As we head into the new year, let’s move past making resolutions and work towards forming long-term, healthy habits which start with establishing healthy goals. For me, this means not only getting in my daily to-do’s, but also ensuring I prioritize keeping my muscles strong and healthy. Now that I’m 57, I realize the importance of limiting alcohol, reducing toxins, eating organic and exercising daily.
So maybe this year, rather than focusing on objectives that we may never be able to achieve, let’s think attainable goals that will make us proud. Here are a couple of ideas to get you started.
Instead of overhauling your entire diet, buy one new fruit or vegetable every time you go grocery shopping. Pick one that is in season and then experiment with a new recipe and have some fun.
Sign up for a fitness class that fits your schedule. Set your alarm, ink that class in and show up with no excuses. An expert’s guidance can help you keep your goals in check so find a wellness coach who will motivate you to be your best!
Practice self-care every day. Start by journaling, meditating, or stretching for just 5-10 minutes. Practice positive self-talk and remind yourself that you are worthy of love and respect from everyone around you.
Pick a number of hours to read every month, not a number of books. You may smash that goal in one snowy weekend or find that you can carve out a little quiet time every night to read that novel you’ve bought last year. Starting with small amounts of time makes it doable and gives you room to build up as it becomes a habit.
To say this has been a hard year for all of us is, quite frankly, the understatement of understatements. Like so many people that I speak with every day, we are all looking for a fresh start in the new year. But promising to break old habits, and replace them with new, healthy habits can be its own source of anxiety - especially when we call them “Resolutions!”
I recently did a survey with our clients asking, “If you could go back 10 years, which bio-hack or health tip would you recommend to yourself?”
Here are a few of the responses that I received:
Rest and maintain boundaries. Start doing breathing exercises and take a daily cold shower. Fast on a regular basis. Stop eating sugar and white flour. Go gluten-free. Eat healthy and treat your body like a temple. Remove all metal amalgams and work on heavy metal toxicity. Don’t microwave food in plastic containers. Focus on getting off prescription medication. Listen to those inner voices and remove toxic people from your life. Never wear new clothes before washing them. Invest in thermography to learn about what’s happening inside my body. Get more sunshine, take vitamins and pay attention to sleep quality. My favorite of them all - laugh every single day!
I believe that knowledge is power and having the power to be the best version of yourself is the best power of them all. I hope this helps you go after your goals with a renewed sense of vitality and excitement.
I'll leave you with this quote because there's so much truth in it: “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” Zig Ziglar