HEALTH AND WELLNESS
4 Mindful Strategies
for A Healthy 2017
Posted on January 11, 2017 by Mayo Clinic Staff
(BPT) - Losing weight and increasing exercise commonly make the top of New Year's resolution lists. Yet many people fall short of their wellness goals each year. What can you do differently in 2017 to ensure you're among those who succeed?
"Mental health and taking time for yourself can greatly improve your chances of achieving your health and wellness goals," says the Mayo Clinic. "It's important to realize that changing any behavior is often a complex process that requires you to address the mental as well as physical aspects of the change you want to achieve."
Below are helpful strategies from the wellness professionals at Mayo Clinic to assist you in achieving your goals this year:
Be on Your Mental Game
Weight loss is a common New Year's resolution goal, but to achieve it, you'll likely need to do more than simply change your eating habits. Behaviors,
thoughts and emotions may be playing a role in keeping you from shedding pounds. For example, not getting enough sleep can thwart better eating and exercise habits. Sleep deprivation can hinder your ability to control your emotions, interfere with positive thought processes and make you too tired to exercise regularly. Being aware of factors that contribute to negative habits not only can help you succeed, it can also help you sustain the changes.
Be Aware of Self-Talk
Everyone has an integral dialogue, and it's the voice we all believe the most. Is yours negative or positive? The voice of your self-talk can greatly affect your confidence level. Pay attention to your self-talk and evaluate if what you're telling yourself is actually true.
When self-talk turns negative, try to challenge it and find a more positive way to look at the situation. For example, turn "I always fail at losing weight because I eat too much" into "I enjoy eating fruits and vegetables and can easily eat three servings a day." It will take time and practice to learn how to turn negative self-talk into positive, so be patient with yourself.
"....not getting enough sleep can thwart
better eating and exercise habits."