You’ve set some new year’s goals for yourself…maybe some fitness goals, travel plans, or maybe even a new attitude about life! The new year always brings about renewed zeal for the things we’d like to do to enjoy a better quality of life
But as we’ve seen, without that bangin’ inspirational song, or the help of “liquid courage” (alcohol), those spur-of-the-moment, conquer-the-world leaps of faith sometimes fall flat. Goals without a plan don’t work.
Health and fitness are some of the top-10 New Year’s goals. And good ones to have! One of the things we’re doing at the Robbins Urban Wellness Retreat is helping people design their own wellness plans. As part of our overall lifestyle design model, we are helping people change their approach and relationship to their goals — from their health and fitness goals to their total life goals.
Reframing the approach to health
Most people approach their goals as simply items to check off their “to-do list,” such as “I want to lose 20 pounds,” “I want to quit smoking,” or “l need to lower my cholesterol.” While some find success, it can be short-lived without the support, tools and coaching to maintain the results.
Helping people understand that developing healthy eating and fitness habits should be a way of life, not a temporary solution, demands a different level of thinking, a higher level of commitment to achieve longer-lasting results. The results are vastly different when you’re just trying to “get through” something versus adopting it as a way of life.
Getting to the root of it!
By consulting with a lifestyle and nutrition coach, you’re able to work with someone who can design a plan for you tailored to how you actually live, around your actual circumstances, helping you set reasonable, attainable goals. By taking this total-life approach, the consultant may uncover habits or barriers to your success and/or signal other issues.
For instance, most smokers quit drinking to be effective at quitting smoking; or, women who have a hard time battling the bulge, despite diet and exercise, could be holding unresolved stress, stemming from other deep-seated issues.
As the saying goes, one thing leads to another. If the underlying causes of behaviors, issues or habits go unresolved, any efforts to deal superficially with them will be unsuccessful.
Creating a plan to support your goals is a way to hold yourself accountable to those goals and ensure that you succeed. It’s easy to kid yourself or not take yourself seriously, quickly relegating your goals to the background at the first sign of failure or distractions.
Or, you might even be tempted to give up. By working with a coach to design your plan, your goals become less intimidating, more realistic, and you’ll have fun along the way!
There is no greater feeling than when you’ve hit a personal milestone. The feeling of dignity and self-respect is irreplaceable and will likely inspire even greater accomplishments. The sky’s the limit, with the right support, information and tools, to lead a healthy life…one goal at a time!
Anika Robbins is a beauty and wellness expert. A cosmetology educator, she is the co-owner of the Robbins Urban Wellness Retreat offering programs on chiropractic, nutrition, massage and beauty. She travels extensively promoting health, beauty and empowerment through her company, ANIKA INTERNATIONAL. She welcomes reader responses to 612-670-6355 or via email: anika@anikainternational.com.
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