How’s the first week one of the new year going? Have you been able to stay focused on your healthy 2021 goals? Did you even make a plan for 2021? Or have you already given up on your new challenge? If it’s truly of life goal, don’t give up! Refocus and find a new way to make it happen.
The Path to Stay Focused on Your Life goals
Visualize the end result, work backwards and break it down into smaller realistic baby steps. Write them down and give yourself a deadline. Even if you don’t know each individual step, make it up and write it down.
As you start to work toward that end result, the steps may need to be changed or the plan may change, but you can’t make progress without a preliminary plan.
Just because we are in a new year doesn’t mean it will be shengri-La. I think we have a lot more to go through in 2021. Maybe just as challenging as what we endured in 2020. This, however, is the time to decide what direction you want your life to go for this year.
Get Up Off the Couch!
Today, if your plan for 2021 was to make changes in your health, lets get going! Because ultimately, a healthy immune system is what will give you the stamina to perform well in whatever you want to achieve.
Lets talk about what you’re putting in your mouth at mealtime, or between meals, or while your planted on the couch watching TV (maybe you should first get up off the couch).
I rarely watch TV. I know that I could count on my hands how many times I had the television on in 2020.
That said, I absolutely love podcasts! There’s nothing to look at so I can get a lot accomplished while I’m listening to a podcast. I can be productive cleaning, or cooking, or learn something new while I’m on my lawn tractor mindlessly driving back and forth across the yard.
In all actuality I can also treat most You tube videos like a podcast. Most of what I listen to on You tube doesn’t require that I actually look at the screen constantly.
Quiet the Noise
I also know that my mind doesn’t have to be preoccupied by chatter all the time. Sometimes you need to turn it all off and just be with your own mind. Walking my dog or going for a run is not a time that I mindlessly stick earbuds in my ears. That is time I have with my dog and with my thoughts.
Spiritual time with my Creator is also a time that my mind can clear itself from the clutter and noise pollution of what everyone else wants me to hear or focus on. It’s a time to refocus on my own inner being.
Break the Boredom
I will occupy my mind with something if I’m on the treadmill . . . the treadmill is brutally boring but, when the weather doesn’t allow me to be outside, the treadmill or even the stationary bike, is better than not getting my exercise in at all. So when I’m on the treadmill or stationary bike, I do put the earbuds in but, what I listen to is something positive that promotes productive thoughts.
If moving your body more is something you want to do this year, the first thing you can do is walk away from the television. You won’t go through withdrawl because you cut out one hour of couch surfing a day. I promise. In time, you won’t even miss that hour on the couch.
Schedule Time For Your Health
Something I have had to do to keep my exercise on track is to actually write it down on my planner. I have a really awesome planner. I actually spend about a month before each new year starts working on my planner. It is where I write all my business and life goals, my 1 year plan, my 3 year plan, and my 5 year plan.
My 3 and 5 year plans have changed over the years. When you actually start implementing your plan, sometimes you realize that plan isn’t right and needs to be tweaked or changed altogether.
So this planner is where my exercise schedule is written. I know that during times in my year when I am overwhelmed and overbooked, I don’t get my exercise schedule written down, and it doesn’t happen. It needs to be scheduled just like you schedule your work day, a dentist appointment, or a lunch date with a friend.
It’s on the calendar and it’s an appointment with yourself and that appointment should not be broken anymore than you would cancel your dentist appointment or not show up to work. Once you start seeing results or feeling better, you won’t want to miss it! But you have to do the work of getting it on the calendar to make sure it happens.
Accountability
Some people need an accountability partner, some don’t. Whatever you need to make this a habit, incorporate that in the plan.
No Pain No Gain . . . Seriously?
I don’t know your age, but I know that as we age, we start feeling things, unpleasant things, things that we didn’t feel when we were younger. My joints get sore and stiff sometimes, but I find that if I move more, the discomfort actually disappears. This is no joke. You’ve heard the saying “no pain no gain” but I’m telling you that you will feel less stiffness and less arthritic discomfort when you get up and actually move more.
One instance where the “no pain no gain” is absolutely true is for people who have peripheral vascular disease. The two biggest things they can do to help themselves is walk, even if it doesn’t feel good, and quit smoking! Those two things alone will make a huge difference. Walking helps your body to create new collateral blood vessels to get more circulation to the lower extremities. Two non-pharmaceutical treatments!
Say “No” to Brain Death!
Sugar is poison to the brain. Sugar is more addictive than crack. Sugar will increase your risk to alzheimer’s disease. Also no joke!
There are ways to disguise foods you think you don’t like so that you can get them in your system and not even taste what you grew up thinking you didn’t like. Foods that have amazing levels of antioxidants can be hidden in things like chocolate muffins! Yes! Really! It’s true!
Social Circles and Wellbeing
This pandemic has changed the way we live in many ways. I will not encourage anyone to stay locked up in your house or apartment etc. We are social beings. We need to interact with other people. I say this, not to encourage people to participate in unsafe behavior, but I do believe we can and need to be with others. I say this after I just spent an entire holiday season separated from all of my children and grands. Never again. Not for me anyway.
There’s been a huge spike in the number of suicides and also deaths in nursing homes many of which were only related to a pandemic in that people are depressed from being separated from those they love and were kept in social isolation. What is life without the inclusion of the people that we love?
So Now What?
So what we’re talking about today is mostly about just getting into the right frame of mind to reach your goal.
I’ve given you a few examples of how you can improve your health without a magic pill! So I’m really excited to delve into these subjects in more depth this year and to be on this journey with you!
Additionally . . .
Ironically, I started to write this before the January 6th events at the US Capital. So what is happening now in our country is more proof that 2021 may be round two. The rioting throughout 2020 and now in 2021 is proof of the huge divide in America that no matter which side of the isle you’re on, I think everyone can agree on.
I do believe that you alone, as an individual, have the free will to decide for yourself and make a difference what you want your life to look like. I also believe that we are all Americans and we should all be holding ourselves to high ethical standards.
And as I relayed to my friends and family in my annual Christmas letter; I believe we can be bold in our ideas but kind in actions; teach (not drill) our ideas to others, but also be willing to learn; speak (not scream) our truths, but be willing to listen.
I am not for one minute suggesting that you shouldn’t have your own belief system.
But. . . If everyone is screaming . . . no one is listening.
Hate will only destroy your emotional and physical health and wellbeing. There is hate on both the political left and right. You are not alone in your struggle with this. We are all struggling in some way right now, but we can be leaders without the degradation of our character or our US Constitution.
We the People, no matter what your political affiliation is, have the power. Use it wisely and focus on being the best human being you can be.
Peace Out!
Pam
© 2021, Pamela. All rights reserved.
