My New Year's resolutions for the mind, body, and spirit | IBX ...

Lay a deep-rooted foundation and sow the right seeds to germinate and grow during the rest of the year.

Happy 2013! Now that we?ve reached winter, gyms and yoga studios are probably busy with everyone aiming to hit their health and fitness goals. I?ve been an agnostic in terms of New Year resolutions, but I am a believer in the power of setting goals in order to stay motivated and consistent.

I imagine that our ancestors may have hibernated during winter, eating in abundance and storing fat and food to keep them going during the rest of the year. With the start of the calendar year coinciding with cold weather in this part of the hemisphere (Philadelphia area), it?s probably the toughest time to keep up with an active, outdoor, and energetic lifestyle ? the so-called mantra of a ?healthy life.?

I don?t want to revert to the ?cave days? of our ancestors. But, in this social media-crazed world, I can?t help but be drawn to the Twitter and Facebook feeds of my friends who live in the warmer part of the world. Part of me feels like if only I could escape to 85 degree beach weather instead of the cold of Philadelphia in January, I?d be able to get a head start on my health goals. (Familiar feeling?)

Lessons from Nature
To beat the cold weather blues and meet my wellness goals, I intend to take lessons from nature. Like animals, some plants survive throughout the winter in resting stages. It is the seeds of the annual plants that survive the cold winter months. The seeds germinate and grow in the spring.
My lesson from nature: lay a deep-rooted foundation and sow the right seeds to germinate and grow leaps and bounds during the rest of the year.

Sowing the seeds
Here are some steps I will be taking to help improve my mind and the body:

1. More fun and energy: I will identify activities that I?m passionate about and are fun for me, like indoor racket sports ? ping pong and tennis.
2. Better awareness: Awareness can be felt in different areas, such as the physical body, your mind, and in relationships with others. Awareness is essential for a wholesome life. I will build better awareness through deep breathing techniques, meditation, and yoga.
3. Maintain a healthy competitive mind set: I will keep my competitive spirit alive by setting personal goals. For example, I will strive to win most of my tennis league matches and become a much better tennis player.
4. Measure my progress: I live by the statement: ?What gets measured gets managed.? There is much power in tracking, and I?ve experienced this in the past with my career and other areas of my life. The simple act of paying attention to something will cause you to make connections, and will help you to improve those areas. I tend to start small, track the basic steps, and not overwhelm myself by staying pragmatic. My goal is to track my eating habits and my meditation time.

These four goals will help me live a healthier and happier life in 2013. Once these seeds are sown, I think it would provide consistent results. What are the seeds you would like to sow this year? How will you pursue a healthier lifestyle?

Source: http://ibxwalkthetalk.com/2013/01/my-new-years-resolutions-for-the-mind-body-and-spirit/

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