Big Changes Start Small
Hi there and Happy New Year!
There is something special about a New Year. It’s a new month, new beginning, new mindset, new focus, new start and new intentions. It’s full of hope and promise.
A lot of people begin the New Year by making resolutions. We’ve all been there. We make a promise to lose weight, exercise more, cut down on alcohol or spend more quality time with family. We start the year with great intentions, but then we quickly relapse into old habits. Why is it so hard to stick to those New Year’s resolutions?
For some of us, 2017 was a great year of health, wellness, enjoyment and fulfilment. Sadly, for others, this eluded them yet again. The reality is unless you do something you’ve never done, you are going to get what you’ve always got. A bit like Einstein’s definition of insanity;
“Doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.”
To get new results you have to be open and willing to try something new. If you are sick and tired of nothing changing then take some action. So many of us make the mistake of embarking on a total life overhaul and then after a short time lose motivation or run out of steam and end up feeling hopeless and more overwhelmed. The key is starting small.
Below is a list of some small, simple things you can do today to improve your health; and when put into practice consistently will transform your wellness.
Top 5 Healthy Habits:
1. Move More. There is no superfood or ‘pill’ with as much holistic benefit for wellbeing as movement. Just 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day will offer you massive benefits for both your body and mind. Maximise your success by doing an activity that keeps you motivated, interested and that you enjoy. Consistency is the key. Some is better than none and more is better than less!
2. Drink More Water. Not only will you feel better, you will look better and perform better. Many of us do not drink enough. There is a simple formula .04 x weight (kg) will give you an idea of how much you should be consuming each day in litres. More than you think and you will need to drink more than this is you are exercising. You will know if you have consumed enough throughout the day because your urine will be clear or straw-coloured.
3. Ditch the Diet. They don’t work and can in fact harm our health. A healthier approach to weight management is to not diet but to realise our body wants us to be healthy and comfortable. Strive for plenty of fresh, colourful and unprocessed food. Ideally we should be aiming to eat 5 serves of vegetables per day and around 2 serves of fruit. Combining this with lean protein, legumes, wholegrains, nuts and seeds makes an excellent choice.
4. Go to Bed Earlier. Sleep affects our mental and physical health enormously. It assists our ability to function well and make good decisions throughout the day. Lack of sleep is a very common problem for ‘busy women’. We need to be aiming for between 7 – 9 hours each night. Research suggests that for sufficient deep, restorative sleep we should be in bed no later than 10:30pm.
5. Practise Gratitude. When we are ‘busy’ it is easy for us to get bogged down, complain a lot and feel sorry for ourselves. Being grateful can put us in a very different state of mind. Taking some time out to be mindful of things we are grateful for (big or small) can really help us appreciate what we have. Start a new ritual of writing down or saying out loud each day three things you are grateful for. Watch your perspective change.
So rather than ‘eating the elephant’ start by breaking it all down into small, manageable and bite sized chunks. Build with baby steps. If you start to doubt yourself, remember that this year has never happened before. It is a blank slate. A fresh start. Make it exactly what you want and don’t look back.
Wishing you a healthy and happy start to the New Year. x