New Year New You

The New Year is a time when people reflect on the year gone by, but more importantly it is a time when many people make promises to themselves to live their lives in a more effective manner. The most common New Years Resolutions revolve around being healthier, improving financial situation and/or strengthening family, work and social relationships. Surveys indicate that the majority of people who make new years resolutions are confident that they are going to be able to keep them. However further research indicates that less than 20% of these people actually achieve their goal. The following are some tips you can use that greatly enhance your ability to accomplish whatever you set out to do.

• State your goal in behavioral terms (Instead of saying “I want to be healthier”, define what behaviors you plan to utilize to achieve this goal).

• Make sure that your goal is measurable

• Set goals that are realistic

• Focus on behaviors that you personally control.

• Make sure that the goal you set is for you, not somebody else.

• Tell others about your goals and utilize family and friends as support.

• Write your goals on a piece of paper where you can see it often.

• Monitor your progress. Reward yourself for any move in a positive direction.

Be open to trying new behaviors if some you are already using are not working.

• Focus on “progress not perfection”

Setting goals and achieving them, especially when they entail making lifestyle changes, is often frustrating. Seeking the guidance and coaching of a professional can often increase your chances of success by helping you identify and define goals more effectively and providing support and encouragement in helping you to stay on task. To discuss in more detail how you can make effective changes in your professional and personal life call counselors at PTC ( 954-741-1099).

Have a safe and happy New Year!!

Summer Health & Wellness

Summertime usually conjures up images like relaxing at the beach, fun in the park, picnics, barbeques, and family vacations. Because of this, summer is a great time to think about taking more control of your health. Taking care of your body is a key element in making sure you are able to maximize peak performance in both your personal and professional lives.

The American heart Association identifies three major areas of health that most people need to be aware of. These areas are cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Small, inexpensive lifestyle changes often pay big dividends in allowing one to effectively manage these major health concerns.

General tips for improving your general health include:
Getting active: walking more and stretching are probably the easiest and most convenient was to increase your activity level.
Eating better: reduce salt and sugar intake, practice portion control, eat more fish, increase fruits and vegetables, avoid foods high in saturated fat and eat more whole grains.
Losing weight
Quitting smoking
Limiting alcohol intake
Practicing effective stress management.

A counselor can provide you with effective coaching in helping you begin to make healthy lifestyle changes and managing stress more effectively. You can reach counselors at Lisa Friedman LCSW, INC at 954-741-1099.

Effective Stress Management

One of the primary keys to establishing and maintaining good health is effective stress management. Stress is a constant and integral part of life. However, poorly managed stress can lead to negative physical, emotional and/or psychological consequences.

Physically, unrelieved can have a severe impact on your immune system. Other physical ailments that are commonly associated with being “stressed out” include but are not limited to:
· stomach and digestive difficulties
· high blood pressure and other cardio vascular problems
· insomnia
· muscle/body aches

Difficulties managing stress is also associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. These symptoms significantly diminish one’s ability to thrive either personally or professionally.

The good news is that effectively managing stress is not difficult to do. The key is to make a conscience effort each day to engage in activities that promote healthy living. Here are some tips for creating a healthy lifestyle:
· Establish and utilize a good support system
· Exercise on a regular basis (Find time every day to move more & stretch)
· Increase you intake of fruit and vegetables
· Decrease your consumption of foods containing high levels of fat, sugar and caffeine.
· Increase your daily intake of water
· Take time to journal your thoughts and feelings
· Avoid becoming overwhelmed by improving your assertiveness skills especially in regards to asking for help and learning how to respectfully say “No”.
· Improve your communication and other relationship building skills.
· Look for reasons to laugh and smile.

Effective stress management and healthy living is really about taking the time to take care of yourself. Avoid adding to your stress by working too hard to be healthy. Small behavior changes on a daily basis will lead to big benefits over time. If you need additional help with managing your stress call Professional Toolbox Consultants at (954) 741-1099.