New Year, New Start

Each year, we push through the holiday season and all of its craziness. When January rolls around, we have a chance to wipe the slate clean and set new goals. A detailed plan makes it possible to stay on track and reach your 2013 goals. If you are going to be successful, your routine has to be in line with your plans and goals. Hopefully you have a plan to meet your goals. Hopefully your plan is more than just a “resolution” made as the year ended.

Your health and wellness impact your life in many ways. The cost of your future medical care and the current cost of insurance and other medical needs are impacted. This all leads to overall financial impact. Your day to day energy, mood and ability to get through the day are impacted as well. You can choose to impact these areas positively or negatively.

The more you make health part of your routine, the better you will feel and the better you will function. It’s no secret that health works and it’s no exaggeration to say that everyone wants to be healthy. This year, you can make it the year that you meet your goals. Since it is January we have a fresh start and we already have New Year’s resolutions on our minds, so we have a few questions for you on an individual level as we kick off 2013:

What are your goals?
What do you want to change about your health?

If you want to see any changes, you have to have a plan and you have to take action. The most important question is:
What is your plan to reach your goals?

We challenge you to put together a plan that works for you and will keep you achieving your goals all year long:

• Write your goals down
• Tell someone about your goals
• Think about what challenges or barriers you may encounter
• Create specific steps to overcome these challenges and barriers
• Determine how you will measure your progress
• Decide what rewards you will give yourself to celebrate success along the way

No one wants to look back and wish they had started sooner, so get going now! No matter what your goals are, you can get started now and set yourself up for a healthy year. Even small steps now will pay dividends later in the year.

We continue to hear about the healthcare crisis, obesity and diabetes epidemics and many other health problems around our country. Clearly, living healthy is not easy. Deciding to focus on improving health might be easier than actually doing it, but getting started can be overwhelming. It all starts when you do. And you can start anywhere at any time.

Getting started is important, but sustaining the momentum is even more important. January is a great time to get things moving, but it is only the beginning. This is the first step in a long-term plan that will provide long-term results. We want you and your family to be successful in life and in health. That is why we are here to support you. Hopefully your year is off to a great start and you are on track with your goals. If you haven’t set goals, now is a great time to do it. Let’s make 2013 a successful, happy and healthy year!

Happy New Year from The Wellness Division!