1. Set a goal you can achieve in 90 days.

Setting a goal for the year can take away the excitement and motivation as it ‘feels’ to far away. 90 days will come around quickly and to accomplish it you will need to stay focused and take action everyday. I always say ‘motivation comes by taking action!’

Questions to help you choose a goal:

Q. What is your biggest frustration of last year?

Q. What needs to stop this year?

Q. What needs to start this year?

Create an action plan and do one thing a day to work towards achieving your goal.

Share your goal with people who believe in you and will keep you accountable.

Reward yourself once you accomplish your goal.

2. Start a new fitness routine or class.

Exercise produces the feel good hormone serotonin, which has an uplifting effect on your entire body. Set yourself the challenge to go and discover what physical movement you love and stick with it!

3. Eat feel good foods.

Forget restricting new year diets and opt for the ‘crowding out’ approach by adding in more whole foods to your diet.

For the remainder of January focus on adding in more whole foods from the suggestions below and by February you will be feeling a lot better than you do now. I suggest keeping it simple:

• add in more vegetables each day (especially greens)
• add in a carbohydrate at least once a day, such as sweet potato, brown rice, quinoa, oats
• add in healthy fats, such as olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds
• add in a lean protein with each meal, such as lean fish, meat, beans and legumes.

4. Create a vision board for the year ahead.

The most successful people frequently use visuals to train their focus and stay on target. Collecting images and words in the form of a vision board is extremely effective in helping you stay focused on what you want in your life and strengthens your decision making process on a day-to-day basis, resulting in a consistent positive actions towards accomplishing your goals and living out your dream life.

5. Focus on 3 actions a day.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed at the start of a new year, with so many new goals, changes and resolutions you want to make for a better year ahead. However, when we become overwhelmed we tend to end up not really doing anything and feel bad about it (Hello January blues). To prevent overwhelm I suggest keeping your day simple by focusing on only 3 actions a day to accomplish. This will help keep you focused and result in you being and feeling much more productive.

Example:

Big goal: Weight loss

Things things I can do today to work towards this goal: 

1. Eat a healthy breakfast

2. Exercise for 45 minutes

3. Prepare a home-cooked lunch for tomorrow

You have a choice to change how you feel. Use these steps as a starting point to help you start your year on a positive path. If you need or want to learn more strategies for maintaining motivation and a positive mindset, please feel free to get in touch to learn more about how health coaching can support you.

Email heidi@heidijonescoaching.com