BY WENDY M. HENRICHS
Board Certified Chiropractic Pediatrician and Nutrition Counselor

It’s that time of year again when New Year’s resolutions are made and unfortunately for most, they get broken. If you are starting this year with some resolutions to eat better, exercise more, spend more time with your family, etc., the question you should ask yourself is “Why do I want this?” The reason for most is to feel good and be happy. Feeling good and energized makes us happy. Feeling strong and healthy makes us happy. Living a long, good quality life with minimal health issues makes us happy. Losing weight makes us happy. Looking good and having positive self-esteem makes us happy. All the results you will get from achieving the health and fitness goals you set out to achieve will make you and those who love and support you happy. If you choose to make resolutions for the year ahead, think about how it will bring you joy and make you happy. Here are some tips to achieve your resolutions this year.

• Daily Reminder – Remind yourself daily why you are choosing to exercise, eat better or whatever you resolve this year. You can put an alert on your smart phone, tablet, computer, or do it the old-fashioned way and post it on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror.

• SMART Goals for Success – Use the SMART goal method to set small, realistic weekly goals that you know you will be able to fit into your schedule and achieve. SMART is an acronym for Specific; Measurable; Attainable; Rewarding and Time Bounded. I recommend setting small daily goals as well and a bigger three-month goal. You can revisit my January 2017 article for more details.

• Be Patient – Results take time. People are often in a rush to see results in their health and fitness, or on the scale. Results happen from consistently incorporating healthy habits and activities that will eventually lead to achieving what you want. Remember the saying “slow and steady wins the race.” When you are persistent and consistent doing a few things over time, you will reap BIG results. When revamping your eating habits or exercise regime give your body a month or two to reveal the results of the positive changes.

• A Little Effort Goes a Long Way – Some exercise and a few healthy choices in your diet is ALWAYS better than none. Know that any extra little workout – even a 20-minute workout, and a clean meal or healthy choice is going to help you get that much closer to your goal. Think of this if you are questioning whether it is worth it to choose a salad over the French fries or a 10-minute walk over more emails.

• One Day at A Time – Take it one day at a time and start each day with the top item on this list. You are doing this for the long haul, so just take it one day at a time, one workout at a time, one meal at a time and remember why you started. On the days that you may not be as diligent to your resolutions, start over the next day and remember your daily reminder to reset why you are making these changes that will create a better version of YOU.

Whether you decide to make New Year’s resolutions or not, use these tips to improve your diet, and exercise more which will improve how you feel. Feeling good has a multitude of benefits that you, your family and friends will enjoy. May this year be your best yet!
Dr. Wendy Henrichs is a board certified chiropractor and nutrition counselor at Timber Land Chiropractic in Rhinelander. For a complimentary chiropractic, nutrition or lifestyle counseling consultation, visit TimberlandChiropractic.com, Facebook, or call 715-362-4852.