Hi Everyone!  Happy New Year to you!!

I hope that you had a lovely holiday time and you have been tackling the new year with lots of motivation and energy, especially when it comes to matters of your health and wellness.

There are two times of the year when people take stock of their health:

1) Their Birthday

2) At the New Year

Both are times when people reflect on the year past and see where they are and assess whether or not they are happy with that or if they need to make changes.

This is why, especially a couple of weeks into the new year, it’s very relevant for us to discuss the resolutions you made on Jan 1, 2011 and if you are keeping them.

Did you make a New Years Resolution this year?

If you did and it had to do with your health it’s probably on the list of the Big 3:

1) Lose Weight / Eat Better

2) Stop Smoking

3) Be More Active

Chances are, that even with the best of intentions, when we are only 2 weeks into the new year, you have started to slip on the resolution you made.

If you have, don’t beat yourself up…..this is extremely common.  I’m going to give you some tips today to help you stick with your decision to be healthier this year and follow through so that 2011 can be a healthier and happier year for you.

Consider this:

Your health status today is the sum result of every decision that you have made leading up to today.  You can change the next 6 to 12 months of your life by make ONE decision today.

When you make a decision to change your habits to improve your health, there are a few things to consider that will help you to follow through:

1) Have a Plan:

If you begin the journey to better health impulsively, just because it’s Jan 1st with no plan as to how you are going to achieve new habits and better health, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.  It is well documented that setting goals and laying out a plan as to how you will achieve the goals will increase the likelihood that you will get there.

Write down your goals.  Once you go through the physical action of writing them down and making them real somewhere outside your own mind, they are more likely to come to fruition.  Put your written goals somewhere you can see them everyday to remind you of what you are trying to achieve and to keep you moving toward your healthier future.

Visualize what your life will look like when you have achieved the goals that you have set for yourself.  So if you want to lose 20 pounds, imagine what that will feel like, what you will look like in the mirror, how other people will react to you, what clothes you will wear, what your energy level will be like.  Your subconscious mind works in pictures, so if you give it visual images of your future with your goal achieved, it will work hard to lead you in that direction.

Find your ‘WHY’. If I were to ask you why you want to quit smoking and you replied: “Because it’s bad for me”…..that’s not a real ‘WHY’.  Pretty much everyone knows that smoking isn’t good for you.  You need to dig deep and find the important reason WHY you want to change your bad habit.  So if you replied instead: “Because I want to set a good example for my children so they don’t take up smoking in their lives and put their health at risk”…..now that is a WHY that has some weight.  That’s a WHY worth changing your bad habit for.  When you find your ‘WHY’, you will be more likely to follow through with your decision to be healthier.

If you are looking for a great resource on goal setting and changing your mindset to better achieve your dreams, check out my friend PJ McClure’s site at www.themindsetmaven.com.

2) Expect Setbacks:

Most people will try something repeatedly before they achieve success.  If you go into the process assuming it will be easy and that you won’t have any stumbles or setbacks, you are once again setting yourself up for disappointment.

Some people have the idea that if they ‘mess up’ then they are done for the year and they have to wait until next January 1 to try again.  Expect that you are going to have some difficulties and so when one shows up, you can recognize that it’s a minor blip, forgive yourself, and get back on track.

3) Find a Friend / Support System:

Find a friend or a family member or a mentor or a health professional that can support you as you make changes to be healthier.  You will have people to hold you accountable to your goals as well as to support you if you slip or stumble.

Studies show that if there is one key person in your life who will really support you as you change your habits, you are much more likely to succeed.

4) Believe You Can Do It!:

Motivation / Inspiration is a state, not a trait…which means, if you don’t feel motivated or inspired, just get moving toward your goal.  As soon as you do, you will start to feel motivated and inspired.  Your subconscious mind is a powerful motivator and a powerful healer.  If you believe that you can do it, you can grab on to good health and make this year the best yet for your health and wellness.

When you live a year of bad habits, it can take up to 10 years off of your life.  If you make a decision today to change your habits and live good habits for 30 days, you can add a year to your life.

Make 2011 the year when you start adding years by adding better habits and better health.  If you have made a resolution to be healthier this year, make a decision today to stick with it and follow through so that 2011 is your healthiest and happiest year yet!

Live Well,

Peggy

ps.  Watch my blog in the coming weeks as I’m going to challenge all of you to walk with me for 21 days as I help you to create a new habit of better health.  Remember that many times the only difference between people who make successful changes to their habits and those who don’t is the support and connection of other people.  I’m here to help you.  Stay tuned…

Dr. Peggy Malone is a Chiropractor and an Athlete who helps other athletes to overcome injury and get back to their sport. She also inspires patients from all walks of life to take control of their health to be as happy and as healthy as they can be.

A former varsity Basketball and Rugby player, she has since entered the world of endurance athletics where she has completed 2 Ironman Triathlons, 3 Marathons, several Half Marathons and many other Triathlons, Road Races and Off-Road Adventure races of varying distances.

Her own athletic endeavors and injuries have given her valuable insight into working with athletes in her practice for both the care of injuries as well as for the improvement of athletic performance.