Happy Dietitians Week! This year, we are focusing on Nourishing our Mind, Body and Brain. As an Accredited Practising Dietitian at Amity Health, I’m sharing some tips to help you kickstart healthy habits that stick around for the long haul!

Choose a behaviour not an outcome:
Think of an outcome as your ‘why?’ and your behaviour as your ‘how?’. Get specific on a habit you’d like to change, for example if you want to save money at the grocery store (your ‘why’), commit to making a shopping list (your ‘how’) and sticking to it.
Set Up Your Environment for Success:
Changing your surroundings can make an enormous difference in forming new habits. Keep healthy options, like more fruit, visible and accessible. If you're trying to cut back on something, like buying coffee, take a different route to work to avoid the temptation.
Tie your new habits into your routine:

Link your new habit with one you are already doing. Aspects of your usual routine can act as a cue for your new habit to help make it consistent. This could mean placing your medication next to your toothbrush, or taking your pre-prepared lunch out of the fridge when grabbing milk for your morning coffee.

Keep healthy options visible!

Placing an array of fresh fruit in a bowl that’s visible and accessible will help with a habit of eating more fruit.

4. Find Your Cheer Squad:

Share your goals with friends, family, or even your furry friend! Let them know how they can support you and hold you accountable. Health Professionals can help you develop goals and strategies specific to your situation and support you throughout the challenges and wins.

Amity Health Dietitians Ana, Kelly and Sophie can be your support crew!

5. Be SMART About Your Goals:

For your best chance of success, write down a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. An example of a SMART goal could be:

“I will try one new recipe each week for four weeks”. You may like to create a small goal in the short-term (e.g. one or two weeks) and then work on maintaining your goal or tweak it to be more long-term (e.g. I will try one new recipe a fortnight for 6 months).

6. Practice Patience and Kindness:

Forming new habits takes time—about 60 tries, in fact! Don't be too hard on yourself if you slip up. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small, and keep pushing forward. Before you know it, those healthy habits will become second nature!

Whether it's eating better, learning something new, or spreading kindness, here's to a healthier and happier you that nourishes your mind, body and brain!

Would you like to know how a Dietitian can help you and what a Dietitian does?

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Guest Author: Sophie Royce (Accredited Practising Dietitian)