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WEEK 1
Try These 5 Simple Steps for Setting Health Goals
There’s some real wisdom in the saying that goes “a goal without a plan is just a wish.”
Have you ever felt like you were working hard and took all the right steps for setting health goals but, at the end of the day, you just weren’t making any progress towards them?
That might as well be a rhetorical question, right?
Of course you have. We all have.
And being the go-to wellness chiropractor in Singapore for everyone from…
- Lisa and Matt working and living at the speed of their three kids…
- To second year basketball coach Noah…
- To first year yoga student Kim…
- To retired master sergeant Ben…
And so many others - we’ve seen, heard, and helped people from all walks of life follow some SMART steps for setting health goals.
Bottom Line:
The truth is that most people often feel “stuck” when it comes to their health goals right about this time every year.
They set goals, take a few action steps for setting health goals, but never seem to accomplish very much for one reason or another (except for Diane, the little old lady next door that just won’t quit - but we digress).
And one thing we’ve noticed is that the problem really isn't a lack of motivation… it’s the lack of clear and SMART goals.
Why it Matters:
Following these 5 SMART steps for setting health goals can make all the difference in your follow through.
These structured goals make it easier for you to clarify your thoughts, focus your efforts, and use your time to your advantage.
Following such goals can also increase your chances of not only achieving but perhaps even surpassing your expectations.
5 SMART Steps for Setting Health Goals
Let’s break down our SMART acronym…
- Make It Specific: Make your goals specific for more effective planning. Think what, why, who, where, when, and which.
- Make It Measurable: define how you are making progress. Think how much, how many, and how will I know when it’s done.
- Make It Attainable: make them reasonable to accomplish. Think about how you can accomplish it and be realistic about any constraints you might have to contend with.
- Make It Relevant: your goals should align with your values. In a word, it should be worthwhile to you personally.
- Make It Time-Based: set a date of completion. Your goals can be short-term or long-term (today, 6 weeks, 6 months, etc), and this step in particular can help you focus and prioritize multiple goals.
We usually cover these steps for setting health goals with those who came to us after searching specifically for a wellness chiropractor in Singapore online.
As you may have guessed, they’re looking for more than the standard adjustment, and most all have told us that this framework along with our care and guidance really did make all the difference in their new year’s resolutions and other aspirations.
Let’s circle back to Lisa and Matt for a moment.
Both were active runners before becoming parents, and they hadn’t run a marathon together for 5 years.
They wanted to make this the year they finally got back to it, so they made a SMART plan.
- Specific: They wanted to start running together 3 times a week for 20-60 minutes (ideally, they would increase the minutes logged every few months), stretch on off-days, and visit our office at least once a month.
- Measurable: They would log their runs on their kitchen calendar, using various colored markers to represent the times.
- Attainable: They’ve both run marathons in the past, so while it had been awhile, this was in both of their comfort zones.
- Relevant: They had always enjoyed running, even before they met, and reviving their hobby was important to them.
- Time-Based: There was a local marathon put on downtown every year, so they knew how long they’d have to prepare.
They stuck to their SMART steps for setting health goals and did, in fact, finally enjoy that first marathon together!
Next Steps:
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
It couldn’t be more true.
A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan.
A plan backed by action becomes reality.
There is no better time than right now to take some simple SMART steps for setting health goals to improve your wellbeing this year.
That said, we also want to add that living a healthy life is a journey, so be sure to celebrate each step of your progress, no matter how seemingly small.
And know that our team will be here to help guide you along the way.
When it comes to health questions, health challenges, and resolving those nagging aches and pains that have been holding you back from reaching your goals, it’s smart to start by reaching out to the top wellness chiropractor in Singapore.
Whether you’re looking for…
- Whole-body chiropractic adjustments
- Guided exercise and stretching recommendations
- Or diet and lifestyle advice
We’ve got you covered, and we’re here to help!
Just give us a call.
Science Source(s):
SMART Goals: How to Make Your Goals Achievable. MindTools. 2022.
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WEEK 2
Positive Thinking and the Mind-Body Connection
Do you think of yourself as a “glass half-empty or half-full” sort of person?
Have you ever had someone tell you to "look on the bright side" or to "turn that frown upside-down" or who tried to tell you all about positive thinking and the mind-body connection?
Perhaps a friend has shared the classic “things turn out the best for people who make the best of the way things turn out” saying with you a time or two.
Maybe you’ve done so yourself a time or two as well.
Chances are good that if you or someone you know makes these comments, you’re positive thinkers.
And get this.
As the top holistic chiropractor in Singapore, we’re here to let you know that researchers are finding more and more evidence pointing to the many benefits of optimism and positive thinking.
Bottom Line:
It’s been said many times over many years by many people that mindset is the #1 predictor of success and for good reason.
The conversations that you have with yourself often play a major role in determining your personal growth.
The relationship between positive thinking and the mind-body connection is very real.
Here’s an example you might be familiar with…
Thinking that you can't do something can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
When we take on this type of mindset, it tends to get in the way and keep us from acting and making the decisions we need to make to do whatever it is we need to do.
The good news? There’s good news.
We can update our habits, beliefs, and the way we think, and that can have positive effects on both our mental outlook and physical wellbeing.
Why it Matters:
When it comes to positive thinking and the mind-body connection, choosing to practice positive thinking can be a key part of effective stress management, and effective stress management can mean a world of good for your body.
Some of those benefits can include:
- Fewer chronic aches, pains, and less daily discomfort.
- A lower likelihood of developing certain health conditions.
- Better mental coping skills and physiological responses when it comes to stress.
As we all know, when you feel better, you also tend to make better decisions for your health.
You may very well be more active each day and make better food choices as a result.
Practicing positive thinking can allow you to look at the world with a new perspective, and that can empower you to become the person you know you can be.
That’s positive thinking and the mind-body connection in action!
A Closer Look at Positive Thinking and the Mind-Body Connection
Here are some additional interesting points you may not know about this phenomenon…
- In one recent study, researchers found evidence to suggest that negative emotions may play a role in the development of a weakened immune response.
- In another study, researchers attributed a positive outlook to a 30% decrease in the likelihood of one day experiencing a cardiovascular event.
Positive thinking matters.
As the top holistic chiropractor in Singapore, we’ve seen the changes that positive thinking can make in our patient’s overall wellbeing first hand.
So, what steps can you take to improve your outlook?
Next Steps:
This week, try and pay attention to the thought loops running through your head.
When you notice a negative thought, take a moment to try to be more conscientious about what you tell yourself.
Use some of those phrases the positive thinkers in your life have often shared with you.
This simple and small change can go a long way to help you cultivate a more positive mindset in the year ahead.
Remember, the research tells us that cultivating a positive mindset isn't just a lackadaisical, “granola” way to approach life.
Studies examining positive thinking and the mind-body connection have shown us that our mental health impacts much of our physical health, and a positive mindset can lead to improvements in our overall health and well-being.
Speaking of that mind-body connection, if you’ve been living around some chronic aches and pains and you just can’t get them “off your mind”, call the top holistic chiropractor in Singapore.
Our doors are open, our team has been there, and we’re here to help!
Science Source(s):
Positive Thinking: Stop Negative Self-talk to Reduce Stress. Mayo Clinic. 2022.
The Power of Positive Thinking. Johns Hopkins Medicine. 2022.
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WEEK 3
Here’s How Chiropractic Care Can Help You Be More Active
We’ve all seen the “Sitting is the New Smoking” stories circulating online and in the news in recent years.
(You may have even seen a story or two talking about how chiropractic care can help you be more active like this one.)
Whether it's running, biking, swimming, lifting weights, or doing yoga, these days many people are focused on leading more active lifestyles.
They’re looking for ways to spend less time sitting and more time moving.
They’re scheduling blocks of time each day to complete a workout routine or to just be up on their feet and out of the house doing something they love.
We all want to be more active, and sometimes we forget that a big part of that is making sure our bodies are able to handle it!
Bottom Line:
You've heard it before: regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your physical and mental health.
It’s no secret that living an active lifestyle helps promote better overall health.
Helping you maintain how well you can bend, twist, jump, and move overall is a big part of how chiropractic care can help you be more active.
Daily physical activity / exercise can help you…
- More reliably manage your weight.
- Lessen your likelihood of developing certain health challenges.
- Reduce your overall stress levels.
- And improve your mental outlook.
But, if you're like 80% of people (yes, 80% of us!), you might not be getting enough physical activity each week.
And you might very well be one of the many living with daily aches and pains that keep you from being as active as you would like to be.
That’s where we come in.
As the go-to full-service, full body adjustment chiropractor in Singapore, we’re here to help you get out of pain - no pain medications required.
Why it Matters:
Chiropractic care has been part of the wellness conversation worldwide for well over 125 years.
So, exactly how chiropractic care can help you be more active?
The primary focus for chiropractors is movement-based care.
We’re all about “move better, feel better, heal better.”
Just like it’s no secret that living an active lifestyle can help improve your overall wellbeing…
It’s no secret that when your neck, arms, shoulders, upper back, lower back, hips, legs, knees, ankles, or any part of your body isn’t “stuck”, you just feel better.
You have one less thing weighing on your mind, you feel less “run down”, you have less of a need for those over the counter pain medications, and you have one less reason to cancel your plans.
So, how do we help keep your body moving at its best?
Read on.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help You Be More Active
Let’s start with Movement 101.
Chiropractors focus on improving your neuromusculoskeletal function with spinal manipulation and other natural, movement-based techniques.
Your overall health is influenced by three types of movement…
- Segmental: how well your body's individual joints move.
- Regional: how well your neck, low back, arms, and legs move.
- Whole body: how well your whole body moves.
Here’s how…
- Segmental Movement: Regular chiropractic adjustments can positively influence the function of your nervous system, help decrease aches and pains, and help relax your muscles.
- Regional Movement: Regular stretching can help to improve your range of motion and biomechanics and your energy levels.
- Whole Body Movement: Daily exercise can help to improve your mood and your sleep and help to lower your risk of chronic disease.
When you’ve spend some time reading about how chiropractic care can help you be more active, take the leap to finally see a full body adjustment chiropractor in Singapore and give us a call, you’ll hear us say it time and time again…
Move better. Feel better. Heal better!
Next Steps:
Millions of people make new year’s resolutions to get more active each year… and each year, they might come up just a bit short.
It happens.
But this year, you have the tools and resources to succeed!
Together, we covered some common sense steps for setting health goals and some simple ways to start cultivating a more positive mindset earlier this month.
And now hopefully you understand just a bit more about how chiropractic care can help you be more active and the role it has to play in helping you finally meet and exceed your resolutions for the year ahead (whether they’re new or not!).
With the proper support, your body can thank you in so many ways.
So, if you’ve been sidelined by chronic aches and pains, let us know.
As the go-to full body adjustment chiropractor in Singapore, we're here to help you get healthy and stay healthy so you can stay active and reach your goals!
Science Source(s):
How Often You Should Exercise. Cleveland Clinic. 2022.
The Use of Spinal Manipulation to Treat Injury. J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2016.
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WEEK 4
3 Easy Ways to Naturally Increase your Energy Levels
There’s a reason you see so many commercials for “do-it-all” energy drinks like Red Bull and “have-it-all” energy shots like 5-Hour Energy…
We are exhausted, people!
The mid-afternoon energy crash is very real for just about every person you’ve ever met.
And the mind-boggling thing is we’re often left wondering… why?
If we got enough sleep, already had 2 coffees, didn’t skip lunch, and haven’t had a particularly stressful day, why is our energy still lacking?
We think to ourselves that we must need something else like another coffee, caffeinated soda, energy drink, or energy shot to function because that’s just how life is with our teenage years behind us.
Thankfully, as the leading combination chiropractor and wellness coach in Singapore, we’re here to tell you those aren’t your only options.
Bottom Line:
Yes, the quickest and easiest way to boost your energy levels in a pinch often seems to be easy grabbing a second (or tenth?!) coffee, but boosting your energy level doesn't mean you need to rely on caffeine.
When it comes to improving how well you’re able to maintain your mental and physical energy levels, it helps to switch your focus to optimizing rather than supplementing.
Creating smart, healthy habits each day can be all it takes to help you increase your energy levels, mental focus, and overall endurance.
Why it Matters:
As we alluded to earlier, when you walk through a typical grocery store, you’ll often see dozens of products designed to help you “boost your energy” lining the shelves.
Many of these synthetic stimulants aren't healthy, and some can even become addictive.
What’s more, these can place unnecessary stress on your body.
And doing the exact opposite and finding ways to destress your body and mind is actually the best way to naturally boost your energy levels.
Let's take a closer look.
3 Ways to Naturally Increase Your Energy Levels
Why are we really so exhausted?
Because we’re stressed.
Take it from the leading chiropractor and wellness coach in Singapore.
In our modern-day world, we’re subjecting ourselves to heightened levels of constant stress, to diets lacking in basic nutrition, and to increasingly sedentary lifestyles more often.
So, instead of that daily quick fix, it's better to take a step back and consider the effect that your stress levels, exercise frequency, and diet can have on your energy levels.
- Being stressed out consumes a ton of energy. Bringing down your mental stress levels with a relaxing activity like meditation and your physical tension with some quick physical therapy in the form of chiropractic care can help you reclaim that energy.
- Daily exercise can help you sleep better, elevate your mood, and further improve your energy levels by boosting the amount of oxygen circulating in your body.
- Eating foods with a low glycemic index (where sugar is absorbed slowly) can help you avoid a crash after meals and snacks, keeping you more energized throughout the day.
Hopefully after reading the above list that idea of optimizing vs supplementing is becoming a bit clearer.
Finding real ways to address those low-grade energy drains that often go unnoticed in our day to day lives and sticking to them is the best way to reclaim the energy we didn’t think we had.
Next Steps:
Energy zappers are all around you, and now you know where to look.
Developing an awareness of your daily habits and making small changes can result in big changes in your daily energy levels.
It looks like your days of using caffeine as a crutch are coming to an end, right?
Right!
And if you need help identifying and creating a plan to address your personal stressors and you’d like to get our recommendations regarding the exercises, stretches, and dietary and lifestyle adjustments that may be right for you, just ask us during your next visit.
As the top chiropractor and wellness coach in Singapore, we’re also standing by to provide the tension-relieving adjustments you need to keep moving and feeling your best.
Our doors are open, and we’re here to help!
Science Source(s):
9 Tips to Boost Your Energy Naturally. Harvard Health Publishing. 2020.
