I know many people who were able to focus on their lifestyle and health goals despite the pandemic for the last couple of years. Some unexpected circumstances like too much social activities, travel, health issues, sickness/loss of a family member, or financial difficulties that have recently happened could still delay one’s fitness goals.

If these things happen to you, try to revisit your past and analyze how you started right and what worked for you in diet and exercise. Recall how you were able to handle the challenges in your life to grow in your journey. However, the circumstances might have changed your current situation, so you need to be more flexible and try new things to modify the approaches that have worked for you effectively.

Acknowledge your situation and tell yourself that it is time to move on

Forgive yourself and reflect on what went wrong. Some things are always beyond your control, like sudden illness in the family, natural calamities, and your present home and family setup brought about by the pandemic.

Do not be too hard on yourself, but focus on the things you can control, like how you can live your life and take care of your health. Consider how you eat, the amount of movement you can regularly do, and how you schedule your day. It also means looking at how you can restructure your environment and relate to the people around you. 

You have the greatest opportunity to live your life to the fullest, considering what you can physically do, what you can give to others, and what you can improve on when it comes to your relationship with the most important people around you.

Discover your real needs, then search for the answers

What do you need right now to fully function and be excited to face another day? Maybe you need to feel physically, mentally, and emotionally well to achieve your goals for yourself and your loved ones. Prioritize your goals and be prepared to reinvent yourself this year.

To be physically well and healthy, you need to consider the three significant lifestyle aspects: food, movement, and rest. Reflect on how you can systematically start without getting overwhelmed with the necessary lifestyle tasks. 

Allot time for yourself during the day to improve your mental health. Stimulate your mind by reading, researching, or enrolling in courses, and recharge your mind by breathing, meditating, and relaxing. 

Your emotional health can be nourished by praying expressing yourself through movement, music, and communication. You can also connect with your loved ones and do simple good deeds every day.

Stay positive and let go of negative thoughts that can delay your goals

Value your time well by focusing on the positive things in life, counting your blessings, and getting excited about changes that may come your way. Be inspired by others’ accomplishments and success stories instead of comparing yourself with others and always thinking of what you don’t have.

Be prepared to create your own unique story that will eventually positively affect others as well.

I ran with my close friend last weekend, and we discussed staying positive this year despite a significant life transition that just recently happened to her. Her daughter just left for the States to work and study. For the first time after 25 years, she’s not focused on fully taking care of someone at home. Instead of feeling sad about her daughter’s absence, she told me about being excited to improve her work and health while supporting her husband’s lifestyle goals at the same time.

Start with simple goals, pursue action plans, then recognize your small accomplishments

Start simple and avoid that perfectionist attitude of setting ideal health goals.

Initially, think of walking or accomplishing more movement daily, increasing vegetables, and gradually modifying your sleeping g habits by sleeping at least one hour earlier than usual. 

Instead of being too preoccupied with weight, empower yourself and strengthen your motivation by writing down your progress. When it comes to your lifestyle habits, reassess and reset daily, weekly, and monthly goals. 

Here are some lifestyle habits that you might want to focus on:

Movement: Increasing the number of steps, total calorie burn from physical activities, frequency, and intensity of exercise

Eating: Increasing fiber-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Incorporating healthy snacks in your diet like nuts, seeds, and yogurt and improving your water intake to at least eight glasses a day

Rest and recovery: Increasing total hours of sleep per day and giving more time for breathing work and meditation 

Commit and persist until you achieve what you always long for

Commit to your goals and always be a fighter when approaching your daily challenges. Do not hesitate to ask for support from your loved ones and some professionals to help you achieve your goals. Let your strengths and weaknesses push you to make a difference.

 

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