Poor January, it has such a bad reputation. With many of us getting back into the swing of work after a festive break, family chaos and period of reflection. Reality checks can feel a little depressing, and with the realisation of heavy inboxes, unfit bank balances and tight trousers we turn our minds to the New Year with renewed goals, expectations and hope for 2017.
Its such a great time to ride the wellbeing wave with all the media buzz and merchandise on offer, however it can become overwhelming with information overload as we navigate the minefield of celebrity advice bombs about what we should eat, what we should cut out from our lives and what type of exercise burns the most calories. A tired brain recovering from post holiday blues and winter bugs can be put in a spin as you soak up all this information and attempt to act upon it.
From my 20 years experience in supporting people to make permanent lifestyle change I would advise this. Take it slow. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Make one change at a time. There is no rush, after all.
As you have probably found in the past, if you try to change too many behaviors at once, you will end up back where you started, feeling deflated and exhausted.
So be informed by your past experiences and do things differently this year. Channel your enthusiasm into focused action and make a great plan, which you can act upon. Change one thing at a time and do it well. Take pride and enjoy creating these new behaviours in a deep and lasting way. Feel satisfied and enjoy making your new habits sticky and long lasting. Deep breath, you can do it.
