Positive New Year Resolutions

Even if you thought that this year your new year's resolution would be to NOT make any new year's resolutions...inevitably our thoughts turn to the things we would like to do differently in 2010.

Here are my top 5 tips for ensuring 2010 is the year in which you achieve your goals:


1. State your Goal Positively

Instead of 'I want to give up smoking' think 'I want to enjoy the health benefits of being a non smoker'. Instead of 'I can't be this overweight anymore - I hate the way I look and feel' think 'I am looking forward to wearing clothes that suit me in a smaller size'.

2. Be Realistic

If your goal is weight loss then please, please, please don't go for the quick fix. If you lose 1-2lbs (maximum 2kg) a week your are more likely to keep the weight off.


3. Get Help

Tell your family and friends about your goals and ask for their practical help or emotional support. Watch out for the saboteurs! If someone is constantly telling you one cream cake or one cigarette won't do any harm then what kind of a friend are they?

4. Do Something Towards Your Goal Everyday

Make small lasting changes everyday. You won't run a marathon on day 1 but you could walk for 10 minutes everyday. You'll be surprised how quickly this will turn into 20 mins or even a jog!

5. Be Consistent

Make the small changes lifelong habits. Ditch the all or nothing attitude and realise that every day you will need to be changing just a little bit and each of those small changes will add up to something big!

Did you get what you wanted for Christmas?

If your expectations were high then there was a likelihood of some disappointment along the way. Maybe the turkey was dry, the brussel sprouts gave you wind, you didn't get the one present you had been hinting about for twelve months - instead you got the shower gel set that makes you itch, everyone was arguing about what film to watch, everyone talked over Dr Who, no one wanted the Christmas cake you made in November and iced at the last minute on Christmas Eve - sound familiar?

This year my Christmas became very simple. I bought nice, thoughtful but inexpensive gifts. I wrapped them all two weeks before Christmas and made sure all my cards were posted in time (even gifts to New Zealand). I focussed on time with family and friends and didn't sweat any of the small stuff and if you are really honest isn't most of it small stuff?

More Proof (if needed!) of the Damage caused by Smoking

If you are thinking of giving up smoking in the New Year then the following article will give you good reason to make 2010 the year you become a non-smoker.

New research shows that smoking causes mutations in healthy cells that will become potentially untreatable cancers.

The following is an extract but to read the story in full go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/dec/16/cancer-genome-sequences-genetic-mutations

"This is a really fundamental moment in the history of cancer research. We have never seen cancer revealed in this way before," said Mike Stratton, a co-leader of the Cancer Genome Project at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute near Cambridge.

The researchers took diseased cells from a 45-year-old man with a type of skin cancer called malignant melanoma, and from a 55-year-old man with small cell lung cancer. They then used advanced genetic sequencing machines to read the full genomes of both the cancer cells and healthy tissues taken from the same patients.

By comparing the genetic makeup of the diseased and healthy cells, the scientists created catalogues of all the mutations found only in the cancerous tissues. Most of these genetic glitches are harmless, but every once in a while a mutation causes major damage that pushes a cell closer to becoming cancerous.

The scientists focused on skin and lung cancer because the environmental causes are well known. Most melanomas are triggered by overexposure to ultraviolet rays in sunlight as a child, while almost all small cell lung cancer is caused by smoking.

In the case of the lung cancer patient, scientists discovered 23,000 mutations that were exclusive to the diseased cells. Almost all were caused by the 60 or so chemicals in cigarette smoke that stick to DNA and deform it. "We can say that one mutation is fixed in the genome for every 15 cigarettes smoked," said Peter Campbell, who led the lung cancer part of the study. "That is frightening because many people smoke a packet a day."

To focus or not to focus? That is the question!

Why is that the question? Surely in a series about how to achieve your goals the obvious answer is to focus 100% on the actions you need to achieve the end result you desire.

However I was just reading an article in my son's school magazine about how best to revise for school exams. Written by someone in their teens it had some words of commen sense and wisdom....including focussing on revising for short periods of time, planning in breaks and ensuring there was time for sleeping and eating properly.

One of the things I'm most aware of with my clients who want to lose weight or stop smoking is that suddenly they can think of nothing else but the treats they will miss or when the next cigarette will be. It is the same working with anxiety and phobias - often the first sessions bring the problem into sharp relief and symptoms may be more severe (NB the therapist and client can work on techniques to minimise any symptoms if this occurs).

So does that mean that those well meaning words from family and friends 'Just stop thinking about it', 'Do something to take your mind off it' are somehow true?

As with most things in life it is about getting the balance right and making plans for both the time and the actions to focus on our goals but also allowing time where we forget about if completely and are totally immersed in something else instead.

Confused? Here's an example using weight loss as an example:

FOCUS

Once a week plan your meals and do your shopping (when you are not hungry!)

Eat mindfully and at regular mealtimes (i.e. really focus when you do eat on the taste, texture, colours, smells and begin to understand when you full so you know when to stop eating)

DISTRACTION

If you find yourself obsessing about food then do something else - have a drink of water (sometimes thirst can be mistaken for hunger), go for a walk. do something you've been putting off

Above all keep the balance between Focus and Distraction techniques and you'll find it easier to achieve your goal.