Happy New Year! With each celebration of the New Year comes a renewed sense of purpose and excitement about what lies in store for us in the coming year, as well as hope for the future. We leave our mistakes behind for the most part, sort of like watching them fade away in the rearview mirror, and we look forward and charge ahead into new territory. One of the best ways most of us do this is by evaluating how we can improve ourselves in the coming year, and we list our conclusions as our New Year’s resolutions. While you may have decided on your resolutions by now, we have a few good ones that you can add to your list…if you haven’t already!
One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions is always the decision to lead a healthier lifestyle. Whether you are simply trying to eat better or get more exercise, or you have more specific goals that address health-related issues, there are plenty of ways to go about achieving your goals as well as many local businesses that specialize and are truly invested in helping you along the way.
Gary Beller of Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping emphasizes that there is no better time than now to work toward improving your fitness and adopting a healthier lifesyle. “Our eXtreme Bodyshaping course combines kickboxing, strength training and a nutrition program that when combined will give you guaranteed results. Along with these aspects we have a team of coaches and instructors that will guide our students in their ten week journey. Everything in life that is worth going after takes dedication, commitment, desire, and the ability to believe in yourself…and to believe that you are worth 45 minutes a day to take care of your well-being! Our next session begins on January 11th at both our Midtown and West Dodge locations. What better way to start living your life to the fullest and enjoying the benefits that you will earn?
Nutrition plays a very important part in all health-related goals as it is the foundation for how our body functions—good or bad. Max Muscle is an excellent source to utilize if incorporating better nutrition is a part of your New Year’s resolutions, as they offer customized nutritional planning that takes into account your gender as well as other factors such as age, height, weight, body fat percentage, activity level, and workout schedule. This allows them to tailor a nutrition plan to fit your metabolic requirements and lifestyle in order to achieve your Look of Success. The team at Max Muscle is composed of experienced and educated professionals who will provide you with the best customer service and knowledge in the business. Steve Lucchino, the Omaha Metro store director, and Jason Reese, the Papillion store director, have a combined 12+ years of experience to offer their customers and employees.
When speaking about the benefits of setting your goals for 2014 around leading a healthier lifestyle, Lucchino says, “The benefits are endless. We must first control what we put into our mouth and how we think of ourselves before we can give our all to anything else in life. If we feel good about who we are, and how we feel on the inside and outside, there is no end to what we can achieve. We take the time to understand your expectations, goals and time table, current eating habits, and exercise program in order to tailor our recommendations and advice. Also, we emphasize and fully explain the importance of losing body fat while maintaining or gaining lean muscle mass, and we stress that the scale is not indicative of success or failure. Body composition is the most important measure of success. Knowledge is power, so educating our customers on proper nutrition is the most important aspect of our in-store experience. This includes education on what macro nutrients are and how they work in our body as well as explaining “smart supplementation”, meaning we supplement for what we cannot get from our diet for goal specific reasons. Education is absolutely essential and it is the first step in not only helping our clients reach their goals, but also maintaining and progressing from there!” He adds, “There is no better time than now to focus your goals on better nutrition and a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle. No one can put a price on our health or on the quality of life; it is up to us through proper nutrition, supplementation, and exercise to enjoy a great quality of life and to know we did our part for ourselves and our loved ones to stay on this earth as long as humanly possible by controlling the few things we can (nutrition, supplementation, and exercise). At Max Muscle Metro, we genuinely care and want everyone to have a long, healthy, and happy life. We are here to educate you and assist you in each of these ways on your journey to personal success.”
Fitness is a common New Year’s resolution, and an incredibly beneficial area to improve upon, but there are many different approaches that are well worth considering and may fit best with your lifestyle and individual needs. Your goal may be to increase your level of fitness after recovering from an injury or surgery, and that requires a much different and more detailed plan than just going to the gym on a regular basis. Therapydia Omaha is first and foremost a Physical Therapy clinic directed by Adam Brockmeier, a licensed Physical Therapist. However, Therapydia has a mission of providing not only Physical Therapy, but also health and wellness services. All health and wellness classes and Physical Therapy is provided by Brockmeier in direct one-on-one sessions without use of techs, aids or other support staff. He is also present and directly involved for the evaluation and every follow-up session thereafter. Brockmeier emphasizes, “At Therapydia, injuries and/or pain is addressed first before moving into a performance regimen, as opposed to a ‘one-size-fits-all’ program without regard for prior injures or other medical issues. This eliminates being pushed through pain that is a precursor or signal of impeding musculoskeletal injury. I also educate my patients about how their body needs to ‘move’ first, and then how to move it more. I ensure that the individual understands his or her body and can continue their exercise program independently and with confidence for lifelong health and wellness. I really believe in and support medically based fitness (MBF), which is a comprehensive approach to safely developing strength, flexibility, and fitness while taking into account your medical history including any prior injury and/or orthopedic surgery. MBF is a bridge over the gap of discharge from Physical Therapy to returning to a maximal level of performance in your particular ‘field of play.’ I develop a MBF program by communicating with your physician and understanding your personal goals. Joint or other orthopedic surgeries come with restrictions and/or limitations that require expert knowledge of how the body is affected by that particular surgery to ensure that you reach your fitness goals ‘safely’ and avoid any adverse consequences from overstressing healing or repaired tissue such as joint, muscle, or bone.”
Brockmeier adds, “In addition to complete Physical Therapy services, I offer sport screens for athletes in which I take my patient through a series of movement tests to help identify movement dysfunction in order to address deficits in joint mobility, weakness, flexibility, stability and strength and help prevent athletic injuries during the season. Wellness exams are also offered, which are similar to the sport screens but without the involvement of specific “sport skills” such as throwing or jumping. Based on these results and utilizing my training in Biomechanics and motion capture software I am able to customize an optimal program. I also teach Tai Chi classes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at the clinic or can offer to come to your facility or business for corporate wellness events. The New Year is a great time to focus on setting goals that account for overall wellness, not just one aspect of your health or fitness.”
Achieving the goal of leading a healthier lifestyle requires direct approach that takes many aspects into account. Healthy Home Fitness offers a comprehensive way to stay on track and meet your personal health and fitness goals. Owner Kristin Hain explains, “We provide a personal online coach for one-on-one encouragement, goal setting, to maintain accountability and to help with any exercise modifications needed. In addition, we have a private online accountability group where participants can connect with others for added support and motivation. Our fitness programs come complete with meal plans to teach you what, when and how to eat and we listen to your personal needs to help find the best fitness program to meet your current goals. Nutritional supplements are also available to enhance your results or provide a quick meal when you’re on the run and don’t have time to eat a healthy meal. Once someone has committed to doing one of our fitness programs, the private online accountability group and personal coach are completely free–there are no memberships or personal training fees. When clients have a fitness goal but are unsure of what they need to do to achieve it, I always ask three questions.
1. What do you ENJOY doing when you work out…cardio, dance, weight lifting, yoga, etc.? This is so important because if someone starts a workout program that they don’t LIKE doing, they’ll get frustrated, bored or just quit too early.
2. How much TIME will you commit to your workout each day? For some this might only be 15-30 minutes, for others it might be 45 minutes to an hour. Everyone has busy schedules and we understand that and want to work within the time frame that’s realistic to each individual. We’ve got program options that require as little time as 10 minutes a day!
3. What are your GOALS? Do they want to lose 5-10 pounds, 50-100 pounds, tone, or gain mass and size? It is important to be realistic with your goals, meaning if you need to lose 100 pounds, that’s completely doable but don’t expect it to happen by next month. Remember, it took time to get to where you are now and it will take time and commitment to get to where you want to be. We don’t offer magic pills or overnight weight loss, we offer a comprehensive approach to help people lose weight safely and long-term. It’s about creating a new lifestyle and we walk alongside you at all times to ensure you get there!
Leading a healthier lifestyle is a very worthy goal–just look at the new headlines and it’s easy to figure out the benefits. Our nation is more obese than it’s ever been, healthcare costs are rising, people are being diagnosed with more diseases than ever and much of that is preventable with healthy living. So the goal shouldn’t be that you want to fit into that dress for a dinner party next month, the goal needs to encompass more. Think about your family history. How long did your parents live or how old are they now and do they have health problems? How about your kids, do you get tired when you play with them or do you have to turn down opportunities to be active with friends and family because of your current state of health? We want families and friends to have more quality time together and live longer lives with less health problems, that is OUR goal and it should be yours too. So rather than saying ‘I want to fit into those pants’ and beating yourself up when you don’t, change that goal to ‘I want to be able to play baseball with my grandson’ or ‘I want to avoid getting diabetes like my mother.’ I guarantee if that’s your mindset going into a new fitness and nutrition routine, the byproduct will be that you WILL fit into those pants or that sexy dress!” Hain adds, “I invite anyone interested to contact me through my website at www.HealthyHomeFitness.com for a free consultation to see if our products and services are a good fit. My mission is to help people achieve their dreams and live healthy, fulfilling lives in whatever way works for them. It’s time to believe in yourself and start making the changes in your life that will impact not only you but generations to come!”
In addition to nutrition and fitness, there are plenty of other health- or appearance-related goals that are worthy of setting for yourself in the coming year. In fact, your smile is one of the first things that a person notices about you, and your appearance creates an impression on everyone you come into contact with on a daily basis. Likewise, if your teeth make you self-conscious you may not be putting your best foot, or in this case smile, forward. Consider the following questions: Are you embarrassed to smile? Is bad breath affecting your social life or professional advancements? Could a new smile give you the confidence to ask for that raise or interview for that new position? Boosting your confidence with a cosmetic dental makeover can not only stand alone as a New Year’s resolution, it could also help you achieve your other resolutions. At Premier Dental, they strive to provide an individualized plan to meet each patient’s needs and wants. They understand that each patient has different goals and that is why they feel it is important to offer their patients options when choosing cosmetic dentistry. Whether it is teeth whitening, veneers, porcelain crowns, dental implants, dental bonding, or porcelain fillings they will help you decide which option is best for your desired outcome. And if you feel overwhelmed with the cost of your care, the time it requires, the feeling of losing control, or you are just concerned for your overall comfort…talk to Premier Dental. They will work with you–compassionately and gently–to help you achieve your goals. Furthermore, almost nothing will impact the quality of your cosmetic dentistry results as much as your choice of cosmetic dentist. You will want to narrow your selection down to a few qualified candidates. When you schedule consultations with those candidates, you should go in with a list of questions to make sure you address all your concerns. You are listening not only for the answers to the questions, but to the tone and temper of the responses. You also want to feel completely confident in their ability to give you the results you desire in a comfortable environment.
Some questions you may want to ask are:
• What procedures would you recommend for me? Are there any options and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
• How many smile makeovers (or the procedure you are considering) do you do a month?
• What ongoing training are you doing to keep in touch with the advances in dentistry?
• What additional training, beyond dental school, have you completed which will help you perform my procedure?
• Can I see before and after images of cases similar to mine?
• What complications have you seen in previous treatments and how did you handle them?
• How long can I expect my results to last? What do I have to do to maintain them?
Dr. Daniel Beninato of Premier Dental adds, “There are many benefits, both professionally and personally, to improving your smile. Your smile, or lack of a smile if you are embarrassed by your teeth, is the first thing people notice. You want your first impressions to be positive. According to the 2012 Kelton study, Americans consider those with straight teeth to be more trustworthy, happier, healthier and smarter. The survey also showed that 38% of single adults would not consider going out on a second date with someone who has crooked teeth! Economists with the Federal Reserve discovered that attractive people even earn higher incomes! The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry study showed that smile flaws provoke incorrect assumption about your personality, happiness, success and intelligence! Half of all Americans are unhappy with their smile. There is no reason to be embarrassed by your smile with today’s technology. Take Dental Implants for example, they have revolutionized dentistry. Lost teeth can cause a host of problems, including a loss of your jaw bone and a collapsing appearance of your face. Dental implants make it possible for people who have lost teeth due to decay, gum disease, injury, congenital defects, and other reasons to acquire permanent, natural-looking replacement teeth. Missing teeth make many people self-conscious when smiling or talking, and it can also affect chewing and speaking.” He adds, “Many have a fear or anxiety about some aspect of dentistry. This fear and anxiety is real and it is normal. As many as 40 million Americans suffer from dental anxiety! At Premier Dental, we have many options to make your dental care more comfortable, more affordable and even more enjoyable. Our genuine desire is to listen to our patients and to help them alleviate their fears and concerns. We offer nitrous oxide, oral sedation and IV sedation. By offering options we are better able to eliminate fear which prevents patients from taking care of their oral health and getting the desired cosmetic dentistry procedure.”
If you are simply trying to up your game and be the best you can be in 2014, BrainWaveBalance offers a system especially tailored to bring balance and harmony to the brain. Brain State Technologies®, the company BrainWaveBalance is affiliated with and through which they received training and certification, is the world’s leading provider of brainwave balancing technology–Brainwave Optimization®. Founded in 2001 and developed by Lee Gerdes, the modality combines the latest advances in neuroscience, neuroplasticity, computer technology, mathematics, and physics. Brainwave Optimization offers a non-invasive way for people of all ages to overcome cognitive, emotional, and physical challenges, and enhance overall performance and well-being. Over 50,000 people worldwide have had successful and proven results utilizing Brainwave Optimization, unleashing the power of a maximized mind to support the most balanced and productive life possible. Patti Tenney of BrainWaveBalance says, “Nelson Mandela once said ‘There is no passion to be found playing small; in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.’ Are you weary from playing small? Do you get the feeling that your brain is working against you, not with you? Your brain is the control center for everything you think, see, feel, and do. It drives your visual and spatial senses, attention and concentration, memory, language and your ability to reason and be logical. When your brainwaves are out of balance, so is everything else. If you’re ready to fully live the life you’re capable of living, whether that involves a New Year’s resolution to overcome addictive dependencies, anger issues, PTSD, depression, sleep disorders, smoking, or anxiety–consider Brainwave Optimization™. Brainwave Optimization™ is a safe, non-invasive, clinically researched, tested, and proven neuro-technology that re-boots the brain, empowering our clients to be the best version of themselves they can be and to live the life of which they are capable. You can, too!”
Taking on a new hobby is also an excellent New Year’s resolution, especially if it is something you have always wanted to learn or do. Gerry Phelan of Midwest Woodworkers states, “We love to see people take up woodworking! It offers the satisfaction of making something with your hands and a limitless creative outlet. To encourage more people to get involved, we offer classes specifically aimed at helping new woodworkers get started. Classes cover everything from cabinet making to pen turning, carving and everything in between. Our classes are small, 3-5 people at most and are very ‘hands-on’. We start with safety and make sure everyone understands the equipment and the techniques. The best part is that most classes involve making a project you can take home with you! Not only do you go home with a project, you also develop life skills that you can use forever. We have had several individuals tell us they took our cabinet class and then built all new cabinets for their home. A gentleman asked if he could take a pen class. We were able to accommodate him and he not only excelled, he is now making and selling beautiful wood pens as a business. However, woodworking involves powerful tools with very sharp edges so understanding how to use them safely is critical. I would urge anyone who is interested in woodworking as a hobby to get advice and training to be sure you can enjoy working safely. Whatever your hobby, and whether you are experienced or just beginning, resolve to be safe in 2014.” He adds, “By definition, New Year’s resolutions are a promise to do something in the future. Too often those promises are broken because we don’t take the first step before our resolve fades away. Don’t let your resolutions get away – take the first step right away. Make a commitment. Sign up for a class. Jump into your new hobby so you can enjoy it all year!”
“In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.” –Robert Heinlein
Devan Martin, Life Coach and Founder of Nebraska Change Works, also offers some insights on goal setting for the New Year:
“Wikipedia’s definition of New Year’s Resolution is ‘A promise you make to yourself to start doing something good or to stop doing something bad on the 1st day of the New Year.’ I have found in working with my clients that helping them get clear about what their goals are and why they want them is very important. With this clarity they are more likely to end up fulfilled and the steps achievable. Making and stating a clear powerful commitment then setting goals around this commitment allows new awareness to begin to unfold and creativity to come in. This clarity and deeper understanding about what and why you want this goal are very important. It defines your ‘relationship’ with this part of your life. We would then map out the steps to attaining the goals that are connected to the commitment. There are some basic guidelines that allow this commitment to become reality:
1. It is important to state your commitment and goals in positive terms. In other words, your resolution should be moving you toward a powerful intention or outcome rather than away from something you don’t want. An example would be; I don’t want to overeat anymore vs. I want to eat smaller portions.
2. It is important that your commitment does not depend on what others say, do or think. You can be responsible for your actions and choices.
3. It is important that you are aware of old patterns and habits that might be stopping you from having this desired goal in your life. I help my clients see where their thoughts and actions are out of their awareness and creating obstacles to overcome.
4. Finding support for this clarity and alignment with thought and action makes achieving these heartfelt goals possible.
The benefits of working with a coach are beyond the scope for this article, however, it is very difficult to see our own blind-spots, no matter if they are in the area of health, relationship or finances. I have over 15 years of experience working with clients and offer a range of options for coaching and mentoring people. I had my own mentors, coaches and teachers and for that guidance I am truly grateful because it changed my life. Making a fresh start in 2014 is a way to celebrate our life and love, and recognize our ability to create a life we love! No matter if the goal/resolution dissipates or does not show up for a while in the way that we want, it is a triumph of the human spirit to say ‘Okay, a New Year, let’s give this a go.’ To all those who don’t give up and create these resolutions, I celebrate and congratulate you!!”
When choosing a New Year’s resolution or goal, it is perhaps most important that the person select the right goal for them. This should be something that is personally meaningful, regardless of what others are doing. Heather Legge and Julie Strzyz of Envision Success Inc. suggest the following guidelines once these have been determined:
1. Be S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound)
2. Replace each old (bad) habit with a new (good) one.
3. Make the process fun, or at least pleasant.
4. Become aware of those cues that trigger undesirable habits.
5. Make small, incremental changes. This allows you to stay focused with consistent action.
Strzyz adds, “The benefits of New Year’s resolutions are that they build character and engage your subconscious by reminding you to slow down in order to be thoughtful and deliberate. Even being self-aware and making the choice to be better is definitely something to celebrate!” Legge continues, “Most clients hire us to help them achieve results through enhanced mindset and changed habits. It is said that most people are only one, or maybe two or three, habits away from significantly better results. We ask clients to set at least one meaningful goal to achieve during the coaching relationship, and help them to become the person they want to be through the process. Clients succeed through our combination of trusted advisorship, professional coaching techniques, and positive accountability structure as well as shared resources, techniques, tips, and concepts. For example, when working with a client on goal setting and achieving, we find it is helpful to have them write down or make a voice recording of the goal they want to achieve. This should be done with a future-true affirmative statement, as if the goal has already happened and the client is enjoying the results. Reading or listening to this statement at least once daily allows them to internalize it and gives the goal a definitive value, as well as strengthening focus and motivation. In addition, it is helpful for the client to identify frequent activities that will help them achieve the goal. Most people benefit from selecting fewer, higher priority goals to focus on, then applying consistent action until achieved, and moving onto the next goal rather than by trying to improve everything at once. Don’t save things for ‘later’ because later has a habit of showing up when you least expect it. Be who and what you want to be NOW. As Jim Rohn said, ‘Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.’”
By now you have just begun working towards your goals, but just think of where you will be in a few months if you stick to your guns and keep all of these helpful tips in mind. We wish you all luck and success with your New Year’s resolutions in the coming year!