January Blues
Well that's January done and dusted. A month usually laden with thoughts and intentions, oh and lets not forget the perpetual cold temperatures, grey skies and long dark evenings.
The slower pace of January following the hectic month before is a time when people gather thoughts, set resolutions and detox from the booze or sugar. My gym is suddenly very busy at the start of January, lots of new faces appearing from nowhere taking advantage of the gym discounts but by the end of January they have disappeared. The same can be said for the shift from those doing dry January to not so dry February, but one thing for sure is that the start of a new year is a time when many people wnat to make changes. These changes are sustainable for some and not for others and I often wonder what its is that makes the difference, why can some people stick to the plan and intentions and others not?
I notice this in my clients, some are determined to stick to a plan and others try but struggle to keep to it, we are all different after all, there is no wrong or right here. I personally have veered of course many times in my life, I don't think I became a regular gym goer until I was in my mid 40's taking up a discounted offer from a gym next to my workplace, prior to this I was one of those temporal January gym goers. What shifted in me to make this change was a period of ill health. I was working very hard in a senior position for a large organisation and had become completely burnt out without knowing it. One day driving to an appointment I drove straight over a mini roundabout without even stopping or even thinking about it. Fortunately no others cars were present and I certainly was not present as my head was full of 'Stuff'. I went to see my Dr who fortunately was a very good GP and he signed me off work and told me to rest. I slowly recovered from my 'burn out' and started to feel like me again, I started to laugh again and have more fun. I went for walks on my own and started to notice things again, the sound of birds, reflections in puddles, plants and people etc. My key take away from this period was that my wellbeing is and will be one of my top priorities. What's the point of earning a good salary if you are not present and enjoying life eh? So the gym is my 'thing', I get on the treadmill with my headphones and enjoy my own personal 'Nightclub' whilst burning the calories.
That's just one of my many stories of not sticking to the plan to start with but getting there in the end. Everyone has their 'thing'; yoga, walking, meditating, pilates, breath work, creativity..... What's your 'thing' and if you don't have a 'thing' what would you choose if you were to make the change? If you need help making changes give me a shout on my contact page. Coaching can help you stick to plan if you are ready to make a change.