Pick & stick to 1 Health Goal this year (without going on a diet or losing your sanity)

Can we acknowledge that our minds are full of random health advice, yet it is hard to be mindful of change? No one wants to hear "eat berries & breathe and everything is going to be just fine." I speak daily to HR professionals and event planners trying to pick the one topic that would be needed for their organization's wellness initiatives. Perhaps the right answer is to let each one of your people decide for themselves, and then provide the tools to succeed in each key area of wellness.

brainSHIFT: microhabits that create significant change

The one premise of our last two years' work with hundreds of teams is brainSHIFT. Pick one microhabit that creates a significant SHIFT in your brain and body. When clients go through our 8-week program, we share the eight microhabits we stack each week to restore your sleep, sanity, energy, & focus.

What is one health habit that could help you shift right now?

When you think of your personal health & wellbeing, what is working in your life right now? AND What are key areas you want to improve? Too often, we set ourselves up for failure when creating health goals because we: 

1) take on broad & unspecified change,

2) judge ourselves, 

3) compare our health to others, or 

4) set unrealistic outcomes, or 

5) all of the above, on repeat.

How to pick your brainSHIFT that works right now (without having to go on a diet)

Key broad areas of health include sleep, nutrition, mood, stress management, movement.  Once you pick a broad area, break down your health focus into one simple goal.

STEP #1 What is one key area of your health you would like to improve? (ie: sleep, nutrition, exercise, happiness/mood, relationships)

STEP #2 Avoid all of the "coulda, woulda, shoulda" statements. What really would make you feel like a winner? (I know I should stop eating gluten-free Girl Scout cookies shifts to the statement, I would feel fabulous if I ate one healthy thing at each meal.)

STEP #3 Pick a positive action (add fruits/vegetables to each meal) over a negative judgment (stop eating whole boxes of cookies)

STEP #4 Create a plan, schedule your activity, and ask for accountability. (make a list of fruits/veggies I like, buy groceries, make snack portions to grab/go, repeat)

Step #5 Schedule a check-in date with yourself, assess, plan, & get restarted if you fall off track. Find an accountability partner & schedule regular check-in times with each other.

Wherever you find yourself as we enter the third year of a global pandemic, we are all redefining personal and organizational wellness. I ask that you give yourself Grace and forgive yourself of any of your health "missteps." And if you forget to take action today, you have the ability to start again tomorrow. It all starts with one brainSHIFT.

What is one health goal you can set for yourself now? Leave a comment below and I'll help you break down your goal into a brainSHIFT.

Dr. Romie is a board-certified physician, award-winning wellness speaker, and the founder of "brainSHIFT at Work." She brings together over 20 years of authority in neurology, integrative medicine, and mindfulness to not just deliver programs, but create cultural change. She is on a mission to transform mental health and wellness in the workplace and currently works with Fortune 500 companies, professional athletes, & global associations. Dr. Romie is also the Chief Wellness Officer for Evolution Hospitality, where she scaled a mindfulness & wellness program to over 7000 employees. Her expertise is featured in the national media such as NPR, NBC, TED talks, and Forbes. Find the cure for your busy brain at drromie.com or @drromie on social media.