Stay on track with your New Year Health and Wellness Goals

Most of us begin the New Year bursting with resolutions full of hope, determination and grand visions of what we can achieve over the next 52 weeks. But, by the time we hit February (if not earlier), we fall back into old routines and habits and see the resolutions go out the window. If this sounds like you, you’re definitely not alone. Many people have trouble sticking to their goals for more than a couple of weeks and it’s hard to come across someone who has flawlessly committed to their new goals for the entirety of the year. Despite this, there are a number of ways to increase your chances of a sustained successful year (and life) of health and wellness.

Here’s some tips to realign yourself and stay on track with your New Year goals:

• Let your family and friends know your goals for the New Year. This way, you will be much more likely to stick to them and will have external sources to hold you accountable.

• Find a partner for your journey – this person might be a friend or colleague with like-minded goals. Or perhaps a coach to add value and knowledge to your journey, like your physiotherapist who can provide tailored personal training services. It is much easier to keep on top of your new habits if you feel like you are not alone and there is someone else along for the ride as well.

• Plan, plan, plan! Organisation is key! If everything is prepared and ready to go, staying committed to your goals will seem like a breeze. It becomes hard work when we don’t have things planned and the easy way out is to fall back into our bad habits.

• Create a schedule. This will avoid the very common excuses like, “I don’t have time”.  If you have a hard copy and evidence of scheduled time for meal preparation or exercise, you are much more likely to stick to it. It is very easy to avoid things if they are not recorded anywhere; it’s like they never existed.

• Be patient - Experts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity to become a habit and six months for it to become part of your personality. It won’t happen overnight, so be persistent and patient!

• Recommit yourself as many times as necessary. Be prepared for some setbacks! No one is perfect and it is very unlikely that every day will be one of faultlessness. Try not to be too hard on yourself or get too disheartened if you run out of steam and have a bad day or a bad week. Refresh and start again the next day.

• Have everything ready before you need to – for example, if you are setting your alarm to get up early for exercise, have all your workout clothes ready and laid out beside your bed.

• Be opening to modifying your goals. If you discover that the original ones you set are too hard to stick to, there is no harm in changing them to reflect more realistic and achievable objectives.

• Reflect. Look at the things you have achieved and celebrate them!

Back In Motion practices offer a range of services over and above physiotherapy, including personal training and our unique long term health and wellness plan, Results4Life®. Speak with your local practice about how we can aid you to get back on track with your New Year’s health and wellness resolutions.