There we have it, Christmas Day 2024 is complete.
I do enjoy the time in between Christmas and New year where it is calm as everyone relaxes, reflects on the year and takes time to set up for 2025. I’m a bit weird in that I do enjoy New Year’s Eve, I know a lot of people don’t and think it is over hyped. But we have been lucky in that our university friends made a conscious effort to spend time with each other each new year.
And more than the night and day itself I think it is a really good opportunity to use the calm time to reflect and plan.
I set my goals in November for the coming year and then from 27th December to 31st January I re-read them and ‘fact check’ myself to make sure they are SMART.
S-Specific
M-Measurable
A-Achievable
R-Realistic
T-Time bound
For example, I might set a goal of losing 3 kg by the end of March.
- This is specific because I’m specifying 3kg
- I can measure this each day with the scales
- 3kg in 3 months is achievable I know this as I have done it before and 1kg per month is a healthy amount
- It is also realistic as per number 3
- I’m setting a time limit, the end of March.
The other two things you may want to do are to attach a ‘why’ to it.
This then turns on the internal drivers in your brain so that when it is late on a Friday night and you fancy a Five Guys burger, your ’why’ kicks in and helps your will power to follow through on the goal.
For example, I want to lose 3kg of weight by the end of March because…..
-I have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and I want to live a healthier and more active life and avoid taking blood pressure medication
-I have just become a grandparent and I want to be able to run around and look after them
-I want to get my handicap down 2 points and need to feel more agile and light
The second thing that helps a goal stick, is to make it public. Tell someone you are losing 3kg by March and tell them to hold you accountable. Or post it on Facebook if you are feeling really brave, that is a sure way to be held to account by your 200 friends.
Our book of the month if James Clear’s Atomic Habits, it is a great read to achieve your goals by changing your behaviours and understanding how your values are shaped. You can find out more here
One thing I get asked by a lot of you is ‘how is my posture?’
We are rightly worried about our posture, how we stand and how it affects our health and our confidence.
This week’s blog is about how you can very easily get two inches back on our height.
Posture is a concern as we age.
We are constantly telling our kids and grandkids to sit up straight, don’t slouch or get off your phone. We know that habits that are built in our younger years will serve us well as we age.
But it is never too late to start changing habits and correcting your posture.
- Towel retraction exercise-this is a great movement to help strengthen the deep neck flexors and pull your head back into a better position.
We use it as a simple way for everyone here at the clinic, it is not suitable if you have had a severe neck injury recently, e.g. a fracture.
You need a small ball like a tennis ball or a rolled-up towel and tuck it in under your chin, sit up straight and ensure that you are pulling back your head.
Common mistakes are to tuck the chin down or up, don’t do this, make sure you pull back into the towel and try and retract your chin into the ball or towel and hold it for 5 seconds. You should feel your neck tighten up; this is good. But if it causes pain then to stop and consult a professional.
You want to repeat this 5 times and do 3 sets. Try and do this every day, the great thing about it is that you can do it when you are sitting at your desk at work.
2) Stick posture alignment– this is a movement that will align your whole spine and help you to stand straighter.
You want to get a stick that is at least 1m in length, like a hockey stick or piece of garden bamboo cane.
Take the stick and hold it on your back, one arm on the base of your spine and the other at the skull. The stick should be flat against your back and you need to apply some pressure to it and hold it against your spine.
Whilst keeping the pressure on the stick push your hips back and start to fold over, if your spine is aligned you will be able to keep the stick against your back, if you have a lack of flexibility, you will not be able to fold too far as your spine will bend and the stick will not allow you to go further.
If that is the case then stop and hold it where you feel the stick putting pressure and not letting you go further, then go back to the beginning and repeat this 10 times through, 3 sets.
You will find you can go further and will get more flexible as the weeks go on.
It is a great exercise to increase alignment and head retraction to allow you to stand up straighter, adding an extra inch on to your height.
It may sound silly but if you are going to try these exercises over an 8-week period, then draw a pencil line on the wall at the top of your head to mark your height when standing normally. You remember when you used to do this as a kid and measure your height as you got taller.
This is a great way to measure how effectively these exercises are working for you.
Let me know how you get on and I wish you a very happy new year.
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If you do know someone who wants more advice, please send them our details. You can send them this assessment as well to diagnose their back pain. It is a great tool to understand where your back pain is coming from, it is free and takes 60 seconds. Click here for assessment
