New Leaf
Turning Over New Leaves to Better Heatlh
Arely Perez and Amy Crosson decided to take advantage of the tradition of New Years resolutions. They encourage people to start the year by creating a healthy living plan.
“The plan should not be too hard,” Arely explains. It should be a clear statement of what you want to accomplish. One example of a healthy living plan is to eat a salad for lunch at least two days during the next week.”
“We help people create their own plan,” Amy adds, “then we write the plan on a brown leaf. We tape the leaf to the tree on our waiting room wall. When the person accomplishes their plan, the leaf turns green. It's a way of providing accountability and support.”
“Creating an achievable healthy living plan is a strategy that anyone can use,” Arely says. “It’s best to create a plan that you are confident you can accomplish. For instance, a plan to lose 30 pounds is more likely to fail.”
Arely and Amy host Healthy Living Groups where participants encourage each other to develop healthy habits.