Tip Of The Week
Your health & Fitness for 2010: Is it time for a New Year resolution?
For those of you who are ready to, or have already set health and fitness goals for the first year of our new decade read on. For those of you who have been "running a mile" from the very hint of a New Year resolution you need to read on as well becuase you may be missing out!
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Lifestyle ProgramsWith the coming of the New Year many of us find ourselves contemplating new health and fitness goals. Some of us may have even started working towards those goals and there will be some out there that will be running a mile from the very hint of a New Year resolution which is OK, as long as you're literally "running" miles
Because many of us do start the year (and in this case the decade) with a clean slate we are going to focus January's weekly tips around the process of goal setting and motivation. This won't be just on how to set goals, but also how to put them into action, how to work out where your challenges will be as well as provide you with some tit bits to help boost your motivation.
For the Cynics
Some of us hate the idea of setting goals or planning and cringe at the very mention of New Year resolutions.
"What's different from last year?","My health is on track, why set goals","My health behaviours are great, why change?" or "I'm already doing it, why plan?" are all common statements from those of us who are cynical or from those of us who believe our health behaviours (the things we do that affect our health) are on track.
Well the simple answer to all of those statements is natures little trick of "adaptation". The human body will adapt. Education requires us to adapt, we adapt to our workplace and work tasks to become more efficient. When it comes to health and fitness our body adapts as well. It's how the marathon runner, weight lifter, or swimmer improves their performance. Their body adapts to be able to handle the conditions and overload placed on the body more efficiently, reducing the stress placed on the body overall next time.
A weight loss plateau is an example of adaptation. The body has recognised and adapted to less energy coming in and has become more efficient at movement (exercise) reducing the energy cost of that movement. The solution to adaptation.......? Change.
Why plan or set goals?
This is where goal setting becomes important. Goals help you track your progress. They also help you identify when progress has slowed down, stalled or gone backwards. Goals, when set properly can also be essential in increasing motivation and reducing the risk of relapse.
So for those who don't want to contemplate a New Years resolution, don't. Just follow us for the next month and set some health and fitness goals to ensure your health and lifestyle provides you with the benefits they have to offer.
For those who do, or for those who may even be contemplating a New Years revolution for their health and fitness; stay tuned! The next month will be key to getting off on the right foot.
Australian Lifestyle Medicine Conference
If you are a member of the Australian Lifestyle Medicine Assiociation (ALMA), work in the area of allied health or primary care or just interested to know more about this unqiue area from the leaders in Lifestyle Medicine check out ALMA's National Lifestyle Medicine Conference set for March 2010.
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