Nutrition and wellness expert from the University of Alabama at Birmingham is available to offer tips for starting the new year healthy. According to UAB Director of Employee Wellness Anna Threadcraft, RDN, there are four ways in which people can be healthy and keep their New Year’s resolutions:

* Start Small: When it comes to making health goals, start small. Begin incorporating small sustainable changes into your lifestyle that you can stick with, not just the ones that sound good but you know you’ll never maintain

* Plan Ahead: Whether you’re married or single, your first date in 2017 needs to be with your grocery store. It’s much easier to make wise choices if you have healthy options readily available

* Be Accountable: A lot of people fall off the wellness wagon within a few short weeks after setting goals, so set yourself up for success. Place a reminder/check in on your phone or send a pre-scheduled email to yourself. Include reminders of why you’re working on the goals and ask yourself the questions you know you want to confidently answer when the reminder comes through.

* Rest: We underestimate the simply power of being rested. Before you start making any huge health changes that require great effort, consider your sleeping patterns. There may be room for some simple improvement that goes a long way. Changes might include making a point to get more sleep in general, or working on improving the quality of what you already get. When we’re well rested, we make better decisions, plan better and typically embrace life with a better attitude all the way around.

Anna Threadcraft, RDNUAB Director of Employee Wellness