Integrative health coach Heidi Jones shares with you 6 things you can do in the next 6 months to help you really make a positive impact to your health and happiness before the end of 2019.

Set yourself up to succeed by integrating one thing at a time into your life. The benefit of taking this approach is it prevents overwhelm and procrastination which often follows setting goals. It enables you to set realistic action steps, allows you time to test out new ways of doing things and keeps you accountable by only moving on to the next action once the current action is achieved. 

MONTH 1 AUGUST

Set your goals, begin the shift

Consider these two questions: 

1. How do you want to spend the final half of 2019? 
2. What do you want to achieve? 

As you embark on any personal development, it’s important to get clear on the outcome you want to achieve. Write down 3 goals for your health & happiness that you’d like to see become a reality over the next 6 months. 

Write in the present tense and connect with how you want to feel. Rather than saying “I want to feel happier” say “I am more confident and have daily rituals that help me maintain a positive mindset.”

Health coach tip – lean more towards the people who support the goals you have listed. 

MONTH 2 SEPTEMBER

Creating balance

Everything in your life plays a role in how you feel. Take a moment to score your satisfaction level (out of 5, 5 being the highest) with each area of your life listed below. Consider how the things lacking for you are impacting your daily outlook, behaviour and emotions. 

Finances, Career, Education, Health, Physical activity, Home cooking, Home environment, Relationships, Social life, Joy, Spirituality, Creativity. 

Then list 3 steps you’ll take this month to improve these circumstances. 

Health coach tip – create actionable steps, sometimes simply speaking with someone and asking for help, or reassessing your priorities can make all the difference in how you feel. 

MONTH 3 OCTOBER

Learn to cook 

Food nourishes the body and also nourishes the soul. Cooking is an act of self-care and can really improve feelings of self-worth, confidence as well as improve our physical health. 

It’s never too late to get started. Begin with an open mind, experiment with healthy ingredients and don’t get discouraged if it takes a little time to develop your skills in the kitchen.

Health coach tip – keep it simple to begin with, choose 1-2 days a week you’ll prepare your meals from scratch, as you get more confident add in more time to cook. 

MONTH 4 NOVEMBER

Embrace self-care on a deeper level

Making time to nourish yourself emotionally is an essential way to connect with yourself on a deeper level and find lasting acceptance. This month, set aside daily or weekly time to dedicate entirely to yourself. Choose activities you enjoy that make you feel nurtured on a spiritual and emotional level. 

Health coach tip – Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations. Whenever you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, reverse it to say something positive. It may not feel believable at first, but repeat the positive affirmation regularly and you’ll begin to see yourself from a new perspective.

MONTH 5 DECEMBER

Declutter your environment 

A great example of how you take care of yourself is in how you take care of your environment. Do you keep it clean, organised, well-maintained, or do you put off cleaning and hold on to things long past their usefulness? 

This month, make the time to take care of the home that is an extension of your body by decluttering the things that only take up extra space, and freshening up everything else. You’ll not only create more space, but feel refreshed and ready for new possibilities to enter your life. 

Health coach tip: Start to create an environment around you that lifts your mood on a regular basis. Choose what you feel aligns with your new healthy perspective on life. 

MONTH 6 JANUARY

Start your year in the right way! Rest, rejuvenate 

You’re now on the home stretch and perhaps feeling like you need a break. Taking a break now will contribute even further to feeling healthier and happier. Getting quality sleep, taking a holiday, making time for regular rest will do you the world of good. It can help to balance your hormones, clear your mind, improve your memory, support organ function, aid in cellular repair, prevent mood swings, and much more. 

Health coach tip: If you’ve been feeling tired lately, have a sleep detox by getting a minimum of 8 hours of sleep for a full week. Just see how much better you feel after simply prioritising sleep. 

Integrative health coach Heidi Jones supports guides her clients to build their emotional intelligence to support positive lifestyle change. For more exercises, to build your coaching toolkit , support in achieving your goals, overcoming a challenge, creating a positive change follow @heidi_jones_coaching