Many people express the desire to make different lifestyle choices and sharpen up their health, fitness and energy levels. In the quest to turn this desire into action, we've identified 3 key questions that you must ask yourself.
1. What specifically do I want to achieve with my personal wellbeing?
If you're serious about great wellness results you need to think beyond the headline aims to tone up, get fit or lose weight.
(If you really want to lose weight by the way you need to read my book, The NLP Diet)
For quick success your objectives need to be more precise. A second level of more specific questions could include:
How fit do you want to be?
How will you measure progress?
What does a healthy eating routine look like for you and your family?
What does better work life balance mean to you?
How much weight do you want to lose or gain and by when?
When you consider better sleep routines, what will these consist of?
2. Why do I want to achieve these results?
This is crucial. We are all exposed to millions of messages telling us we should be thinner, richer, healthier, fitter, faster, more dynamic, better balanced and more successful.
The secret is only to pay attention to the messages that are relevant and interesting to you for specific and compelling reasons.
Use these messages to develop your individual plan and turn your desires into a clear mission statement like this one:
'I want to be fit enough to complete a 10K run in 50 minutes because the training to achieve this will give me a focus to my weekly exercise, keep me on track with my food routine and my sleep pattern, and give me more energy to perform better at work and be in a better frame of mind to support my family. Achieving my goal within three months will give me a huge sense of satisfaction and boost my confidence.'
3. When do I want to begin experiencing benefits of making lifestyle changes and when will the landmark moments in my progress appear?
The time frame you choose to achieve your objectives needs to be appropriate and exciting. Losing 7 pounds in 18 months or running a marathon within 5 years probably won't change much that you do right now.
Too much time can be as bad as too little so be precise. Focus on the combination of:
a) changes that are quick to implement so you can experience immediate benefits, and
b) make sure your actions lead toward some clear key benchmarks of notable progress.
For example, a walk or run every day leading towards completing a marathon in 6-months will improve daily energy levels, improve fitness, enhance creativity and boost mood and provide you with a real sense of achievement when you cross the finish line on the chosen date of the event.
Consider carefully what will you do every day to move yourself towards your chosen objectives. Only with regular input, daily sharpening the saw as Stephen Covey puts it, will you reach your goal quickly and effectively. Read our post on the power of consistent wellbeing action.
Remember these questions are all probably a natural part of the processes you go through in your professional role and in any business project. You're familiar with tackling the finer details at work so always make sure you apply this approach to your wellness goals.