is it important to share your success and when you achieve your goals, but sharing your setbacks and lessons learned is also very important. By being real and transparent, others will value your opinion and seek you out as a source of information and knowledge if they decide to follow your lead and create their own health and wellness goals. We hope that you have enjoyed this series and have started to form your own goals for 2017 and we hope that some include small and sustainable changes in the areas of activity, nutrition and tobacco use. We also hope that you share your goals and stories with those around you and seek the support of our community as a resource along the way. Cheers to a Happy and Healthy 2017!!