Setting and Keeping Boundaries with Your New Year Resolutions

Wait! It’s not About Weight!

Setting and Keeping Boundaries with Your New Year Resolutions

Every year, teens and adults make New Year resolutions related to their health. “Eat healthier,” “exercise,” “lose weight.”

Being mindful of how we set our intentions, and how we communicate them to others, can have a big impact. The messages we send to our teens about their health when talking about resolutions can have a lifelong impact.

-Worldwide, over 70 million people have an eating disorder, including 5.5 million people in the United Sates (Deloitte, 2020).

-One in seven men and one in five women experience an eating disorder by age 40. In 95% of cases, these disorders began by age 25 (Ward et al., 2019).

-During the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of emergency department visits related to eating disorders increased dramatically, doubling for adolescent girls (CDC 2022).

Define your goals so your goals don’t define you:

If you or someone in your life made resolutions about their health, take a moment to better define and set boundaries for these goals. Don’t set goals in terms of pounds lost or hours in the gym. Focus on how these goals benefit your health and wellbeing overall.

Focus on the fun:

• Get active: Pick an activity you enjoy and get moving. Switch it up and have a dance party. Teens should be active for 60 minutes every day, but only 33% of Charlotte Mecklenburg High School students follow this advice 5 days/week (YRBS, 2021).
• Use the buddy system: Exercise with friends. Make meals with family members. Turn your goals into opportunities to interact and get support.

• Be specific about eating habits you want to change or adopt:
  • Snack intentionally: Choose whole foods (veggies, fruits, hard-boiled eggs) and brands that use natural, plant-based ingredients. Don’t keep problem foods around!
  • Eat more…

-Berries: Not only are they delicious but they have a variety of disease-fighting properties and even help to reduce cholesterol and regulates blood sugar.

-Fiber: Fiber helps lower cholesterol, regulates blood sugar, and helps you feel full for longer.

-Family meals: Learn about the nutritional properties and cultural importance of the foods you eat to help you be more mindful of what you eat.

• Think about the bigger implications of your goals:
  • • Teens who regularly eat breakfast score higher on standardized tests, have higher attendance rates, and have fewer behavioral and educational problems

Tips for Parents from our Parent Educator:

• Communication is Key: Just as a balanced diet and regular exercise are essential for physical health, a robust parent-teen relationship forms the foundation for emotional and mental well-being. Trust and open communication create an environment where teens feel secure and supported. When teens feel understood and accepted by their parents, they are more likely to make healthy choices in terms of diet, exercise, and lifestyle.
• Lead by Example: When parents model positive habits and engage in open conversations about nutrition and exercise, teens are more likely to adopt a similar approach. Shared family meals create an environment where healthy eating becomes a natural part of everyday life.
• Quality Time: Engaging in activities together, whether it’s a family hike, game night, or a shared cooking experience, fosters emotional bonds as well as a healthy lifestyle, improved cortisol levels and better overall physical health.
• Respect Autonomy: While it’s essential to be involved, respect your teen’s need for independence. Involve your teen in the decisions related to food choices and physical activities.

It’s not uncommon for teens to struggle with their health, body image, and self-esteem, especially with the power of today’s social media and the stressors of today’s schools and peer groups. These struggles, when not addressed, can lead to devasting consequences and lifelong challenges. It is estimated that 75% of people with an eating disorder don’t seek professional care (Hart et al., 2011).

Teen Health Connection has programs and services to prevent and intervene with these challenges. If your family is struggling with disordered eating or other health habits, or if you want more information on prevention and supporting your teens’ well-being, connect with our multidisciplinary team.