Weight loss is a popular target in the fitness industry. However, focusing too much on the scale might be harmful to your mental health, causing you to overlook important parts of overall wellness. Instead of focusing on a number, shift your focus to setting goals for wellness and behavioral change.
Wellness objectives should be on improving your mind, body, and spirit. Small behavioral adjustments can result in significant benefits. After all, achieving successful and long-term health requires a variety of health-promoting habits.
However, making modifications is not straightforward. You’ve been living a certain way for a long time, and your go-to tools are presumably ones you picked up along the road. They may have worked in the past, but sometimes changes are required for positive progress.
Let’s Jump In…
Now that you’ve decided to set wellness objectives, it’s time to figure out what you want to work on. Because it takes an average of 66 days to create a new habit, you’ll want to give yourself plenty of time and resources to help you succeed.
Use the SMART criteria to help you define your goals: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timed. Instead of saying, “I’m going to sleep more,” try saying, “I’m going to bed half an hour earlier 5 days a week for the next consecutive 4 weeks.” The more specific your goals are, the more likely you are to achieve them.
Speaking with your healthcare practitioner, coach, personal trainer, or qualified nutritionist can assist you in setting suitable objectives and developing action plans to achieve them. Consider incorporating these eight wellness goals into your daily routine.
Establish Non-Exercise Activity Goals
It is not necessary to move more through organized exercise. Non-exercise activity includes any activity or movement that does not involve sport or exercise.
Doing more physical tasks for yourself is not only healthy for the mind, but it also contributes significantly to your physical health. This is referred to as NEAT, or non-exercise activity thermogenesis. NEAT can not only assist you in maintaining a good level of physical fitness, but basic actions such as cleaning and decluttering can improve your quality of life and reduce stress.
Non-Exercise Activity Objectives:
- Instead of taking the elevator at work, take the stairs.
- Hand-wash your automobile once a week.
- Instead than emailing or calling a coworker, walk over to their workstation.
- Stand up more. Consider using a standing desk or simply standing during things that you would normally do while sitting.
- For transit, walk or ride a bike.
- Have fun with your children.
- Do some yard work or cleaning around the house.
- Do an active family outing once a week or as frequently as feasible, such as hiking, biking, kayaking, paddle boarding, or making an obstacle course.
Prioritize Sleep
Nobody enjoys being sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation not only makes you feel foggy and weary during the day, but it is also a major contributor to stress, decreased quality of life, mental discomfort, pain, weight gain, mood disorders, and other chronic health problems.
Making the decision to improve your sleep hygiene is not an easy task. Let’s face it: there are occasions when you can’t sleep because of circumstances beyond your control. Prioritizing sleep is well worth the effort if you believe it is achievable or if you have some wiggle room.
The advantages of getting more sleep include:
- Hormone control
- Metabolic control
- improved mood and cognitive performance
- Health of the immune system
To prioritize sleep, first establish a goal, then plan how you’ll achieve it. “I will, for example, switch off screens an hour before bed and go to bed 20 minutes early five days a week.” The following stage is to carry out your plan.
Set aside time for media breaks
Don’t you simply love it when your phone or tablet informs you how many hours and minutes you’ve spent on your phone or tablet today? Devices may be all-consuming, and our screen time often reflects this.
While social networking has some advantages, it may also generate a lot of tension and anxiety. Taking a break to relax and reset the mind is not only a good idea, but it has also been found to boost well-being and aid with sleep.
It does not have to be a long time away from social media to be beneficial. Even a one-week break can result in considerable gains in well-being, despair, and anxiety.
Allow yourself to take a much-needed vacation so that you can return ready to appreciate the benefits of being social online.
Develop a Creative Outlet
With so many tasks to complete in a single day, it’s simple to see why finding time for hobbies feels unattainable. So, if you can’t seem to find the time, make it yourself.
According to scientists, having hobbies that you enjoy, such as painting, producing, and crafting, can help you live longer.
Developing a creative outlet is also beneficial to your mental health, particularly in a group context. According to a 2015 study, persons who engaged in leisure activities had higher mental health than those who solely engaged in social activities. When the two were combined—leisure activities in a group setting or with a friend—mental health increased as well.
Making time to nurture a creative outlet is a great tool for nourishing your well-being.
Exercise Mindfulness
Everyone has gone through a period in their lives when they felt like they were just going through the motions. During daily duties, it’s easy to grow overwhelmed and zone out. Being purposeful and thoughtful throughout the day has a way of calming you down and bringing you down to earth.
Researchers discovered that the benefits of mindfulness extend beyond intention and help your psychological wellbeing.
Focusing on what you’re doing is one method to stay present. Take note of how your arms move and how you breathe; straighten your upper body, push your shoulders back, or sit comfortably. Concentrate on relaxing and releasing stress. Keep an open mind and be patient. It is your responsibility to bear testimony to your own acts and experiences.
Help a Cause or Volunteer
Finding significance in life can have a significant impact on your health. Whether you are passionate about a particular cause or love volunteering to help others, experts have discovered that doing so is an effective technique for enhancing health and quality of life.
It doesn’t have to be a big deal—every small bit counts. Begin by focusing about ways you would like giving back. Here are a couple of suggestions to get you started:
- Most 5ks benefit a good cause, so sign up and start going!
- Volunteer at a food bank or an animal shelter in your community.
- Help your child’s classroom or school.
- Make a book donation
- Organize a modest fundraiser, like a raffle, and donate the money to a worthy charity.
Encourage Social Interactions
Making new acquaintances is difficult. There is no doubt about that. Making friends as an adult can be much more difficult. Fostering social relationships is more than just finding someone to hang out with—it helps to your overall health! Spending time with individuals you like might boost your mood and overall health.
Short-term and long-term social contacts have been proven in studies to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, poor immunological function, and depressed symptoms. Furthermore, the impacts of loneliness and social isolation might be harmful. Researchers of the subject have even compared it to obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and a lack of exercise.
Clinicians and researchers advise making an attempt to socialize with family, friends, and others on a daily or weekly basis. Once a week is a good place to start and may be more achievable for those with hectic schedules.
Here are some suggestions for finding like-minded folks in your area:
- Participate in a group or club.
- Consider taking a fitness class.
- Volunteer
- Join a social group.
- Look for local community events.
Increase your time spent outside
More than a fantastic tan, the sun and a cool air on your face might benefit you. In fact, even staring out the window can improve your attitude.
Getting outside more often has healing aspects as well as mental health advantages. Living and working near green spaces has been linked to lower stress, depression, and anxiety levels.
Even if you live in the city, spending time outside will help you.
Begin by setting a reasonable goal—it may be anything modest. Heading outside for even 10 minutes during your lunch break five days a week, or going for a stroll after dinner three evenings a week, are both good ways to start.
Other methods to enjoy the great outdoors are as follows:
- Take a walk or ride your bike.
- Read a book while sitting under a tree.
- Outside, take a 10-minute rest.
- Consider stargazing or cloud viewing.
- Ride your bike or walk to work.
- Park a little further away from your destination.
- Please feed the ducks.
- Take a fishing trip.
A Final Thought from DigEnet
It is a marathon, not a sprint, to work on improving your health. While getting on the scale is likely the most popular method of measuring success, it is not always the greatest. Non-weight-loss wellness goals can have a significant impact on your health and well-being.
Change does not occur overnight. Speaking with a healthcare practitioner, counselor, or registered dietitian can assist you in developing realistic objectives that are appropriate for you and your lifestyle.