It’s that time of year already! Resolutions are being made across the globe and people believe they have a clean slate once again. As we prepare to embark on our journeys of 2016, the Functional Health team would like to share some helpful and “health-ful” tips!
As it turns out, setting goals is the easy part. Working to ensure you succeed in accomplishing them tends to be more of a challenge. Determining what aspects in your life are most worth focusing on is a great first step. Here are 3 areas in which most everyone could use some improvement:
1. Nutrition – We’ve all heard the saying, you are what you eat. It’s important to make a conscious effort to avoid excess sugar intake, to choose food with more nutritional value and to opt for home-cooked meals over takeout. Little changes can make a big difference.
2. Exercise – You don’t have go to the gym 7 days a week to lead an active lifestyle. Just try to dedicate at least 30 minutes a day to increasing your heart rate. Whether it’s going for a brisk walk, trying a spin class or playing a sport. Just tell yourself to get up, get out and go!
3. Mindset – Your mental well-being is just as important as your physical health. It’s important to find time to relax, take a step back and breathe a little deeper. Whether it’s listening to music or meditating, find something that puts your mind at ease.
Transitioning from what to how.
Now that we’ve helped to identify what areas of change are worth committing to, here are tips on ways to best accomplish the individual and specific goals you’ll set for yourself. There are definitely ways to better set yourself up for success and these are at the top of the list:
1. Little By Little – By doing things slowly but surely, your new healthy habits are more likely to stick. If you try to take on too much at once, you’ll become overwhelmed, stressed and frustrated. What matters most is that you are heading in the right direction, not the speed at which you’re traveling.
2. Details Matter – The more specific you can be with your goals, the more likely you’ll be to complete them. Creating a clear definition of the task at hand usually makes it easier to develop a strategic plan of attack. The first step to getting what you want is knowing what you want.
3. Support Is Key – When you have people cheering you on or other individuals who hold you accountable, you are more likely to follow through. Having a strong and positive support system is important in every aspect of your life, especially when it comes to your health (mind, body and soul).
4. Do Your Homework – There’s no denying it. Your health is an investment – an investment you want to make wisely. Throwing money away on the latest trends or easiest options is not the answer. Make sure to do your research to ensure whatever route you choose to take has a trusted and proven track record.
So the next time you set some new goals for yourself, at New Year’s or any other time of year, please keep these pointers in mind. At Functional Health Centers, we want everyone to succeed in making this world a healthier, happier place.
And if you have specific, healthy goal-setting questions, why not ask us? We’re always here and happy to help!