Health & Happiness Plan
Health Goals: Written health plans help to turn your goals into action. Use this Quick Start method: 1) Write down general categories that you want to improve; 2) Under each category, write down the goal that you want to achieve; 3) Select one to three goals & learn about each goal; 4) Write a basic action plan that includes what you will do, when you will do it & a realistic completion target date; 5) Record your progress & times that you did not complete the action item; 6) Stay flexible as you continue to learn, assess & readjust your actions; 7) Seek support from a loved one; 8) Celebrate the completions of targeted actions & goals; 9) Be patient & keep learning. Committing to a written health plan adds more accountability & commitment to what you want to acheive.
Health Priorities: There are many ways to prioritize your health goals. Some examples are: 1) Identify what bothers you the most about your health; 2) Identify health goals that align to your purpose (e.g., what adds to your joy, skills & talents); 3) Reflect on healthy attributes that you admire & set them as your goals; 4) Use family medical history to develop risk reduction habits; 5) Identify a few goals under the following health categories & decide which goal is most important - Mind, Body, Spirit, Social, Finance, Work. Start reading & learning about each of your priorities until you decide which one is most important to you.
Built-In Health: Build in everyday habits that support your health goal. Even if the habit is small, do it as a reminder that you are working towards a larger health goal. Some everyday Built-In Health actions are: 1) Mind Health: Set an electronic reminder to practice a ‘2-Minutes Breathing Exercise’; 2) Body Health: Walk around the block before entering your home or workplace; 3) Spirit Health: Do an intentional deed to make someone smile; or, dedicate the completion of a healthy action to someone; 4) Social Health: Contact someone who needs support to solve a problem; 5) Financial Health: Calculate your monthly expenses; 6) Work Health: Schedule time to practice/read/learn a skill you want to grow. Using everyday habits will reinforce your commitment to reaching your health goals.
Happy Health: Health & Happiness go hand-in-hand. Like our health, happiness is impacted by our actions. Some actions that are associated with happiness are: 1) Practice Gratitude (prayer, journaling); 2) Mindful Meditation; 3) Regular Exercise (cardio, resistance); 4) Healthy Eating (natural whole foods); 5) Adequate Sleep (set bedtime); 6) Realistic Life Goals; 7) Cultivate Social Connections (clubs, loved ones); 8) Acts of Kindness (intentional deeds); 9) Connect with Nature; 10) Optimism Practice (cultivate positive thinking); 11) Hobbies; 12) Forgiveness; 13) Collect Experiences instead of material things; 14) Growth Mindset (skills & knowledge development); 15) Mindfulness (awareness of the present). Try out some of these actions and see which one puts a smile on your face.
Ready Set Go: Some common health plans originate from the following sources: Blood Work Values (cholesterol/triglycerides, glucose); Blood Pressure (elevated or high); Body Weight (waist-to-hip ratio); Heart Rates (resting, zones, recovery); Stress Management (anxiety, worries); Connecting to Purpose (depression, belief/action alignment); Support System & Value Alignment (supportive social network); Financial Security (expenses meet available resources), Self-Fulfillment (doing what we are good at doing). Any action you take to improve your health will be worth it. So, let’s go!
Six Health Elements: Use the Six Elements of Health to create a comprehensive health plan. Under the following headings - Mind, Body, Spirit, Social, Finance & Work - list all the health topics that you want to improve. If a topic falls under more than one heading, choose the heading that has the strongest connection. Then, select one to three health topics that are most important to your life. The selected topics can be related to something that causes you worry or unhappiness or something that you want to achieve. Then, read about the selected topics and learn about how people get better at those things. It’s all about ‘getting better’ at ‘being better’. It took you a lifetime to get to today and you have a lifetime to make improvement to reach your goals.