Yes it’s that time of year again when we are bombarded with the New Year New You trend. Prioritising your wellbeing and where to start can be a minefield. Honestly, I too feel intimidated by all the advertising from gyms, health food companies and lifestyle gurus with images of what society deems perfection. Svelte bodies, glossy haired beauties and beaming white smiles accost us everywhere we turn. I am generally left feeling so overwhelmed that I end up consumed by shame at my lack of motivation to improve myself. But things are changing and there is emerging a new breed of coach who gets it right. How would you like your wellbeing in 2023 to improve? Over the next month I will help you with organising your life a little, and making your wellbeing and where to start, your priority. Lets start with the basics.
Where to Start
What I tell my coaching clients when they are looking to make some lifestyle changes is to always begin by taking note of where they struggle. The struggle is usually with the basics and I always advise to start with:
Sleep Hygiene –
I need to include myself in this also. My sleep hygiene has become abysmal. I go to bed at a decent hour, but then end up scrolling social media for another two hours until my eyes can’t stay open any longer. Sound familiar? Sleep routine is the bedrock of all aspects of our wellbeing. Good sleep promotes hormone balance, balanced blood sugars, energy levels and brain function. I could go on but you get the picture! Making bedtime a ritual is key. It needs to be something you look forward to for the right reasons. If you get this right all other areas of your wellbeing will benefit.
Time management –
Most of us find ourselves with too much to do and too little time to do it. But what are we actually busy with? This area needs to be looked at closely to pinpoint where we spend most of our time. How can we free up some precious time taken up with unnecessary pursuits? Perhaps time you spend on certain things just needs to be reorganised and somethings cut out altogether. Before adding anything new into your schedule I would work on decluttering first. You’ll be surprised at how much time is taken up with….hem hem…..social media, watching tv or simple procrastination. It doesn’t mean that you can’t use social media, watch your favourite show, or stare into space but getting it under control might be helpful.
Health Check/Diet/Exercise –
I know that many who read this will feel the need to run headlong into a strict eating and exercise plan. However, it will be a huge benefit to check in with your healthcare provider first to see what condition your body is in. A baseline check up can be great motivation to improve your lifestyle and enable you make the correct choices when it comes to improving your diet and exercise regime. Making informed, measured decisions will help with the sustainability in your lifestyle improvements. Too much too fast often leads to giving up.
Little and Often
I’m going Life Coach mode on myself. I’m great at coaching others, but not so great at coaching myself. I’ve gone astray with my own self-care in certain areas, with other areas not doing so bad. In the past I inevitably jumped straight into a full on transformation come New Year only to find that I couldn’t maintain such drastic change and gave up after a few weeks. I’ve learned that I’m just like my dog when it comes to making changes and learning new tricks. One thing at a time consistently until I get it, then move on to the next. I turn forty eight this month and haven’t quite caught up with myself. There’s lots of physiological changes afoot and I definitely need to work on some lifestyle upgrades to coincide with these changes. I hope you will follow me on my own lifestyle improvement and incorporate some tips and tricks to getting your wellbeing in 2023 on track for a more contented you. Your wellbeing and where to start improving it can be made simpler with a helping hand.
Next week I will discuss in more detail what I’ve talked about above and look at some other areas such as work and relationships that may need a bit of an upgrade also. If you have any questions in relation to lifestyle improvements you can contact me at nicky@intherooms.com.
See you next week!
