(Clarinda) — The holidays are a time for parties, big meals, and cookie platters, followed by resolutions to be healthier in the new year.

Emily Furst, a dietitian at Clarinda Regional Health Center, is among those offering tips on building good habits and health heading into 2026. With regard to New Year’s resolutions and health goals, Furst says one of the more important tips is to set smaller, more realistic goals that can be built upon throughout the year.

“Sometimes at the New Year, we think that, you know, we want to lose 50 pounds or something drastic for that next year, and then we fall off the wagon right away,” said Furst. “So, if we set small goals, like cutting out sugary drinks or adding an extra 10 minutes of walking, then we can accomplish that and keep adding to the goals for the year instead of feeling like we can’t accomplish anything for the year.”

In addition to building consistency into a routine to help achieve goals, Furst says individuals should also try to establish a support system for accountability.

“Either that’s a dietician or a friend or somebody that’s going to go on a walk with you,” said Furst. “Share your goals with them and let them know ‘that this is where I want to go and I want you to be aware of it and I need your support.’ I think it’s important to have that support in the long run and it could be even someone online too if that’s the case. Because we live in such a rural community, sometimes it’s hard to get to those resources we need to.”

Before the new year, a plethora of food will be on the table for the remainder of the holiday and Christmas season. While noting that people shouldn’t be afraid to enjoy their holiday meals, Furst recommends moderation.

“Looking back over the evolution of my holidays over the last 20 some years, we always used to use high-fat milk products in our cooking and butter, which butter is fine,” said Furst. “But just watch for moderation and using healthier fats in our cooking dishes. You can also be looking for recipes that might be a little bit more nutrient-dense foods and then have lots of fruits and vegetables on the menu also.”

Audio for this story was courtesy of KXCV-KRNW in Maryville.

Thank you for reading kmaland.com

At KMA, we attempt to be accurate in our reporting. If you see a typo or mistake in a story, please contact us by emailing kmaradio@kmaland.com.