North Carolina
Department of Health and Human Services

For Release: IMMEDIATE
Date: June 29, 2006

Six Months Later: Revisiting New Year's Resolutions to Eat Smart, Move More

RALEIGH—On January 1, millions of Americans made resolutions to live healthier lives by exercising and eating better, but somewhere along the way many of those resolutions were tossed out or forgotten. With local farmers' markets selling fresh produce and warm weather for a variety of outdoor activities, summer is a great time to get back on track working towards those goals.

During the month of July, farmer's markets across the state will be the site of Eat Smart, Move More…NC events that encourage people to eat more fruits and vegetables and increase their levels of physical activity. Led by local coalitions, the events will focus on “New Year's in July: Revisiting Resolutions.”

According to a Harris Interactive poll conducted this past January, the top three New Year's resolutions for 2006 were to exercise more, lose weight, and eat a healthier diet. It has been six months since North Carolinians took the important step of setting resolutions to adopt healthier lifestyles, and now is the time to re-visit and re-establish their commitment to those goals.

“People often get frustrated when they don't achieve their resolutions the first time around. However, what people need to realize is that behavior change is a continuous process. More often than not, failure is a part of that process—but it doesn't have to be the endpoint,” said Sheree Vodicka, healthy weight communications coordinator for the Division of Public Health. “Simply by going to a farmer's market, people are demonstrating a desire to eat healthier foods. All they need is a little push.”

At the statewide events, consumers will be given tips on how to more successfully strive towards achieving their resolutions. These tips include:

• Rework your original goal . Write down your original goal. Is it specific? Can you measure your progress? Is it do-able? What can you do to make it more realistic?
  
• Reexamine your original plan . Write down your original plan to meet your goal. If you didn't have a plan, make one. Now, look at your plan and ask yourself where you went wrong. Be honest.
  
• Stop kicking yourself . Shame and guilt can undermine our best intentions. Imagine what you would say to a friend in the same situation. Treat yourself with the same respect, and remember that, more often than not, failure is a part of success.
  
• Get help . Most people have trouble reaching their goals without some help. If you've been going it alone, is there someone you can reach out to for help and support?
  
• Think small. Eating healthy and being more active is about the small choices you make. All of those small, daily choices are what determine your success.

Eating the recommended five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables and getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day are important steps in maintaining a healthy weight. Overweight and inactivity put both children and adults at increased risk for serious chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes.

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that North Carolinians are among some of the heaviest people in the U.S. More than 30 percent of North Carolina children are overweight or at risk for overweight. Obesity rates among North Carolina adults have almost doubled since 1990, when the rate was 12.9 percent—by 2002, the rate had ballooned to 23.5 percent.

Eat Smart, Move More…NC is a statewide initiative that seeks to reverse the rising tide of obesity and chronic disease among North Carolinians by helping them to eat smart, move more and achieve a healthy weight. For more information, please visit www.EatSmartMoveMoreNC.com.

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