The festive season is OVER! Hands up those of you who are secretly glad to get back to some kind of routine and a clean slate that a change in date seems to give us? Have you done the whole ‘new year’s resolution’ malarkey? Lemme guess… This year I will get fit and healthy, stop smoking, eat less, blah blah blah? I changed my tune about resolutions last year (read about my 2014 non-resolution here) and I have walked in 2015 feeling decidedly smug about all the things I achieved. So I’ll definitely be adopting a similar approach this year – let me know if you want to hear more about it (if you know me, you’ll know I’m prone to over-sharing!).
Whatever your approach to the new year is, if you’re looking to feel healthier all round, it pays big time to plan it properly and to really understand WHY you want to make changes. So go on, embrace your inner geek and spend an afternoon working through the questions below to make sure that you’re setting goals that you’re more likely to stick to. I find a pretty notebook helps…
1. What are the health problems that you’re worried about? Don’t just leap into the standard ‘I want to lose/gain 20kgs’ or whatever it might be. Think about the little (or large) things that niggle away at you… It could be that you haven’t had enough energy to play with your kids for ages. Or that you’re wheezing like a right wheezy thing after climbing the stairs. That your skin is as rough as a badger’s bum (why do I always pick on the badgers?!) and that you’re spottier than your teenage self. How do you really feel? Work your way down through your body from your head/scalp to your toes – and try not too be your own worst critic! We’re not looking to pick holes in our body confidence here, just to identify where you don’t FEEL good. Work out what worries you most right now.
2. What can you do about it? Once you’ve identified your main area of focus, spend some time thinking about what the way forward looks like. This is where working with a nutritional coach can really help (*ahem* coooey, over here!) 😉 … So if you want to feel bouncy and full of energy, what do you actually need to do? You’ll probably need to reassess your diet, exercise levels and hydration… Set yourself some SMART goals – something like ‘I’m going to drink at least 2 litres of water every day for the next year’ and specify HOW you’re going to do it… ‘by setting reminders on my phone, carrying a bottle of water with me, drinking 500ml before every meal/snack, etc etc’.
3. What can you do right now to take the first step? More often than not, if you have to wait a little while to start something, it’s harder to begin. We’re great procrastinators, us humans. So make sure you know what you can do the minute you’ve closed your pretty notebook and know what you’re working towards. It might be that you head straight to the shop to buy a water bottle that you’ll fill up every day and carry with you. Or you’ll immediately drink 500ml or set up the reminders on your phone. Whatever it is, take that step as soon as you can.
4. How will you know if you’re reaching your goals? If you’ve been fairly thorough with your SMART goal setting, then you’ll have worked through how you’ll measure success. A wall chart, or tick in a diary will help you measure whether you’ve stuck to the goal of drinking 2 litres of water a day. But think about the broader benefits too – the bigger picture. How will you expect to feel if you’re fully hydrated? What differences will you notice? Check in with yourself on a regular basis to see whether you’re noticing a change. If you consciously acknowledge the benefits of your hard work, then you’re more likely to stick to it.
If you’ve been struggling with setting yourself some goals for this fresh new year, hopefully this will kick start the thinking process for you. If you want to find out whether an appointment with me will help, just give me a shout – I can have a quick chat with you to help you decide whether it’s worth your while getting a helping hand!
Happy New Year lovely people! xx