Why you should make a health contract with yourself for 2022
As we head toward the final days of 2021, a lot of our time and energy is probably taken up with Christmas and the hubbub of social activity the festive season brings. But it’s also a time to take a breath and think about your priorities for next year.
When your nose is constantly at life’s grindstone, it’s easy to forget to look ahead and even easier to prioritise the needs of others over our own. But it’s important that we do step away from the treadmill of daily ‘stuff’ to put our own needs into context.
The New Year is traditionally a time to take stock and to make a deal with ourselves over some aspect of life that we may be unhappy with or feel we can improve upon, but usually these are obvious things.
Common New Year resolutions include promises to lose weight, to get a better job, to quit smoking, to take up a new hobby, and so on, and these are all good, and worthwhile and important in the context of having an emotionally balanced existence.
The problem with these resolutions, like so many others, tend to be ‘task-focused’. What I mean by that is that they are finite. So, once you stop smoking cigarettes, and as long as you don’t go back to them, you have achieved your resolution. Once you get the new job, or achieve your weight target, your resolution is complete.
My argument here is that we should all be looking to be more ambitious and to turn the New Year promises we make to ourselves into ongoing work that has a sustained and meaningful impact on our lives.
That’s why I’m encouraging everyone to make a health contract with themselves in 2022 – one that looks at overall health rather than simply tackling individual aspects which are important but which also ignore other important issues.
This doesn’t mean you can’t commit to quitting smoking, or eating less, or losing a few pounds in weight – it just means making a commitment to yourself that ensures your focus on your good health doesn’t end once you’ve achieved that single ambition.
A contract of commitment to good health doesn’t mean taking out an expensive gym membership, either. Exercise is good, yes, but there’s no reason why it shouldn’t also be free.
So, what does a ‘good’ health contract look like? Here are my tips for things to consider:
Eat better
Nutrition is such an important part of our physical and mental health.
Making small changes – reducing portion sizes, adding an extra vegetable and a piece of fruit or two to your daily intake, and reducing the amount of food you eat that’s high in cholesterol and fat can make a big difference over the course of a year.
And because you’re making small changes – maybe not even changing what you eat to begin with, and just focusing on adding and taking away (or reducing) sensibly – you probably won’t even notice any real difference. But your body will.
Drink less alcohol and fewer caffeinated drinks, and drink more water instead
No one is saying you have to be teetotal, but try reducing your alcohol intake by 10% over the week. As time goes on, you could introduce ‘dry days’ or further reduce your intake.
Caffeine really isn’t good for the body, so if you’re a heavy coffee or tea drinker, try to bring down your intake over time with a view to cutting it out completely eventually or substituting it with decaf options.
(And, by the way, contrary to what you might think, tea contains more caffeine than coffee, so if you really can’t do without, you’re better off on coffee than on tea)
At the same time, increase your water intake. Water is essential for cleansing and irrigating the body and the recommended daily intake is 2 litres, which you can build up to over time if you find it difficult to take in that much water on a daily basis.
Take more exercise
You don’t need to pound the pavements on a 10-mile run, join a gym or take up some kind of intensive circuit training. Simply going for a brisk walk and getting your heart rate up will do wonders for your physical and mental health.
Exercise helps keep your heart healthy, improves energy levels, builds stamina, aids long-term mobility and it releases endorphins that give you a natural ‘high’.
You could also consider joining a yoga or Pilates class. Beginners’ classes will help to ease you in to the routine and give you more exercises you can do in the comfort of your own home on a daily basis.
But it’s important to ensure you’re doing the right level of exercise for your current state of health – so I would strongly recommend you have a chat with your GP before you undertake any sort of regular exercise regime (especially if you plan to increase the amount of exercise you do over time).
Speaking of doctors …
Have a health check up
Most GP surgeries now offer Well Man and Well Woman appointments where you can get an MoT on your health. These will enable you to understand where you may need to focus your attention and will also give you the confidence of knowing you’re taking action that’s appropriate for your health right now.
Try to remove stress triggers
Some of the things that cause us stress and anxiety are hard to control, but we are able to remove some stress triggers.
For example, one of the most common stress triggers of the 21st Century is social media. If your Twitter or Facebook feed is full of content that make you angry or agitated, just consider either limiting the time you check your accounts, or remove the apps from your phone.
Similarly, avoid stressful social situations and develop one of life’s good habits – the ability to say ‘no’ – in order to make the demands on your time and your brain more manageable.
Consider acupuncture
Well, I would say this, wouldn’t I? But the fact is that acupuncture is a holistic treatment and so is brilliant at aiding long-term whole-body and whole-mind health.
By stimulating the natural energy we all have, acupuncture can restore energy imbalances that can manifest in musculoskeletal issues, colds and flu, stress, anxiety, headaches and migraines, hay fever and sleeplessness.
As part of an integrative approach to health, regular acupuncture can be extremely useful in helping to maintain a consistent level of health that gives you a platform from which to build.
Acupuncture is also affordable, painless and relaxing, allowing you time to relax and distress.
Use these tips to help you to create a yearlong plan that isn’t going to be so ambitious you’ll never stick to it, but will deliver the health changes you need to make the most of 2022.
If you’d like know more about how acupuncture can help you to create a good health contract with yourself, or you’d like to book a consultation, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.