Give Yourself This Year's Best Holiday Gift: Total Wellness

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Total Wellness, short and sweet, is a fit body, balanced mind and peaceful spirit.

Sounds impossible right? Well, it's not impossible, but it does take work. Hey, anything worthwhile takes work, right?

All it takes is a conscious effort, determination and the ability to see the big picture. Total wellness is not an overnight solution. It is not losing 5 pounds of post-vacation overindulgence.

Total wellness is a lifelong pursuit of your best health possible. Sound good? Thought so... so why are you waiting?

Just about everyone waits until January 1st to embrace this great revelation of health and fitness. It is with grand ideas, big dreams and bigger goals that we tackle becoming healthier every year.

But why? Does it not make more sense to make smaller sustainable goals that add up to great results rather than tackle everything all at once?

Unfortunately, the greater the change, the less likely it will succeed. Meaning if on the New Year's Day you decide you will work out 3 days a week for the rest of your life and have never exercised before the likelihood that you will sustain it is not so good.

My point? Start now!

Make small daily changes that will deliver great big results. Choose 1 or 2 things from the 3 components of Total Wellness and work them into your daily schedule and of course...start with doable goals.

Need suggestions? I can help.

Fit Body

If you have a desk job, incorporate standing time into your day by scheduling 10-minute periods 4 times a day... and simply stand up. This will help get you in the routine of being more conscious of your body.

Once this becomes routine, schedule 4 10-minute walking sessions around the office, outside, on a gym treadmill, between floors... wherever you can. You get the point.

Balanced Mind

Everyday, write down 1 positive thing you do for yourself during the day to ease stress levels. Do you take deep breaths, close your eyes, eat outside, sip tea? Whatever it is, as you begin to write it down, pay attention to the pattern of when you do these things and how they make you feel.

As it becomes a habit, try new things or rotate the order. Building daily stress relievers is an important part to keeping the mind balanced.

Peaceful Spirit

Peaceful spirit is hopefully achieved by incorporating the other two components of total wellness into your life. Daily activity and fitness and stress relievers for the mind should have a great positive effect on your spirit.

With that being said, however, I have also found that there is no great peace for me than to give back from the heart. So, whether it's signing a petition, donating or working with a charity, give back to something that moves you. There is no greater reward.

So, are you ready to give yourself the best gift of all this holiday season... the gift of Total Wellness?

Happy holidays everyone!

Alicia is an American Council on Exercise Certified Personal Trainer and a Weight & Lifestyle Management consultant. The owner of Evolution Total Wellness in New York is also the author of "Oscar & Otis, Fat Fighters." For more information, visit www.linkedin.com/in/evolutiontotalwellness.

Surviving the Holidays

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