Tip # 6

Start Fresh.

January 1 is not the only day you get to leave the past behind and focus on your goals. This is done every single day of the year. Maybe today is the day that you decide to make changes to your wellness, whether it be spiritual, financial, emotional, or physical.

It is okay to start over. Whatever has been an obstacle in your path can be removed if you look at it with fresh eyes and clear vision.

If you have been trying to lose weight with no results, start fresh today by refining your plan and goals.

If you are struggling with a work issue, put the past behind you and act like today is the first day at your new job.

If you are having problems with your spouse, act as if you are taking them out for your first date tonight. Put the energy and focus into being your best self.

Bring new energy and focus to what you desire.

It's okay to start fresh, even and especially on January 25th.

Tip # 5

Rest and Recover

You cannot achieve your best work and your goals if you do not take time to rest and recover. The best athletes in the world train using this model, and the best business leaders, educators, and professionals use rest and recovery to be in the elite category of their passions.

Resting means getting off the proverbial treadmill for a moment. Find a quiet place to turn your phone off, shut the laptop down, and just think. Your brain will enter an alpha brain state after 20 minutes that will allow you to access new ideas, inspiration, and clarity. The best ideas happen in the shower, the comfortable couch, the massage table.

Take some time this week to plan and set aside time to rest. When you come in for your next spa treatment,  mention that you are using the time to rest and recover. We will use our intent to create a warm, nurturing environment to give you space and honor your rest.

Tip # 4

Know your Biorhythm.

Your biorhythm is your internal body clock. It is the 24 hour schedule for how your body operates. Some of you have no problems rising at 4:30 am to workout and get ready for the day ahead. For others (like me), the thought of a 4:30am run makes me nauseous.

The early bird may get a worm, but there are trillions of worms out there for you.  You can get "the worm" any time within the 24 hour cycle.  Do not force your body to conform to a rhythm that is not yours. You may be able to get up early to exercise a few times, but it will not be sustainable because that is not how your body operates.

Take a minute to write down your favorite times to do things, as if the entire day was yours without commitments like work and children.

For example, my clock wants me to rise when the sun does. Obviously this changes with the seasons, but that works for me. I do not force myself to do otherwise. If I can choose a time to exercise, it is late morning to early afternoon. I prefer to write and reflect from 9-11pm.

If I am working on these goals, it makes sense to work them into my biorhythm. I am not going to schedule a run at 4:30 am. Ever. But I will schedule to work out at 11 am and be highly successful.

Knowing your body clock will help you stay well. It gives you a framework for success. Working on wellness goals within your biorhythm makes sense to you, and that's who you need to think about.

Tip # 3

Simplify.

Focusing on total body wellness can seem daunting. There are so many aspects to wellness that is it easy to get overwhelmed and feel discouraged. My definition of wellness includes physical, mental, spiritual, financial, relationship, and positivity. Your definition may include different factors. We need to know how and where to start on these wellness goals.
My trick is to simplify.

Simplify means: to make something simple.

a. To reduce in complexity or extent. b. To reduce to fundamental parts. c. To make easier to understand.

Examples of how you can simplify your wellness goals.

Lose 50 pounds this year.

 Now simplify this goal: Lose the first 3 pounds this month. 

The simplification is in the volume of the goal.

 As you earn a small victory, it will propel you forward.

 Conversely, if you run out of steam and fail, it will set you back even further.

Have less pain in my body.

A great goal, but difficult to know where to start.

 A consult with a doctor is appropriate, but here are some suggestions based on muscular pain.

Rate your pain . For example, if your low back aches every morning, give it a number . Let's call it a 6/10, 10 being the worse pain ever. Now, simplify your goal to: Reduce pain to a 3/10 or better. 

Now you can focus your actions to get to that 3/10, and employ strategies such as massage, proper hydration, stretching, physical therapy, gym membership, aqua training, etc. 

The simplification of this goal is making it measureable. As I stated in a previous post, we cannot change what we cannot measure.

Look younger.

We know for a fact that this is a goal for many and it can feel like fighting an uphill battle. To simplify a large goal as this one, the trick is to focus on what you feel like makes you look older and working on it. Is it hair color, wrinkles around the eyes (crows feet), or a dull lackluster skin tone? An esthetician can give you great feedback, and Laurie at our spa is excellent at giving you a small focused goal and action plan. It may be as simple as exfoliating twice a week with a great product. Simplified, this goal can state: Exfoliate twice a week with Multivitamin Thermafoliant. 

Totally manageable and will make you look younger.

I am interested in hearing what your wellness goals are and would love you to comment below. If you would like me to use your example in the next post with my suggestions to simplify, I would love to work on that with you.

Until then, keep it simple.

Tip #2

Track.

If you want to succeed at a wellness goal, you need to track.
You cannot improve what you do not measure.
I have tracked many different wellness goals, and it works.

Tracking in its basic form means writing down what you do in relation to what your goal is.
I use a journal for tracking, but you can use a smart phone too.

          Want to lose weight?     Track what you eat.

          Want to save money?     Track what you spend.

          Want to feel connected to your spouse?
                                        Track the positive qualities you see in this person daily.

          Want to think more positively?     Track 3 positive statements about yourself every day.

          Want to spend more time at the spa,  track it!

I ask some of my massage clients to track how they feel before and after a massage.
If they track that their pain and function is a 8/10 prior (10 being the worst), and a 4/10 after, that shows progress.

Next, I would like them to track how long they felt 4/10. Was it for 3 days, two weeks? This gives me information to help direct you to what you need for maximum function, pain relief and progress. It also allows my client the ability to see that massage is worth their time, money and planning.

You can track skin care goals, foot care goals, hair health, anything you want to change.

I am currently working on a wellness tracker that you can use and start your progress towards whatever you desire. Let me know if you are interested in receiving information on the Upstream Wellness Tracker by leaving a comment below.

Tip # 1

Listen to your body. 

This is a real area for improvement for most people. Are you taking stock of how your muscles feel? Are you having pain somewhere that is chronic? Are you using any tools or strategies to fix this as quickly as possible?

If you were driving your car and you heard a whump, whump, whump every time you turned left, you wouldn't decide just not to turn left. You would call and get a mechanic to see it as soon as possible. So, if your low back says whump, whump, whump when you get out of the bed in the morning, why don't you listen? Your body is giving you a clue and asking you for help. 

As a massage therapist and owner of a day spa, I believe in getting a massage as soon as these issues crop up. If you feel like it is a muscular issue, there is no better treatment than a targeted massage with a  therapist who know their way around a muscle. Amazing results can happen after one treatment. 

My mother in law shoveled too much snow on Friday. She is a very fit 65 year old, but a lot of snow is a lot of snow and we live in Vermont. She called same day to ask if I could look at it. Nope, too busy to get her in my schedule, but got her in with Sarah Kuhl, my dynamic massage therapist at the spa. 

Last night during a game of New Years Eve Yahtzee, she remember to tell me how after that one treatment, 50 minutes of targeted massage with a kinesiotape application to her low back, her pain completely left. It had gone away so quickly she had to remember to tell me about it. My daughter won the game by the way, she rolled two Yahtzees. 

Here's a perfect example of someone who listened to their bodies, called the right resource, found time to get in, and trusted the process. 

Get Upstream Wellness

     My passion as a wellness provider took a sharp turn in 2006 when I realized what wellness was for me.  In the 6 years since, I have been honing my concept, talking to friends, clients, co-workers about what wellness means. In a recent conversation with a hospital administrator about my definition he said, " your vision of wellness sounds like you want people to be upstream of sickness". Yes! He nailed it for me. I want you to stand Upstream. Out of the way of negative health issues, upstream where wellness lives.

      I had been a physical therapist at that time for 12 years and was working fast and furious to "fix people". My goals were to diagnosis, treat and educate after a pathology had occurred in a patient. For example, you have a rotator cuff tear, have surgery, then I assist you to gain strength, range of motion and function. Another example: you have a myocardial infarction, then we rehab for months or years to gain what we can back. It's a noble profession, a needed resource, and a way to care for other people. I loved what I did, but I felt like I was waiting for something negative to happen to you before I could step in to help.

                                          Now press the rewind button really fast.

What if whatever made that rotator cuff tear happen in the first place never happened?  What if the factors that precipitated the heart attack never were factors? Who better to help you in preventing injury and damage than a physical therapist who keeps learning how the injury and damage happened?

Now this scenario does not work for everyone. I understand that. Accidents happen, injuries occur, negative health issues are not always evident before they happen. But even changing a slight percentage, even 5%, would be welcomed.

What I do know after 20 years of studying pathology is this: our bodies give us clues. We can ignore them and keep using our back the wrong way until a disc gives out, or we can listen to them and implement corrective strategies quickly.

My goal as a wellness provider is to keep you pain free, functional, and enjoying the same hobbies and passions at 80 years old that you did at 40.

So how can I help you get to this place?

Starting this January 1, 2013, I will dedicate this space to showing you secrets to wellness.