Making 2023 a healthy lifestyle year

Lisa Luckman gives a biokineticist’s perspective of making this year all about living a healthy lifestyle.

With it being a new year, surely most of you have made a goal list? How many of these goals are part of making 2023 a healthy lifestyle year?

Do you know the attributes of good goal setting? The simple word SMART is a popular acronym in assisting when wanting to create a sustainable goal.

S – Specific: Is your goal detailed and distinct enough, with no ambiguity?

M – Measurable: Does your goal have quantifying characteristics?

A – Achievable: Is your goal possible to achieve?

R – Realistic: Is your goal within reach?

T – Timely: Does your goal specify a time by which you want to achieve it?

These are all attributes that can assist in setting you up for successful outcomes to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

Set yourself up for success

When it comes to your health and well-being, you want to create sustainable lifestyle changes that will benefit you for years to come. So, how do you set yourself up for success?

Some tips that may work include:

• Focus on implementing one change or new habit at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
• Make the new change simple and easy to allow it to be achievable.
• Use an obvious clue as a reminder throughout your day to reinforce the new habit, such as, placing the water bottle in a place where you walk by often so that every time you do so, you’re reminded to drink some water.
• Remind yourself that it’s okay to restart anytime you may have fallen off the routine.
• Build discipline within yourself, as intrinsic motivation may be swayed from time to time.
• Join a community with similar goals where others may assist in maintaining your accountability, but also provide motivation.

Sit less and move more

If you’re short of health and wellness goals, sit less and move more is a great starting point.

 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Insufficient physical activity is the fourth leading risk factor of death.” This is astounding because your degree of daily movement is something that you have direct control over.

 WHO goes on to say, “People who are insufficiently physically active have a 20% to 30% increased risk of all-cause mortality compared to those who engage in the minimum recommended amount of movement per week.”

What is the minimum recommended amount of exercise per week? Thirty minutes of aerobic and resistance activity performed five days per week at moderate intensity.

Moderate intensity is easily defined by the ability to maintain a conversation while being active. This shows that there’s no need to be huffing and puffing, but rather movement at a level that is possibly more enjoyable, thus creating a sustainable routine.

There’s always a way to move and there’s always a way to modify

Two of my favourite sayings are: there’s always a way to move and there’s always a way to modify. Being a biokineticist, I have become a problem solver, finding a solution to a perceived excuse or obstacle as to why one can’t move.

No gym membership? You’ve got your home, backyard, suburb streets or park.

No weights? You’ve possibly got water bottles or canned food, never mind your own body weight as a constant weight; use that.

Using your environment and what you have with some creativity, I guarantee there are many ways to move.

Is your perceived excuse that you’re bedridden, wheelchair or homebound? There are entire exercise routines to these specific restrictions which can be prescribed by biokineticists. There are ways to move no matter what your limitations are; meaningful movement is possible for everyone.

If you’re able to join a community or find a physical activity that you enjoy, your chances of creating a sustainable lifestyle change drastically improves.

Easy ways to move

Here are simple ways you can incorporate the recommended minimum of 30 minutes of activity per day.

• Playing with kids is a great way to keep moving.
• Enjoy a dance party alone or with some company.
• Take the stairs, and park further away from the shop entrance
• Catch up with a friend while walking instead of sitting down for coffee.
• Doggy meet-ups at a park.
• Skip or hula hoop.
• Deep clean your home or garden.

One bite/step at a time to a healthy lifestyle

With a list of goals, you may be inclined to feel overwhelmed before starting. However, small steps lead to great results, just start. The catchphrase How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time has so much truth to it.

As a biokineticist in the medical profession, I often use the strategies above to motivate the clients in my care to move more, no matter what that looks like to them. With disability comes ability. The main focus of biokinetics is to assist you in improving your quality of life and well-being through movement.

Remember to show yourself kindness as you start and potentially restart your sustainable healthy lifestyle changes.

Header image by FreePik