Got Resolutions?

    I always look forward to the New Year, and often create goals for myself that I hope will make my life healthier, happier and easier.  This year is no exception, but rather than jump into major changes I decided to reflect a bit about where I would like to see improvements and how to achieve them.

As I was thinking I began to notice that while popular media abounds with advice and advertisements for programs to create "our best selves" most of these only focus on one sphere of health.  At this time of year the majority are even more limited, focusing on physical appearance and weight loss only.  While achieving a healthy weight can be a great start to health and wellness, it is not enough.  Many will find that losing weight without examining the other social and emotional factors that promoted and sustained unhealthy eating will only regain their weight over time.

I would like to suggest that true health and wellness has 4 distinct and overlapping spheres, and thinking about, and setting goals in all 4 areas will help us achieve the sense of wellbeing we desire.  The first is the most obvious and the one we all focus on first, our physical health.   I will start this year's blog posts with some thoughts about this sphere. 

The second and third spheres are often lumped into one area but are truely two- mental health and spiritual health.  I think of these two as representing our personal moods and our connections to others and to a greater purpose.  I will try to post on these topics throughout the year.

The last sphere, and the one most often neglected in the popular media, is financial health.  I often use money as an equivalent to time and without adequate resources of either, it often becomes nearly impossible to make the changes needed in the other spheres.  My resolution for this blog is to offer advice that is cost effective and respectful of the busy lives we all lead.

So, as you think about changes you would like to make in 2013 keep all 4 spheres of health in mind and remember that not every change needs to begin on January 1st.   Start with easy to achieve changes and move onto harder stuff as the year progresses.  My hope with this blog is to provide strategies to assist us all along the way. 

Happy New Year!

Bringing Resolutions into Action

Resolutions are great, but without a doable plan of action they are at best just great ideas or at worst a tattered wish list posted on the fridge. So what can we do to turn aspirations into actions? We need to be SMART.

The concept of SMART goals has been around for quite some time. The acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Action, Realistic and Time sensitive. Smart goal setting can allow forward progress when a resolution is starting to look like just a great daydream.

One of my goals this year is to get all my digital stuff together. So how do I turn this resolution into an action plan?

Specific: First I need to decide what I exactly want to do. Since I have photos and music spread between multiple computers my resolution becomes "move all digital files onto one computer and one back up device".

Measurable: This is pretty clear. One computer and one portable hard drive. All music and photo files.

Action: I have broken my goal into smaller steps that will make it easier to get done including -buy a back up device, -spend one hour 2-3 times a week moving and sorting through files, -back final files up on portable hard drive.

Realistic: The usual criteria here is to set a goal that you feel has at least a 70% chance of successful completion. So, yeah, I can do this.

Time sensitive: This has two parts. The first is figuring out and setting aside the time needed to do the actions your goal entails and the second, if needed, is setting a time for completion. I plan to spend 1-2 hours a week on my digital organization project and will shoot for a finish date of the end of March. That may seem like a lot of time but we are talking about thousands of photos and songs. If the time involved becomes overwhelming I could always split my goal in half and just focus on organizing the photos or the music.

Now you maybe thinking "what does this have to do with me? My stuff is perfectly organized". Well SMART goals can be used to translate any goal or resolution into an action plan. Eat healthier can become eat a piece of fruit in the afternoon and snack on cut up vegetables while cooking dinner. Get more exercise can become walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes on Tuesday and Thursday and take an hour spin class on Sunday morning.

Studies have reported that 25% of New Year's resolutions are broken in the first week. So as we head into 2012's third week think back to those resolutions and turn them into action plans. What have you got to lose?

Got Resolutions?

I love a new year. Starting with a fresh calendar and good intentions is my equivalent of pushing a reset button. The excuses and missed opportunities of the last year are history. The holiday goodies are finally gone. Time to get it right. So what can we do to make sure those good intentions don't get abandoned before the Valentine's Day candy is on the shelves?

These 5 suggestions may help:

1. Write it down: Posting your goals in areas where you will see them frequently can be subtle reminders to stay on track. Several studies have also shown that keeping a log of food intake and/or activity can help you stay honest. A log also lets you see how far you have come as well as serve as a resource for identifying what is and isn't working in your wellness plan. There are lots of great logs available online, in print and as Apps for your smartphone. I love looking back over my fitness log on Beginner Triathlete. When I am feeling lazy it helps me to get out the door and I try to improve on something-days of exercise, running pace, miles ridden-every year.

2. Start with small steps: Losing 20 pounds or running a road race is a big undertaking. Breaking things into small doable stages allows an initial weekly goal of running for 5 or 10 minutes build into a completed 5K after several weeks or months. Substituting a piece of fruit for that afternoon candy snack can add up to real pounds lost over time.

3. Involve others: Going public means accountability. Having an exercise buddy waiting at the gym may help you stick with your exercise goals. Group weight loss programs have a long track record of success and online communities can accommodate busy schedules. Letting others provide support and encouragement will get you past those days when you think eating healthy is not worth the effort.

4. Commit some cash: Hire a trainer to come to your home or design a workout for you at the gym. Not only does spending money provide motivation but a trainer will keep you on track. Foster a little friendly competition by pooling some cash every week with friends or family members. The person achieving their weekly goals keeps the cash. Sometimes having a little skin in the game can keep you in the game.

5. Reward success: Give yourself credit for your successes. Periodic rewards can provide motivation when your goals seem distant. A massage after a month of workouts or a new music download for a pound lost is a great way to say "good job". Just be sure your rewards don't undermine your efforts.

So what am I doing? I've registered for a St Patrick's 5K to keep me running. I will continue to log onto Beginner Triathlete daily. And my favorite- I am on a 4 person team participating in a fitness and weight loss challenge through Quick-2-Fit at Body Natural Fitness Center. We start January 16th. It's going to hit all 5 of my suggestions. I can't wait to start.