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Make a different type of resolution this New Year; create environments which support healthy behaviors
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12/29/15 LICKING COUNTY, OHIO – Many people set resolutions to be healthier, lose weight, be more active, eat more fruits and vegetables and/or quit smoking each year. They fall short when confronted in environments that challenge those goals. The Licking County Health Department’s Creating Healthy Communities Coordinator, Nicole Smith, is asking people to set a different type of resolution this year, one with big impact – one that creates environments which support healthy behaviors.
“You are more likely to make the healthy choice when the healthy choice is the easy choice,” says Smith. “Often, New Year’s Resolutions are broken after the first few months of the year. It’s not because we are failures. Most of the time, it is because the unhealthy choice is easier to make than the healthy choice.”
Unhealthy foods are abundant at the grocery store, the gas station, and even our worksites. What would happen if opportunities to be healthy all day, every day replaced them? Even something as simple as color coding healthier foods in the vending machine or putting fruits and vegetables in the checkout aisles at stores make it easier for people to choose the healthier option.
“Healthy choices can only be made if healthy options are accessible and affordable,” said Smith.
Examples of resolutions Licking County residents can make that could be implemented at worksites, schools and religious institutions include:
- Instituting a policy to offer healthy foods (fruits and vegetables, low sodium, whole grains, low fat) at all meetings and events. This will provide options for people who are already trying to eat healthier and might even prompt others to do the same.
- Passing a tobacco-free policy at a campus that would not allow the use of any tobacco product on the property at any time. This policy reduces the visibility of tobacco use, reduces secondhand exposure and supports those who are trying to quit.
- Installing a walking path outside, or measuring off a walking distance inside, a facility or building. Providing employees and clients with a map of the walking route or marking the route on the floor or wall will encourage them to take activity breaks.
- Working with Village and City Councils or park districts to address safety concerns with sidewalks, crosswalks or park facilities in neighborhoods.
- Working with the Licking County Wellness Coalition to identify, promote and expand opportunities to be active and eat healthy in the county.
These may sound like daunting tasks, but each individual plays a role in making environments healthier, and, the Creating Healthy Communities program is here to help with these changes. To learn more about the program, visit www.lickingcohealth.org. For information about how to get involved or bring these changes to a worksite, school or religious institution, contact Nicole Smith at nsmith@lickingcohealth.org or (740) 349-6535.
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