It’s that time of the year again when we take stock of our lives and make goals for self-improvement. For many, these goals revolve around eating healthier and moving more. However, these resolutions are simply too vague to be effective, and most of us don’t have a support system to keep us on track for the next 12 months.
The Star and Barry Tobias Health Awareness Center at CentraState provides an interdisciplinary approach to adopting a healthier lifestyle. By focusing on total wellbeing, the center’s team delivers practical advice and support for improving your health physically, spiritually, and mentally. Health coaches offer overall guidance and encouragement, while specially trained health educators and dietitians provide actionable information about eating healthier, exercising safely, and understanding your body’s own unique makeup to optimize your efforts.
Setting Goals that Stick
CentraState’s Weigh of Life program leverages your self-esteem to impact behavior change. It may seem counterintuitive to accept and love yourself the way you are, yet also make changes. It’s all interconnected, according to Amy Metzger, MSW, LCSW, a behavioral health specialist at CentraState.
“Prioritizing yourself by practicing self-care increases self-esteem,” she says. “It’s more about setting priorities that matter to you and less about the number on the scale.”
The Weigh of Life program empowers participants to develop goals that are specific, reasonable, and measurable, explains Caryn Alter, MS, RD, FAND, a registered dietitian and nutrition instructor.
“To change behaviors, you have to make a conscious decision every day to make yourself a priority,” Alter says. “We help participants learn sustainable, realistic habits—and we support, monitor, and celebrate their progress along the way.”
Central to understanding your food habits and identifying ways to make changes is logging everything you eat and drink, as well as your daily physical activity. The program promotes a balanced approach to both eating and lifestyle changes.
“We know how to lose weight, but what we often lack are coping strategies for dealing with stress,” adds Metzger. “It’s important to understand why we eat and learn ways to avoid mindless eating.”
A free information session for the Weigh of Life program will be held Feb. 28 at 10 a.m., and the program will meet Thursday mornings starting March 7. For more information about CentraState’s wellness programs, visit wellness programs or call 866-CENTRA7 (866-236-8727).
Weigh of Life-Information Session
Looking to lose those excess pounds for life? This proven, behavior-based weight loss program will give you the skills to get the weight off and keep it off. Yearlong program includes 16 weekly sessions followed by eight months of ongoing support.
