So, this is the time of year when your inbox and Facebook feed might be filled with ‘New Year, New You’ type messages. And to be fair, this is the time of year when a lot of us turn our minds to changes we want to make for the year ahead. And why not? We’ve had busy Decembers with Christmas preparations, concerns about Covid all followed by a few days of Seasonal over-indulgence. But the whole ‘New Year, New You’ message is something we’ve always shied away from at Mid Sussex Osteopaths hence ‘New Year, not New You’?
Whilst the message might be well meant, these exhortations to take a long hard look at ourselves and plan wholesale changes to our lifestyles are a little unrealistic. We can’t reinvent ourselves overnight. We’re all aware now of the pitfalls of New Year Resolutions and this falls squarely into that category.
So why are we talking about it? Well, because this is still a good time to have a think about what we’d like to do differently next year; to try and build in something to our lives that’ll help our health and well-being. We’d advocate a different way of approaching this than trying to reinvent ourselves overnight. There are two methods of doing this that we favour at Mid Sussex Osteopaths.
Small steps, big changes…
Firstly, make the change small! Don’t aim for big lifestyle changes. Think of one habit or thing that you’d like to start doing. This works well if exercise has been something that you’ve struggled to fit into your schedule but is something you’d like to change. The best way to make this new habit stick is to aim small. Don’t plan to walk half an hour per day. Plan to get your trainers on and walk up the road every day. Don’t aim to do an hour in the gym twice a week. Plan to go to the gym and do 5 mins twice a week. Making the habit small will mean you’re much more likely to achieve the bigger aim – the half hour walk or the longer gym session.
The second approach is to build in one target for the year. This approach is better suited for those who manage to do some exercise regularly but want to up their game a little. Runners might aim for a 10k or a half marathon; cyclists might aim for a longer Sportive than they’ve done before. Put a date in the diary and then plan out a structured training schedule that’ll get you there.
If you take on board a target for the year to improve your health and well-being, have a think about other ways that might help motivate you. We’re all different so different things will work for different people. Buddying up with a friend is a great help. We’re much less likely to bail on exercise if we’re letting someone else down! Journal your activities so that you can see your progress. Strava is great for this but a journal also works well. Tell people! Making yourself accountable can also help.
Need any help or advice?
If you want any advice on how best to fit exercise into your schedule or aren’t sure what’s best for you, contact us. We’re happy to give you a call to discuss how best to achieve what you want to achieve. We can advise you on the best ways to form exercise habits that will stick!
Or if you think you need treatment before starting out, book in and start the New Year on a sound footing. If you’re struggling with any aches and pains that you think might hold you back in the New Year, don’t let them linger. Niggles can turn into injuries that can stop you in your tracks. A treatment or two can get you back on track and help your performance. Osteopathy or Sports Massage can both help here.
New Year offer
To help you on your way, we’re offering a New Year discount on a Sports Massage booked in January with Leigh or Sophie. To take advantage of this offer, book online and use code NY21 in the comments section. If you ring reception to book, just mention the code when booking .
