Six Guidelines to Meet your New Year Health Goals
To meet your new year health goals, here are six guidelines that we use in our clinics with every injury and can also be applied to a successful and healthy start to 2017.
1. Set SMART Goals
Goals need to be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and (have a) Timeframe. Be specific, use objectives. To drop a jean size in six weeks or similarly to be able to run for thirty minutes consecutively would be classed as a SMART goal.
2. One Step at a Time
Long term results do not come overnight. Expecting massive changes over a short period of time is a cardinal reason people lose hope or desire. We are creatures of habit and must get into the habit of exercising and making better choices on a daily basis.
3. Listen to Your Body
Pain is the body’s way of telling you there is something not quite right. In clinical terms, pain may be present due to a muscular, joint, tendon or nerve issue. Part of the role of Physiotherapists here in PhysioCare is to find the reason why you have pain. Once the source of pain is found, it can be addressed and dealt with. Don’t let it progress, get it assessed by our Chartered Physiotherapists and get a treatment plan to get back on track.
4. Sleep
Sleep is a vital components of health and wellbeing. Poor sleep and inadequate rest leads to fatigue, moodiness and a lack of mental clarity. Tips for good sleeping patterns would be to settle down an hour before bed:
– Switching off all electronics an hour before bed-time
– Avoiding caffeine after 6 o’clock
– Avoid eating late at night
5. Water
Reduced water intake is correlated with constipation, urinary tract infection and chronic conditions. Not to mention tiredness, concentration difficulties and headaches. The intake of water also helps prevent weight gain by aiding the control of calorie intake. If you are thirsty you are already beginning to get dehydrated. As a general rule of thumb it is advisable to:
– Keep a water bottle close by and refill once empty
– Water can be gained through the intake of tea, coffee and water plentiful fruit and vegetables (such as watermelon)
– Keep an eye upon the colour of your urine. A dark coloured urine can be indicative of the first stage of dehydration. With this, an increase in fluid intake is advisable.
6. Reflect and Re-Evaluate
With lives being so busy and hectic we tend to neglect to recognise how far we have come. Following on from our SMART Goal it is important to take time to reflect and recognise our achievements. If we do not reflect, we may never recognise what has changed in our lives. Writing down what we have achieved is imperative to keep motivation for the future and recognise how far along the journey you have come.