Setting Attainable Mind & Body Wellness Goals for 2021
2021 may be eagerly awaited, but it remains uncharted territory for most of us. After an overall sense of imbalance and loss from the year that wasn’t, you can find solace in the fact that the new year gives you a clean slate to achieve a balanced outlook despite the world around you.
First, ask yourself; what do I want to accomplish in my life this coming year? Due to the disruptions of our usual routines (family, friends, education, holiday gatherings) finding mental and physical balance can be challenging.
Are you up for a challenge in 2021?
Balance Starts with Your Brain
Supporting your mental health could not be more important in 2021. We have a clear understanding of the necessity of physical fitness and its importance to our bodies and the support it lends to our mental stability. Like it was in 2020, most of the forthcoming year will continue to be a transition from uncertainty and desperation to the “next normal”.
We asked licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Uta Field what effect 2020 had on our psyche: “The negative effects of the Coronavirus pandemic have plucked away the foundation of how Americans live their lives. The ripple is felt throughout homes, businesses, and particularly in the way we educate our children. Schools, normally safe havens where a sense of purpose, safety, and the guarantee of a meal have been in many cases eliminated.” She continued with a bit of advice, “Bring structure to your day by building a routine; following a simple schedule intuitively brings with it a sense of normalcy. And, use a bit of your free time to reach out to those around you who are vulnerable.”
In June, during the height of the pandemic, the CDC reported that a whopping 41% of a survey of over 5,000 adults reported struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues. After ducking out of the way of curveballs for nearly a year, it’s time to stop, listen to your thoughts, and prepare for the future.
Start simply by employing some of these mind-clearing activities:
- Breathing
Find out which method works for you here (I have always been impartial to the 4-7-8 method). - Meditation
Dedicated quiet time and self-awareness is proven to lower blood pressure, alleviate pain, depression, and anxiety. - Yoga
Scientific evidence shows that yoga supports stress management, mental health, mindfulness, healthy eating, weight loss, and quality sleep. - Social Media Sabbaths
The truth is that social media is addictive, triggers sadness before happiness, and subconsciously forces oneself to compare their life to others (a monumentally unhealthy thing to do). Scheduling digital-free breaks can help to keep its influence in perspective. - Therapy and/or Medication
Along with the activities mentioned above, consider giving your mental health the same annual check-up as you would your body. Speak with a therapist, be honest with you and them, and if a provider recommends medication be open to it.
Remember: depression, anxiety and mental disorders are flaws in chemistry, not character.
Always remember to celebrate your small victories and use them as a platform to climb the next rung both mentally and physically.
Take the First Step and Soon You’ll be Running
Whether your initiative is to lose a few pounds, tighten a few muscle groups, or get “shredded” (for the non-gym folk, that means having well-defined muscles such as abs), formulating a plan is essential to lasting change. Building consistent habits that stick is a key first step.
- Ask yourself why you want to do this. Your goal will feel more authentic if you can answer the “why”? Exploring what your key motivators are helps set a baseline ((link this to BB article and question PDFs) to build a plan to reach your endpoint.
- Set small, easy, measurable goals when starting. Don’t leave post-it notes saying “get shredded”, begin with reminders to walk 20 minutes each day. Start simple and step up from there.
- Remove excessive options. Doing research is valuable, but spending hours on the internet watching others achieve success (while usually pushing a product) will not make you feel any better.
- Leave yourself friendly reminders (see #2).
- Celebrate small victories. Just maintaining a healthy habit for one week brings an enormous sense of satisfaction, reinforces your commitment, and makes it more likely you will continue.
And, of course, something obvious but a hard obstacle for many to overcome: if you are a smoker, a heavy drinker, or a drug user consider eliminating substances from your body that have no real medical benefit. The 5 tips above apply to these addictive behaviors also.
Many online and app workout and training regimens were released long before COVID-19 began closing gyms, but the pandemic has brought unprecedented growth to the booming fitness industry.
While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, there are hundreds of options to choose from. Some online and app workout programs incorporate AI (artificial intelligence) features to help deliver personalized programs based on your behaviors.
A study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research concluded that “data also suggest that one way exercise apps may increase exercise levels and health outcomes such as BMI is by making it easier for users to overcome barriers to exercise, leading to increased self-efficacy.”
Susanne Veder, Executive Director of the My Best Life Club and La Vida Pridevirtual communities, sums it all up by saying, “If you give yourself tools to deal with stress and take care of yourself, you don’t have an excuse to be miserable, and because you want to treat people like you want to be treated, you are cleansed. When you are happy it’s impossible to do anything that is mean or bad.”
Written by Paul Michael Marinello | Category: New Year “Evolutions”
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