In the waning stages of the year, it’s fairly routine to delegate new aspirations to the coming year, with phrases like “I’ll get a fresh start in January” becoming pretty common. However, there’s no need to wait until January to make positive changes. In fact, if you take the initiative and launch your wellness journey in mid-October, you can form beneficial habits well in advance, providing yourself with a good head start towards your wellness objectives. By doing this, not only do you get a head start, but you feel incredible going into the New Year.
To successfully undertake this wellness journey, we have a five-step plan that can help you achieve your goals by the turn of the New Year:
**1. Determine Definitive and Attainable Objectives**
The first step to ensuring a successful wellness journey is to specify your wellness targets. This could range from enhancing your fitness levels, bettering your mental health, to focusing on nutrition. The key here is to be as specific as possible. Set goals that can be achieved by the 1st of January. For instance, instead of saying something generic like “I want to shed some weight,” be more specific and say something along the lines of “My aim is to exercise three times a week and incorporate more plant-based foods in my diet.”
**2. Establish Consistent Routine**
Regular consistency is pivotal if you wish to achieve your wellness targets. Try devising a practical routine that aligns with your lifestyle and is maintainable for the next ten weeks at least. If your wellness journey is fitness-centric, mix it up with variants of cardio, strength training, and exercises focusing on flexibility. Think along the lines of trying out diverse exercises such as yoga, Pilates, or swimming. These activities are gentle on the body, simultaneously being extremely effective at promoting overall wellness.
**3. Streamline Your Dietary Intake**
Mid-October provides the ideal window to commence tweaking your diet. Try prioritizing meals rich in protein and nutrients to keep your energy levels up. An excellent illustration of such a diet would be the Mediterranean diet which includes lean proteins, whole grains, and numerous vegetables. It’s also a wise choice to try and eat more whole foods while reducing your sugar and processed food intake. To stay on track, it’s recommended to keep meals under a 500-calorie limit.
**4. Make Mental Health a Priority**
The journey towards wellness isn’t solely physical; mental health holds equal importance. Adopt methods that promote mindfulness like meditation or journaling as they are excellent stress management tools and they significantly boost emotional resilience. Try putting aside ten minutes each day, be it in the morning or nighttime, for self-reflection or gratitude journaling.
**5. Review Your Improvements**
Holding yourself accountable is beneficial in progressing on your journey. Keep track of your progress by maintaining a journal or using applications that supervise your workouts, mental health habits, and nutritional practices. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and similarly, your wellness goals will require time and patience, but every small victory brings you a step closer to your end goal.
Remember, the sternest deadlines and hardest paths lead to the sweetest victories when that New Year’s countdown begins and you enter the New Year, feeling your healthiest best. Do remember that each small step counts as you make your way to your wellness goals. Let their compilation propel you into the most successful, healthful, and rewarding time of your life.
