New Year, New You - Making Change That Lasts

Author: Cheryl Jones-Reardon

Source: ezinearticles.com



The holidays are behind us and a new year full of blessings lies ahead! The hibernation we experience during the winter months creates the perfect space to quietly prepare for change in the New Year. What does "new year, new you" mean to you? Do you wish to lose weight? Get fit? Sleep better? Reduce stress? Simplify?

There are a few things you need to consider as you prepare to make the lifestyle changes that will help you achieve your health goals. You'll need to first identify what your optimal state of health and wellness looks like. You can make a list, a drawing, or a collage so that you can see your vision on paper. Then put this in a highly visible place as a daily reminder of your intentions.

Try to stand on the scale or before the mirror in a place of self-acceptance, even if you are busting out of your jeans! I realize this sounds crazy but it's important. It's more common to look at our bodies with disgust, loathing, and even hatred, focusing on what's wrong rather than what's right. Even if you are overweight or managing an illness, your body continues to perform amazing feats every day. Identify the situations, moods, thoughts, or people that trigger harmful behaviors. This requires mindfulness of both our internal and external environments. Practicing an "attitude of gratitude" will help you attract blessings into your life.

Believe in yourself! In order to make the changes you are envisioning you must believe that you have the ability to accomplish your health goals. This can be a challenge if you have failed in the past. However, it is imperative that you believe that in this moment you have the capacity to succeed. Remember, whatever state your body is in now is impermanent. You may wish to create a mantra, affirmation, or positive statement to help rebuild your self-efficacy.

Think about how you will reward yourself to reinforce your changes. Try to come up with rewards that involve acts of self-care like treating yourself to bodywork such as a massage, facial, or reflexology session. Other ideas might be an aromatherapy candle, book, CD, meditation cushion, or body lotion. When you achieve a significant goal perhaps you can give yourself a day at a spa or retreat center.

Based on past experience and present moment awareness you will get to know yourself better. This self-knowledge will help you practice a higher level of self-care that eventually you'll do with more ease.

Be careful of the "turning over a new leaf" mentality. For changes to last, we must practice a new behavior, attitude, or way of thinking for 3-6 months. Statistics show that most people who crash diet or participate in intense exercise programs relapse after six months. Remember, the key to making lifelong change is to take small steps. We may not be able to control what life presents us with, but we always have control over how we manage ourselves. One breath, one choice at a time, we inch our way to an optimal state of health and well-being.

Cheryl Jones-Reardon, holds a Master's degree in Exercise Science from the University of Connecticut and a Certificate in Spirituality from Saint Joseph College. She has completed extensive training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Cheryl is a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Health Careers at Manchester Community College. She presents wellness programs for a number of local hospitals and has a private practice as a fitness and wellness coach in South Windsor, CT.
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How to Tell If Your New Year's Resolution is Doomed to Fail

Author: Anke Johnson

Source: ezinearticles.com



In more ways than one, New Year's Resolutions are a flash in the pan, but they don't have to be. For the media, who go "Top Ten" Resolution list crazy, it will continue to be just a burst of activity, but for people who really want to keep their New Year's Resolutions, the odds are strongly against them.

Why? There are really only two reasons why the failure rate is so high for accomplishing Resolutions. And regrettably an informal survey of recent New Year's Resolution tip articles and blog posts shows that these reasons are not well known nor communicated effectively to those who want to know.

The first reason the failure rate of New Year's Resolutions is so high is simply the choice of resolution. Simply put, people are poor when it comes to choosing Resolutions. Most don't slow down enough to give their choice careful consideration and reflection. A popular approach is to look at the aforementioned Top Ten Resolution Tip list and pick one or two. Thing is, when you distill goals and personal changes to lists, you end up with broad categories.

Categories are too broad for people to connect with on an emotional level. For example, lose weight to too vague to be meaningful. Getting specific helps a lot, e.g. lose 15 pounds by March 31. Now you've got something you can carve into steps and begin to tackle!

Adding rewards and consequences also help define the Resolution further and tie it to a person's emotions and sub-conscious. Using our weight loss example, a reward couple be purchasing some nice fitting new clothes. A consequence could be donating $20 to charity for every pound you missed by.

The second reason people fail to keep their New Year's Resolutions is skill. Believe it or not there is a process all people go through when making personal changes. Many people are aware of the stages of grief, anger, denial, and so on. Well, personal changes entails a scientifically proven process that is very similar.

Since nearly everyone is unaware of the personal change process, how can they be any good it? The answer is nearly everyone isn't. You have to understand the process, develop skill with the process and incorporate accountability into the process. So how can you reverse things and stack the odds of attaining your New Year's Resolution in your favor?

First, attune your goal to your deeper-seated emotional wants and needs. Doing so should make an immense difference. Second, reach out to discover and apply the proven personal change methods. Don't go at it alone so to speak!

Self-help and goal setting books offer some guidelines, but they are a dime a dozen and it's difficult for a layperson to know what's good stuff and what isn't. Professionals like life coaches and psychologists and wellness coaches generally have training and experience in guiding people through personal changes. Personal trainers have no to very little training in this regard, but good ones have a track record of helping people with fitness and weight loss goals.

As you can see, there's a lot more to successfully keeping a New Year's Resolution thank people think or are aware of. Taking this advice on making and keeping Resolutions to heart and doing just a couple things differently should make a huge difference for you in 2010.

Best of luck to you!

Anke Johnson is a practicing health and wellness coach. On New Year's Day 2010 she is launching Resolution Velcro, a coaching program designed to help people make better and more meaningful New Year's Resolutions - and keep them. http://www.resolutionvelcro.com

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Jump-Start Your New Year's Resolutions

Author: Sheryl Matthews

Source: ezinearticles.com



With the holiday frenzy upon us, New Year's resolutions are about the last thing most people have on their minds. But face it, tagging along right behind Thanksgiving and Christmas is a new year. For most people it is a dismal time of year. The celebrating is over, vacation from work or school has past, and the weather is bleak. The majority have overate and overspent. This does not have to be a time of despair. Why not get a jump-start on your New Year's Resolutions and be ahead of the game. Here are three ideas you will want to try.

First, you will reinvent your resolution. You may be one of the few who come up with a new resolution each year, but for most of us, we have the same one. We start out gangbusters with our goal and too soon fizzle out. This year can be different. By reinventing, we acknowledge that the resolution is important to us and it is not something that we will just ignore because we have failed to stick with it in the past. An example of reinventing a resolution to lose weight would be: I am going to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into my diet. If getting organized is on your list, you might say: I am going to remodel my office space. Make it an optimistic statement and one that you can look forward to.

Second, you will design a formal plan. This is a fun project. You need to envision exactly what you want to accomplish. Brainstorm for creative ideas. Visit your local library or do research online. Then make a portfolio of your plan. This can be as simple as a one-page report, or as elaborate as a file complete with pictures, articles, or list of resources to refer to. Keep this plan accessible. You may not wish to have it posted for everyone to see, but designate a symbolic object that represents the resolution that you can touch or see. Tie a yellow ribbon on your key chain to represent yellow bananas or carry a paperclip in your pocket to represent office files.

Third, set definite dates to reward yourself. Circle those dates on the calendar and consider them days to celebrate. Allow a budget to follow through with the reward. A resolution to lose weight could be celebrated with a shopping day to purchase a new outfit or an airline ticket to vacation at a beach resort! Staying organized could be celebrated with purchasing a new desk or a new computer accessory.

Now your resolutions are success-oriented. Because they are fun and obtainable, you are probably anxious to get started. No need to wait till the New Year, get a jump-start now!

Sheryl A. Matthews writes about family life, health, and relationships. She has a degree in Business Education and has experience in a wide range of career fields including military and government personnel, health and childcare. At present, she is owner of Sanneco, a home-based business featuring products for better living. You can visit her website at http://www.Netwonderland.com or comment on her blog at http://www.blogster.com/familyties.

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