Gentle Nudges to Healthy Change

The American Psychological Association recently released the 2021 Stress in America poll. No surprise – the past year has been hard on us. The pandemic has had a negative impact on:

Physical activity
Weight
Sleep
Stress
Alcohol intake
Mental health

As people get vaccinated and begin to think about life after COVID-19, many will be ready to make changes to do things like lose weight and start exercising again. Some will jump right in, but others may benefit from a slower, more mindful journey back to healthy habits. Here are three ideas for gently nudging your clients or students toward a healthy eating pattern and lifestyle:

Mindfulness and mindful eating:
- Post our 3 Steps to More Mindful Eating poster as a teaser to learn more about mindfulness.
- Hold a virtual class on mindfulness and mindful eating with our Mindful Eating PowerPoint show.
- If you’re short on time, the raisin mindfulness exercise is a great place to start.
Motivating affirmations:
- Empower your clients through short sessions on the affirmations from our I Am Motivational Health poster:
  - Self-care (sleeping enough, forgiving a setback)
  - Healthy eating (eating mindfully when hungry, loving fruits & veggies)
  - Physical activity (moving more, exercising consistently)
  - Attitude (not giving up)
  - Intention (planning and working to success)
Positive transformations:
- Adopt the beautiful butterfly from our Change It Up theme as your mascot.
- The butterfly can be a visual reminder to clients who are working to transform their lives by eating healthier foods and being more active every day.