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Our daily lifestyle choices matter more than we realize. It’s easy to fall into a less-healthy routine of convenience and imbalance. It’s also easy to procrastinate on matters of personal health, putting other people and responsibilities ahead of our own wellness. So how can we motivate ourselves to live healthier or to reach a wellness goal?
This is the perfect time to set a goal, develop a plan to reach it and track your progress. When you invest in yourself, you’re investing in not only your health but the health of the people around you.
Start with what’s important to you, and why. What’s your wellness goal for the new year? Where do you envision yourself? Sometimes the distance between our goal and our current situation can seem impossibly far—but it doesn’t have to be!
In Episode 30, host Mark Gomez, MD, and his guest, Gay Purcell, MD, explain how to establish a healthy routine and create a doable plan to reach your wellness goals.
Guest
Myths vs. Facts
“If you don’t make time for your wellness, then you will be forced to make time for your illness.” – Fact
If you put off taking steps to maintain your health for too long, you open yourself up to physical difficulty and disease.
“Self-care is not necessarily being selfish.” – Fact
Your mental, social and spiritual health are important and cannot be neglected. Taking care of yourself makes you better able to take care of others.
“You cannot get people to change unless they truly want to change.” – Myth
Sometimes people don’t believe they can reach a goal, but once they receive reassurance that they can achieve it they feel more motivated to change.
“Though people may turn to others (coaches, physicians, etc.) for motivation, true motivation comes from their desire to make the change for themselves.” – Fact
Change is something we’re all striving for, but everyone takes the journey at their own pace. Others can help us believe in ourselves.
“Rather than talk at someone, you should talk with them.” – Fact
If you feel like someone is just telling you what to do, you may walk away uninspired. Two-way communication helps open people’s minds.
“Working toward a goal provides a major source of motivation to reach that goal, which, in turn, improves performance.” – Fact
When you work toward a goal, you get better at what you’re working on, and that is inspiring! As you become inspired, you get better at your work and closer to your goal, becoming even more motivated.
“If you get resistance from a friend or loved one, you should let them know you are here for them when they are ready.” – Fact
Some people just aren’t ready to face a challenge.
“It is important to “stay the course” with our wellness goals, during both good and bad times.” – Fact
That’s how we learn and grow. A journey to wellness is long and can have some ups and downs. It’s important to look at the big picture and focus on your long-term progress.
“You must elicit behavior change for those you care for before eliciting behavior change for yourself.” – Myth
Sometimes we need to face our own insecurities and behaviors before we will be able to clearly help someone else change their habits.
“Sometimes we just need to get out of our own way (a.k.a., self-sabotage) to avoid relapsing on our wellness goals.” – Fact
Often, we make time in our schedules for everybody and everything but ourselves. It’s important to pencil in time for yourself.
“Being “busy” is a decision. Our priorities dictate what we choose to do.” – Fact
You make time for the things you want to do most. Making yourself a priority is an important first step toward meeting your wellness goals.
Listener healthy OH-YEAH!
“I want to finish some reading and keep tracking my workouts.” – M.J.
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