Now that we are approaching the end of January, how are your New Year’s resolutions coming along?
The business of our day-to-day lives can make it a daunting task to stay focused on what we want to achieve in 2018. Here at Vitasave, we are asked all the time how to stay motivated to reach certain goals. Whether your goal is to lose weight, build muscle mass, change careers or spend more time with those that you love – there is always one common theme. That theme is YOU: how you feel day-to-day will determine if you have enough energy to get to the gym, research new jobs or spend your evenings playing with your kids instead of watching TV.
In order to support you better, we polled our top health educators to come up with 5 steps to help you maintain your New Year’s resolution and reach your goals.
#1) Wake up 30 minutes earlier than you normally do. This extra 30 minutes may not seem like a lot, however, studies have shown that people who carve out time for themselves feel better and are happier as a result. You can use this 30 minutes however you like, some suggestions would be: meditate, stretch, go for a walk or a run. These 30 minutes are for you to take care of your needs before jumping into the business of everyday life.
#2) Take a vitamin D3 supplement. If you live in the northern hemisphere you are not getting enough natural vitamin D3 from the sun. This deficiency can drastically alter your mood and can have you feeling lethargic. When we supplement with D3 we can feel a lift in our mood and have more energy to go after our goals.
#3) Take a probiotic. The news is finally out that the health of our gut is directly linked to our immunity, energy levels, and mood! Taking a probiotic once a day will help you fight off any viruses going around and will help you feel more positive, (our happiness hormone, serotonin, is made in our gut).
#4) Write down your goals and share them. Studies have shown that when we write down our goals we are 80% more likely to accomplish them. We suggest you write them down where you can see them every day. A sticky note on the fridge or on your bathroom mirror works great! To increase your likelihood of reaching your goals, even more, share them with a friend. When we share our goals with someone we are then in a position to be held accountable for them.
#5) Don’t get bogged down by the big picture. Write down what your goal is and then figure out the steps you need to take to reach it. Stay focused on the steps and cross them off one by one until you reach your goal. Remember, small changes make a big impact.