It has been two short weeks since the start of the new year. Two short weeks since you promised yourself you would learn to love kale salads, commit to going to bed early and finally learn how to work those intimidating machines at the gym. Have you?
Blue Monday, the day that is deemed the most depressing day of the year due to broken resolutions, cold weather and seasonal debt, falls on January 15th this year. If you are feeling the gloom setting in, don’t fret – it’s not too late to press reset on your health-related resolutions. Here are some tips:
1. Start Small
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Adequate sleep, healthy eating and exercise are healthy choices that becomehealthy habits with enough practice. So start by making small healthy choices every day, such as choosing to drink one more glass of water every morning or taking a five minute walk at lunch.
2. Set SMART Goals
Resolutions can seem like goals, but they often lack the necessary strategy to get you moving. Re-evaluate your resolutions and turn them into SMART goals, meaning:
- Specific – what are you going to do?
- Measurable – how often are you going to do it, or to what end?
- Achievable – is it realistic?
- Relevant – why do you want to do it, and/or how will it change your life?
- Time-bound – what is your deadline?
For example, instead of saying “I’m going to work out more”, say “I will commit to 30-60 minutes of activity 2-3 times a week for the next six months, in order to increase my level of energy and feel healthy”.
3. Have a Reward System
Because we don’t often see immediate results from changes to our healthy habits, rewards can be an important tool to keep you motivated in the meantime. Whenever you reach an important milestone, reward yourself with something that makes you feel good – just try to make it something that doesn’t work too much against your goals and efforts.
4. Forgive Yourself
If you are like most people, breaking resolutions will make you stress out and feel guilty – which actually works against you. Stress is unhealthy for both your body and your mind. If you have a bad week where it feels like you have worked against your progress, just take a deep breath, reset and try to put it in perspective. You will have many more weeks until the year is over. Each week is a fresh opportunity to try.
Your Chiropractor Can Help
Your chiropractor is trained to do more than diagnose and treat injuries. Your DC (Doctor of Chiropractic) can also give you nutritional advice and whole-body wellness strategies in conjunction with your chiropractic treatment.
Students on the road to becoming DCs will receive classes in physiology, biochemistry and nutrition as part of the core curriculum. Your chiropractor can be an excellent resource to assist you in your quest for healthy choices and better all-around health.