As we begin the new year, it is natural and healthy to reflect upon what has happened and what we have accomplished in the last year. It is also natural to think about how we want to live the year ahead. Most people have a sense that they want to live better in various aspects of their lives: physical, emotional, spiritual, professional.
At Canberra Spine Centre we recognize that these different aspects of our lives are all connected. Each aspect exists synergistically with the others. Our goal is to help you move closer toward your goal of living a really healthy and happy life.
7 Healthy New Year’s Resolution Tips to Live By
To that end we are offering these New Year’s resolution tips.
- Clear your conscience: Nothing is healthier than a clear conscience. Life is complex and difficult to live. We all make mistakes. If those mistakes are left unresolved, they stay with us and form an unhealthy background noise that, over time, will unbalance every other aspect of our lives. At Canberra Spine Centre, we are not in the business of managing your personal life, but we understand that if you have deep rooted problems in the core of your life, those problems will be reflected in the other aspects of your life. So we would be remiss to not recommend that you strive to live as with a clear conscience. How to get started? Two basic rules: treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. If you haven’t done that recently, apologize and make good as quickly as possible (it’s never too late!)
- Make your goals manageable: It is better to make small achievable goals and reach them, than to make many huge goals and fail. Achieving success with your small goals sets up a pattern of success, making you more likely to do it again – sound good? If your life is already complicated enough, then do yourself a favour and keep your new goals realistic and achievable.
- Make a plan to keep your goals: Goals without plans are almost sure to fail. You need to set a plan into place to help you get to that goal. Determine what steps need to be taken and do something toward that goal every day. Write these steps down so that you don’t forget or lose track of them.
- Keep a record of your progress: It is very easy to lose track of your progress in the routine of day-to-day living. If you keep a record, then you can look back at your progress and see how successful or unsuccessful you were. When you keep track of things, you become more accountable. For example, even the simple act of taking photos of each meals helps people more effectively lose weight.
- Break your goal up into steps: Your final goal may seem to be too big and hard to attain. You may get discouraged and give up. However, if you divide that big goal into a series of smaller goals or steps, you will be able to focus on each sub-goal individually. This will help prevent overwhelm and to stay on track.
- Make the sub-goals very concrete, measureable, and time-based: It is hard to know when you reach an amorphous goal. Goals should be specific and clear. It should be easily measured, so that you will know when you reach it. Avoid fuzzy language and make it clear and measureable. Give yourself a time limit to add motivation and to keep yourself moving forward.
- Reward yourself for success: Most people are too self-critical. It is easier to feel bad about our failures than to appreciate our successes. Try to balance this tendency by rewarding yourself for your achievements. This is where keeping track of your progress in reaching your sub-goals is essential. Don’t wait too long, either. Find a way to reward yourself early and often. If possible, try to make these rewards healthy and supportive of your ultimate goal, but if you want to indulge yourself a little, that is ok sometimes, just be sure to get back on track. Don’t get derailed by your own rewards.
Have a Happy, Healthy, and Constantly Improving New Year!
Let the professionals at Canberra Spine Centre be part of your strategy to reach your goals by letting them aid in keeping your physical-self happy and functioning well.