BY TAMMY TOOR
With December here again, I find myself evaluating the year that is almost gone. What were the highlights? What are some things I learned? How can I improve myself?
Many people like to set goals for self-improvement in January, but I think December is a great time to plan change. That way, when the new year begins, I am ready to implement some well thought out healthy habits.
Here are some tips I use to help me succeed in creating healthy habits. Maybe they can help you, too.
Identify the ‘why’ - It’s often easy to know what healthy habits you want to incorporate into your life, but identifying the reason will often be the secret ingredient to success. Deciding you want to be more active because you want to live a healthier, longer life has more power than just telling yourself you are going to take an exercise class in the new year.
Stick with it - Don’t set yourself up for failure by expecting change to come in a couple of days or weeks. Our minds just don’t work that way. On the same note, don’t give up if you occasionally fumble. We all have those days. The key is about not letting those occasional misses become frequent misses.
Incorporate the three R’s pattern - Every habit we have (good or bad) follows the same three-step pattern identified by author Charles Duhigg in his best-selling book, The Power of Habit. Briefly, the book tells us to remind ourselves why we are trying to create a healthy habit, establish a regular routine that develops that habit and reward ourselves along the way for our successes.
If one of your healthy habits for 2018 includes being more active, check out our Activity Guide which has programs for every family member starting in January. Check it out online or pick up a copy at our recreation centres.
From all of us here at parks and rec, we wish you and your family the best of the holiday season and a happy, healthy and active new year.
Tammy Toor is a graphics and communications specialist with the City of Nanaimo.