New Year Resolutions

How Are You Tracking Your Wellness Goals?

I recently came across a daily wellness check-list on one of my friend’s blogs, and decided to create my own. Keeping yourself in check when it comes to your health and wellness goals is important, but often forgotten. Having a check-list allows you to make sure that you are on target with your goals, and shows you where you are falling short.

Depending on your personal health and wellness goals, you may want to tweak the check-list  While using the check-list every day would be ideal, I suggest using it for at least one week every season. Our day-to-day activities, eating habits, and workouts tend to fluctuate with each passing season. I bet you’ll be surprised to see how well you are doing in some aspects during the season and how poorly you are doing in others! This is a great way to evaluate where you are at, and focus on the areas in your life you are struggling with.

My Daily Wellness Check-list

Date:___________________________

Wellness Goal(s):
•
•
•

Did I wake up feeling refreshed? ________

Did I start the day with a positive attitude – one with gratitude? _________

Did I start the day by eating a healthy breakfast? _________

Did I take my supplements today (Multi Vitamin, Vitamin D, Fish Oil, Multi-Probiotic)? _________
Did I get my body moving for at least 20 minutes today (be it cardio, strength training, or yoga) ? _________

Did I ensure that my body was properly fuelled throughout the day by eating healthy snacks when I was hungry? __________
Did I drink enough water today (7-9 glasses per day)? _________

Did I eat healthy, balanced meals for lunch and dinner (lean protein, vegetable, fat)? ___________

Did I avoid eating processed foods, or foods containing refined sugars? _________

Did I or do I need to be adjusted today? __________

Was I able to spend quality time with my family or friends? _________

Did I take a class, register for an event, or read something that has/will contribute to my knowledge base/personal development? __________
Did I do something good for someone else today (hold the door open for a stranger, help someone with a task, compliment someone)? _________

Did I do something positive to unwind before bed (drink herbal tea, read something light, practice meditation, light stretches)? ___________

Am I or did I go to bed at a time that will ensure I get 7-9 hours of sleep? _____

Did I do my best to avoid stress or stressful situations today? ______

On a scale from 1 to 10 (10 highest, 1 lowest) how would you rate your achievements today? ___________

What else can be included on this check-list? Insert below:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Action Steps:
1) Copy and paste the checklist into a word document and modify it to suit your health and wellness goals.
2) Print this checklist x7 (one for each day of the week).
3) Complete the checklist before bed each night for one week.
4) Repeat every season.

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The Stop Doing List – 15 Things That Should Be On Your List!

It’s funny how a new year brings about new promises. We promise ourselves we are going to eat better, go to the gym more, be more active in our community but when January ends we forget all about our original intentions. It’s hard to follow through with our goals when we aren’t happy and healthy in all aspects of our lives. Before the holidays, I was reading a blog post on this person’s stop doing list and it really made me think. The following is a list of 15 things I think are important to put on our  stop doing list for 2012 so we can be happier, healthier, and full of life!

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with friends or family members that render you miserable. If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you. You are worthy of great friends who support you on your best days and on your worst days. Don’t let negative people infiltrate your life, you deserve the best!
 2. Stop running from your problems. – Deal with issues as they come! Don’t wait. It won’t be easy, but it will save you from a lot of emotional turmoil. Keep in mind, however, that no one is able to instantly solve problems. In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall. Facing problems allows us to learn, adapt, and grow as a person.
 3. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – How many of you devote yourself to your spouse, your children, and your friends but forget to schedule time for yourself? It’s important to help other, but even more important to help yourself. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
 4. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes, have struggles, and regret past decisions. But we are not our mistakes! Don’t dwell on the past focus on the present and look forward to the future. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
 5. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – That other job opportunity you’ve been eying, that vacation you’ve been dying to take – you’re ready for it! Stop doubting yourself and do it! Who knows what will happen tomorrow, live for today! Don’t let insecurities stop you from reaching your goals.
 6. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. –Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only. Stop worrying about what your coworker or sister thinks of you! Every goal you undertake, every job you do should be for yourself- not to prove a point to someone else.
 7. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curve balls are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you. Sure, it’s hard to see the benefits at first, but be strong! Things will get better. Don’t dwell on the negative aspects of your life, focus on the positive and your circumstances will drastically improve- I promise.
 8. Stop holding grudges. – Have you ever heard of holding a grudge as an effective means for conflict resolution? I think not. Let go and forgive. Forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.
 9. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – When all is said and done, who really cares what you do? Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway. Do what you think is right!
 10. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Take the time to enjoy the little things in life- a sunset, a joke among friends, or a compliment from a stranger. Oftentimes, these little things turn into the big moments in life, the moments we remember.
 11. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – You are the master of your own life. Though others may have contributed to your hardships, you have the power to change your circumstances. Your problems are yours to change.
 12. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Sorry to break it to you, but you are no super hero. Trying to be everything for everyone will only tire you out. Narrow your focus, and take time for yourself!
 13. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy. Can the issue be solved today? Will worrying about a certain circumstance improve anything? No, then stop worrying about it.
 14. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – It’s the Law of Attraction-focus or dwell on something and it will happen. Instead of thinking about the not so good aspects of your life, focus on what you want, and watch your life change for the better.
 15. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Don’t think about what you are missing, think about all that you have!

Sure some of these are easier said then done, but even attempting to do so will greatly improve your life. Stop taking yourself for granted, stop over thinking things! You are an amazing person with the power to do anything you set your mind to. To having 2012 be your best year ever!  Would love to know what your stop doing things are?

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Don’t let the holidays stress you out…tips to stay healthy and sane!

Holiday StressWow, can you believe the holidays are almost here?

While thinking about the topic I wanted to discuss in this week’s newsletter, I kept coming back to the stress that we all face this time of year. From time constraints and shopping headaches to holiday feasts and financial worries, everyone is dealing with a huge array of stressors this time of year.

Are you worrying too much right now? Are you so busy taking care of everyone and everything else that you are forgetting to take care of you? If so, don’t feel bad. We all do this. But, there are some things you can do to lessen your stress and make the days between now and the new year “merry and bright”.

As many of you already know, there are three dimensions of health - Psychological, Physical, and Biochemical (Nutrition). Their names are pretty self- explanatory and each of these have a major effect on your overall health. The following are some tips on how to handle holiday stressors in each of these three dimensions:

Psychological Dimension:

1.  Don’t go shopping during peak hours. Though the sales may be tempting, the added stress of the crowds and rushing to get the items you want can hurt you both emotionally and financially.
2.  Make sure you write a list before you go shopping. Plan ahead and know what you need and where you need to go. The less prepared you are, the more frantic and frustrating those shopping trips will be.
3.  Doing some of your shopping online will also help. You can skip the long lines and crowded stores and there is often a larger selection available online. Most online stores even allow for shipping directly to the gift recipient as well as gift wrapping!
4.  When shopping, be sure you have a budget. Planning out your holiday shopping budget and sticking to it will leave you with less regret in the new year. And don’t forget the holiday meals. Be sure that you include the food and decorations in your budget so you don’t find yourself in a bind after buying all the gifts.
5.  When doing wrapping, decorating, cooking, or other holiday preparations light some candles, play some music, and engage the entire family in the activity. Keep things light and festive and you will enjoy the holiday tasks much more.
6.  Take more time for yourself and your family. This is the perfect time of year to nurture your most important relationships and, with less work and school, it will be easy to plan family time.
7.  Remind yourself often that it is the holidays and it is supposed to be a joyous time. Give yourself permission to relax and enjoy everything. Actively thinking about this will help you to reduce your stress level so you can focus on the truly important things.

Physical Dimension:

1.  Don’t forget to workout! I know you have a busy schedule and a ton of things to get done but, this is a must. Working out can relieve stress and put you in the right frame of mind to deal with everything that comes up during the day.
2.  Be sure you schedule your workout into your day. You are less likely to skip it (especially if you schedule it for first thing in the morning) and the simple idea of having at least one scheduled thing that you have complete control over will be a welcome structure to what may otherwise be a hectic day.
3.  If you are visiting family and are unable to get to a gym, schedule a daily walk. Take a different route each day if possible just to change it up a bit. It is a great way to take in some new sights if you’ve never been there before or, to reacquaint yourself with the surroundings if you are going “home”. Relive old memories or make some new ones while taking care of your body and your mind!

Biochemical (Nutritional) Dimension:

1.  Always eat something before you leave home. A healthy meal or light snack will keep you from being hungry while you are running your errands and you won’t be so tempted to stop for that burger and fries.
2.  Pick certain meals during which you will treat yourself and give yourself permission to enjoy it without guilt. Portions are the real enemy during the holidays, not the foods themselves. You can eat a little of everything you want and still maintain your health.
3.  When choosing your foods – eat more vegetables and lean meats such as turkey and chicken. Putting more of these on your plate will help to fill you up and the smaller portions of higher calorie and more dense foods such as pastas and breads will satisfy your desires for them.
4.  If you are attending a potluck dinner, offer to prepare and bring a healthy dish. Even if all of the other foods there are bad, you know you will have at least one item that is good for you. Plus you’ll have the added benefit of knowing that you are contributing to the health of everyone else who eats it!
5.  Get the junk out of the house as quickly as possible. Allowing these foods to sit around will put you under a lot of pressure. The temptation will often be too much. Send the leftovers home with guests or store it in a separate storage freezer/refrigerator.
6.  Go easy on the sweets. You don’t have to abstain from them completely, just watch your portions. If Aunt Sue makes the best sugar pie in the world, there’s no reason for you to miss out while everyone else enjoys it. Take a smaller than normal slice and enjoy!
7.  Another big health enemy during the holidays is alcohol. Most alcoholic drinks are filled with empty calories and can quickly undo all of your hard work (eggnog anyone?). Plan to have a single drink or glass of wine at any event and you won’t feel like you are missing out on anything.
8.  Keep a diary of what you are eating. This creates accountability and will often cause you to eat less. Don’t beat yourself up if you do get off track. During the holidays we all tend to overeat and partake of the wrong things. 9.  If you fall off the wagon, just dust yourself off and climb back on the next day. Get right back into your normal healthy habits and forget the day before. There’s no need to dwell on it and stress out. It happens to all of us!

My last tip can be applied to any of the three dimensions of health. Set aside some time for setting your 2012 goals. Whether they are geared toward your psychological, physical, biochemical or any combination of the three, it is important to begin this process before the new year. This way you will be ready to hit the road running and you won’t have to spend the first week of the new year focused on your Wellness Plan.

I personally use Tony Robbins’ goal setting CD to prep for the new year. I listen to it at the end of every year and he walks me through the goal setting process. The hour and a half program helps me get a perspective on the next twelve months and allows me to start it off prepared. Do you have a goal setting strategy that you use every year? Are you trying out a new one this year? If the answer to either of those is yes, please share it with me in the comments. I would love to hear what tools work best for you!

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Do You Know What You Want For 2011?

““He (or she) who fails to plan, plans to fail.” ~ Winston Churchill

Do you know what you want for 2011? 

It sounds like a simple enough question but, do you REALLY know? Or, are you going about life on autopilot and not really thinking about what you want out of life?

When I lecture at the clinic or for corporate wellness in the workplace, I often start my workshops with information about the importance of setting goals. By a show of hands, I ask the audience to demonstrate how many of them have goals, and whether or not these goals have been documented. Throughout the course of my workshops I have come to recognize that very few individuals actually make up goals for themselves.

Quite frankly, this shocks me! On average, two or three individuals will admit to having goals out of the fifty individuals in attendance. More often than not, only one of these people will actually have their goals written down.

I then ask the group what would happen if I got into my car after the presentation, not knowing my next destination. Where would I end up? Most people laugh and answer “nowhere” – which is my point exactly!

It seems like a silly question to ask but, if we don’t know where we want to go with our lives, where are we going to end up? We spend more time planning our vacations than we do planning our lives. Why is that?

A goal is nothing but a dream with a deadline. Creating a road map is necessary if we are to become successful individuals.

Ask Yourself…

  • Have I established goals for the next year, 5 years, 20 years?
  • Am I truly living the life that I want to live?
  • Have I made myself accountable for what I want in life?
  • Will my failed goals lead to unwanted consequences? 

Our goals drive us. They allow us to shape our future, and provide us with the ability to grow and excel in each of our endeavors. That being said, it is important to remember that, in order to achieve our goals, we must first document them. When we do write down our goals something amazing happens; we become creators, creators of our own paths! Remember, what the mind can imagine, it can create. Anything is possible! HOW we are going to achieve our goals at the time of setting them may not be clear, but if reasons come first, answers will come second. If you have a big enough WHY, the HOW will manifest itself – You will find a way to make things happen!

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” ~Albert Einstein
  

Ask Yourself…

  • Do I have goals that have been left unaccomplished for an extended period of time?
  • Am I truly making strides towards accomplishing my goals, or am I hindering my own efforts either consciously or unconsciously?
  • Am I willing to look at things differently, so that things can change?
  • Am I open to new ideas or strategies that may positively assist me in the achievement of my goals? Where can I get ideas? Who could help?

Each year, on the first of January, I take the time to reflect upon my goals from the previous year. I like to evaluate what I have accomplished and review everything that has manifested throughout the year. It always makes me smile, how things have unfolded for the goals. It is verification that, even though I may not have known how I would accomplish them at the time, they had a strong  enough WHY that it just happened…amazing how that works! To continue, now that I have reviewed my previous year’s goals, I am ready to set new goals and design a roadmap for the next year’s journey. My successes motivate me to create new goals for the coming year and open up my mind to all the future possibilities.

My Goals, Categorized  

  1. Personal development and relationships– What skills do I want to develop? What do I want to learn? What relationships do I want to create?
  2. Career– What do I want to accomplish? What kind of impact do I want to have?
  3. Fitness, nutrition and food for the soul– What level of physical fitness do I want to maintain or achieve? What can I do to improve my eating habits? What practices can I partake in that will cultivate my spirituality? 
  4. Material things and time savers– Have fun with this one – have I been dreaming about purchasing a new car or installing the latest home entertainment system? Or do I want to hire help for household duties, so that I can have more time with my family and friends? 
  5. Economic– What income level do I want to achieve? Are there investments that I would like to make within the next year?
  6. Legacy– What do I want to leave behind?  What do I want to be remembered for?

 
8 Step Goal Setting Strategies 

  1. Brainstorm each of the categories for 5 minutes, don’t think too hard and allow your thoughts to come naturally.
  2. Next, establish a timeline for each of your goals, whether it be a year, 5 years, 10 years or 20 years.
  3. Decide upon a few goals (three or four from each category) that you wish to focus the majority of your attention on.
  4. Now determine the WHY of each of your top three or four goals.
  5. Decide if the WHY of each of your top three or four goals is “strong” enough—does it empower you enough? If not, pick another goal from that category which does get you motivated and excited.
  6. After that, put your goals through the “SMART” system.S – Specific – Is your goal too vague? Specifics help us to focus our efforts and clearly define what we are going to do. Answered by what, why, and how.
    M – Measurable – How will you know when you have succeeded? Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
    A – Attainable – A goal needs to stretch you slightly so you feel you can do it and it will need a real commitment from you. 
    R – Realistic – To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished.  Set the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement!
    T – Time-bound – Do you have a timeline? Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards.
  7. Beside each goal – write one action step you can take this week to get you closer to your goal (i.e.- If you want to start doing Yoga – Your action step would be to contact the Yoga school you wish to attend, and ask about their classes and schedule).
  8. Make sure to place your goals in an area of your home, or office, which is frequently visited. The probability of accomplishing your goal(s) is increased when your ambitions are reviewed on a day to day basis. (Stay tuned for my article on vision boards and how you can create a powerful visual tool for your goals!)

Finally, have fun with your goal setting – you can do this goal setting session with your partner/spouse or a close friend. Personally, I refer to my goal setting sessions as a shopping list. It is my shopping list to the universe! Remember to THINK and PLAY BIG – the more successful and fulfilled you are, the more you will contribute to the people around you and ultimately, to the world.

Furthermore, embrace the fact that what we can think about, we can create – leverage the power of your sub-concious to plant the “right” seeds in your brain and watch what can happen!

Here is to living with passion, purpose and a plan and to an amazing 2011!

“Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” ~Bo Jackson

Dr. Nathalie

PS – Need help on your road to wellness?  Check out my new program www.roadmaptowellness.com

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drnathalie@drnathaliebeauchamp.com

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