New Years is a time to reflect, reassess and reboot. Admittedly, New Year’s Resolutions have become a tricky and tacky tradition. At the stroke of 12, glass in hand, we mere mortals swear to uphold many vague and elusive goals. And then proceed to lose motivation when the un-welcome chime of our 6am alarm threatens to annoy us out of our wine induced coma the next morning, leaving us begging to steal just another15winks instead of hitting the gym. At Canberra Body Clinic we believe that any time is a good time to kick a bad habit, make a clean start and live life a little better. We’re looking at the year just passed to inspire for the year ahead, taking some of the most common New Year’s Resolutions and giving them a modern twist: an achievable approach.

Number 1:

Improve Health The Common Cold: Hand washing is one of the most important ways to prevent colds, but you need to vigorously wash your hands with soap and water for at least as long as it takes to sing ‘Happy Birthday”. Hand washing will reduce the spread of infection to less than 10%. Commit to washing your hands before and after going to the bathroom, using a hand sanitiser when in a public spaces, and also before and after preparing and eating food.

Number 2:

Electrical Sundown More than 60% of our clients at Canberra Body Clinic come in with device related injuries – craning their necks texting or spending too much time at the desk or in front of the screen. Commit to an electrical sundown every day

• Take breaks from electronic devices every 2 hours

• Turn off all electronic devices an hour before bed, constant stimulation will disrupt healthy sleep  patterns. • Increase blood flow to the muscles by simply going for a walk, doing some shoulder rolls and/or doing neck stretches and strengthening exercises

• Be aware of your posture In this technological era, there is also a technological solution!! Download the app from the Text Neck Institute on your smart phone; it will alert you if you are not holding your device at a safe viewing angle. Number 3: Get Fit You don’t have to be young, athletic or a gym junkie to enjoy exercise and reduce your risk of injury in 2014. Training your core is essential to compensate for the day to day wear and tear on your body from sitting at a desk all day, and bending and lifting at work and around the house. We have found that making exercise a social obligation is most likely to hold you accountable to show up, and once you have shown up, you might as well start sweating. It’s not all bad news, after all your hard work you can treat yourselves to a coffee. This year we have been thoroughly enjoying Canberra Body Clinic’s Back to Basics Pilate’s classes, stay tuned for our 2014 class times.

Number 3:

Quit Smoking, try acupuncture According to the Centres for Disease Control, cigarette smoking causes death: nearly 443,000 deaths per year (1 in 5 deaths) to be exact. This is more than HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides and murders combined. Using a combination of therapies like hypnosis, acupuncture and pharmaceuticals to address the mental, emotional and physiological aspect of addiction oftentimes yields the best results. Acupuncture is a natural alternative for dealing with cravings; most people experience a reduction in cravings within the first few sessions. Additionally, acupuncture will help to eliminate toxins from the body and restore the flow of energy. For more information, call Canberra Body Clinic and ask to speak to Kingsley.

Number 4:

Be Kind to yourself Year after year, “Be kind to others” is one of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions. To be frank, you have to be kind to the self, before you can exude kindness, helping others. Schedule time each day to worry and schedule time each day to relax. It’s a simple 30 minute commitment each day. We realise trying to decompress in just 15 minutes after an arduous day at work, with one too many fights with the fax machine, unrelenting workloads and unforgiving clients, can be difficult. Thankfully, this is another New Year’s Resolution you can share; knocking over a flock of birds with the one stone: Time to worry:

• Take your frustrations out on the treadmill – exercise can be a great emotional outlet

• Talk them out with a partner or friend – done over a coffee this can double as relaxation time and qualifies as bonding time Time to relax: relaxation time is most likely to be overlooked, and dismissed as low priority or all together unimportant. Stress manifests both physically and mentally.

• Book yourself in for a regular massage, to untangle and de-stress.