Medicine With Dr Mags 

The New Year has rolled around again! As have our new or often old resolutions yet again.

So I would like to work on the concept of resolution - or as I prefer to call them Your life changing Goals - whether health or any goal that is important to you and worth doing, that will to make your life better by the end of 2024

1.      Never start toward your goal, until you are back to ' normal life'- at work/ school /home! When made over the Festive Season, we often forget how busy, tiring, and demanding the day-to-day grind is or can be. Are we underestimating the cost, effort, or time we will need to achieve our goal?

2.    ANYTHING new takes more mental, and physical effort at the beginning, so realize it’s a marathon, not a sprint you are embarking upon.

3.      Don’t compare! Just don’t EVER with anyone - as we are not all the same, nor in the same place in our lives, have the same state of health, same financial or career position, etc. So don’t compare yourself to celebrities, family, your Bestie, workmates or neighbours. Life is long and we can do things at OUR own pace not to keep up with others.

Each year many patients come to see me wanting to improve their health, lose weight, get fitter, live with less pain, feel less lost, and many others. I have learned over the years from watching those patients who do go on to achieve their goal for the year ahead is the following:

1.      Be realistic, let the Festive Season goodwill and dust settle.

2.      Start with that ‘big picture’ or overview of the goal you want to tackle. Work backward from the overview of the goal to make up the basis for the tasks you need to do to achieve it.

3.      Have estimates – including the research, time, money, resources, etc it will take to achieve the goal. Then add a buffer zone of 20 % for life’s little surprises.

4.      Consult only those experienced or an expert in gaining their goals.

5.      Check the viability of your plans early with your nearest and dearest – get them to bring their perceived obstacles to your success. And its only advice – so weigh it up!

6.      Start with the very smallest of tasks, this will be your first accomplishment. Celebrate them all, even the failures as they teach us something too.

7.      Don’t rely on willpower to achieve your goal, its only good for short-term tasks.

8. Check in regularly that you are still on track, check your original overview – is it still the goal for you, measure your progress, and realign if necessary.

Make your goals a reality in 2024 and beyond by always being REALISTIC with that important dash of optimism!

Yours in good health,

Dr Mags