We have arrived at that crazy time of year…yet again! How did we get to December already!  Traditionally, this is the time of year that we all tend to over indulge.  It seems to begin with Spring Carnival, then endless Christmas parties and ends with a bang on New Years Eve, leaving many of us exhausted and bloated after weeks of daily indulging in ‘sometimes’ foods and alcohol.

This is it, we think, 2015 will be the year for change!

Fantastic!

Until we realize that we made the same resolutions last year.  Joined a gym, brought new workout gear, put the juicer on the bench and then after a week of smashing ourselves with the new routine, we got sick/tied up at work/went to a wedding…the list goes on.

Sometime around February, the new years resolutions are already lost and we throw ourselves into the work year, only to arrive in December, back where we started, exhausted and bloated promising to make next year different.

The question now is how?

How do we create goals that are not only achievable but also motivating?

And more importantly, what do we do to stick to it?

December and January is the perfect time to sit down and reflect on the year that’s been, learn from it, write down the parts that make you happy/proud and then the parts that you could have done better.  And now comes the important part, visualize the year ahead.  How do you want 2015 to be?  And what can you do to achieve this?

When setting goals it is important to not only set long-term goals, but also smaller goals to help you reach that target.  Goals need to be measureable.

For example, setting the goal of:

‘I want to run a half marathon one day’.

This has no timeline, no direction as to how you will achieve this goal.

Instead try:

‘I will run a half marathon in July’.

To achieve this goal I need to:

• Increase fitness

• Lose weight

• Manage my lower back injury

How will I do this?

• Run 3x a week following an online running program

• Run 5km by February, 10km by April, 15km by June

• Have an osteopathic treatment once a month to manage lower back

• Strength training x2 a week (including core work for lower back)

• Use the foam roller x5 a week to help prevent injuries

• Increase water intake, cut out morning tea muffins and replace with fruit.

• Weigh myself every Sunday so I have incentive to stick with healthy eating.

Create goals along the way and then reward yourself once you reach each target.  Think about the hurdles you may encounter along the way and have strategies in place to manage them before they occur.  Face your health like a problem at work…there is always a way to overcome every hiccup!  Seek professionals that may assist you to achieve your goal (remember they are assisting you – not doing it for you).   Seek out like-minded people and join support groups.  Plus tell your friends and family so they can support you (plus make you accountable!) on your journey.

Once the smoke from the fireworks has settled on New Years Day, find yourself a quiet spot and map out 2015.   Once you have a plan you will be amazed at how much you can achieve!  Good luck and have fun – what a year 2015 will be!

Kylie Sergentanis, Osteopath at The Osteopaths of Blackburn