BY MISSY CORRIGAN
Health contributor

Your environment, what you have access to and what you are influenced by plays a significant role in the choices you make. Because of changes in your regular schedule over the past month, you may have noticed some of your habits changing. Maybe you aren’t hitting the drive-through as often or maybe you are finally finding the time to exercise or cook healthier meals. These choices, along with your genetics, directly impact your overall health and well-being. While you can’t change your genetics, you can control what you do in the environment you are in, thus affecting your health outcomes.

Research shows that more than anything else, your environment heavily influences what you eat and how much you eat. Portion sizes have nearly tripled since the 1970s, increasing the average total calorie intake by 25%. In addition to this increase in the quantity of food, the quality of food has also changed. Manufacturers are always looking for ways to produce more food in the cheapest way possible, which can mean foods are not made with the healthiest ingredients. These changes have led to an overall increase in average child and adult weight and Body Mass Index numbers, driving the nation’s obesity rates.

At any given time, half of American adults report they are on a diet, contributing to the $33 billion spent each year on weight-loss products. While losing weight is a goal for many on a diet, nutritionists state that it is best to focus on healthy habits and take the emphasis off losing weight. Focusing on daily behaviors and choices instead of weight can set the foundation for healthier habits, which studies have shown to be more effective in reaching and maintaining a weight-loss goal than any short-term diet.

Lifestyle coaches claim it is hard to address long-term, healthy weight loss without developing healthy habits first. One important factor to consider is the different environments where you spend your days. Are they harmful or helpful to your goals? Creating a healthy environment may mean eliminating unhealthy foods that are brought in, avoiding the snack machine, bringing your own food instead of going out to eat, walking during your lunch break and always having healthier food options within reach.

Experts state that the best start to a healthier diet is to reduce the intake of processed foods. Although these foods may taste good, they are just empty calories, meaning they may fill you up, but they do not provide your body with any supportive nourishment. Processed carbohydrates like white bread, chips, sweetened cereals, sodas and desserts digest quickly, releasing sugar into your blood stream, providing a burst of energy. When the body is looking for energy, this becomes the “go-to” food approach for your body. The more you give in to these processed foods, the more it continues to happen, and before you know it, processed food is all you crave and all you are eating.

So as you may begin to return to your normal schedule, consider what changes you need to make in your home, work or play areas to create your new, healthier normal. Think about what you have been able to do without and the changes you have made that you want to continue, as well as what it will take to make it happen. When the environment supports your goals, you are more likely to be successful.

Missy Corrigan is executive of community health for Sumter Family YMCA. She can be reached at mcorrigan@ymcasumter.org or (803) 773-1404.