life coach: 6 NEW YEAR RESETS THAT ARE TOTALLY DO-ABLE
WANT TO MAKE THIS YEAR DIFFERENT? THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL CHANGE IS TO START SMALL.
So in saying that, here are six resolutions that are totally do-able.
1. Resolve to spend more time offline
Health researchers are predicting that the next major epidemic could be loneliness.
Studies have found that social isolation is associated with poor sleep, elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol and increased rates of mortality. “Connecting with others is important for well-being and helps build resilience to overcome obstacles,” says certified coach and registered nurse Callie Bland.
Schedule social interactions that will help you connect with people in real ways – and Facebook doesn’t count. Plan a monthly dinner club with a few close friends or schedule a weekly phone call with a family member who lives out of town. “Whatever it is, you need to schedule it into your life,” says Bland. “If it isn’t in your schedule, it’s not a priority.”
2. Cook food from scratch
The simplest way to control your weight is to eat more home-cooked meals made from whole ingredients, says Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, medical director of the Bariatric Institute in Ottawa. “There is probably nothing more straightforward than markedly reducing meals out, packing lunches every single day and avoiding the processed food aisle,” he says, adding that meals made with whole ingredients such as lean meats, fruits and vegetables will almost certainly have lower calorie counts than processed and pre-made foods.
3. Get outside every day
Dr. Viegas recommends heading outdoors to be mindful and to
reconnect with yourself and nature, but the benefits don’t end there. Being outside ensures that you get a dose of vitamin D from sunlight, encourages you to keep up your workout a little longer (a trail is so much more motivating than a treadmill!) and helps keep your circadian rhythms in check so that you sleep well at night. Research also shows that exercising outdoors boosts
mental health.
4. Quit the destructive habits
We’re creatures of habit, but some of those habits are unproductive and even downright destructive. Wonder if that three-glass-a-night wine habit is bad for you? Bland says to ask yourself how satisfied you are with your well-being afterward. Are you energized? Do you feel more relaxed? Rate how you feel from one to 10, and be honest. The way you rate your daily activities may surprise you. For some people, a weekend Netflix binge might be restorative, while for others, waking up at the crack of dawn for gym workouts could be leaving them feeling drained all day long. You might just find it’s time to make a change that’s healthier for you.
5. Meditate more – or start meditating
Meditating is quickly becoming one of the more popular 2018 resolutions people make. “Self-reflection is really about asking questions in a non-judgmental way to learn and move forward,” explains Bland. Unfortunately, for many of us, when we think back to the things we’ve done, we end up merely ruminating, going over the same things again and again. But Bland says that the capacity to self-reflect improves with practice and is a skill that needs to be developed.
Set aside a few minutes at the end of each day to ask yourself these questions:
• What was I grateful for today?
• What triggered or frustrated me?
• How was I feeling?
•
Did I satisfy the needs and values
I wanted to?
•
What would I do differently going forward?
When we learn to be self-reflective, we develop compassion for ourselves. “It shifts us away from being robots and into whole human beings who are able to connect with ourselves,” says Bland.
6. Be more productive
Set aside a couple of hours a week to turn off your phone and email notifications and work on a personal goal. Whether you spend Sunday afternoons doing meal prep to adopt healthier eating habits or take some time to read a few chapters in a book that will help you with a career objective, Bland says that an important aspect of well-being is to focus on one project at a time and be fully present – this ability to focus enhances performance and productivity. “In this day and age, we’re constantly being distracted by devices, and that holds us back from achieving our goals because we’re like ping-pong balls bouncing from one thing to the next,” she says. Putting all your attention toward a single task is a skill that your brain needs to redevelop.
{Source: Best Health Mag}
