Exercise is key to maintaining both a healthy mind and body. While this saying is undoubtedly true, it can be hard to get started on an exercise program, especially if you don’t know where to begin.
The secret of staying fit lies within motivation, and what other way can you feel motivated by simply having fun! Try out these exciting activities that will keep you fit and help build your muscles.
Aerobics Classes
Aerobic classes are great for increasing your heart rate while toning the body, making it an ideal form of exercise for beginners. It involves upbeat pop music, fast movements, and jumping around-something that will get your pulses pounding. Many aerobics classes now come with cool names that make the activity more fun. You can take up a course sanctioned by pop stars or famous TV shows.
Aerobic dance is a great way to lose excess weight and increase your strength and stamina. It helps one burn calories quickly, reducing fat deposits from your body.
Gymnastics Classes
Gymnastic classes, also known as power tumbling and acrobatics, comprise skills like flips, balancing, and jumps performed on a mat or trampoline to develop flexibility and strength in the body.
These classes are suitable for those who lack physical strength and want to gain it. Children and adults can take them up-provided the trainer is skilled and capable of handling participants without experience.
Pole Dancing
Pole dancing is a form of dance whose goal is to enhance strength and flexibility while also keeping the heart rate high.
Developed from a circus skill, it involves holding onto a metal pole with both arms and legs and performing various movements that require coordination and balance.
Pole dancing is an activity that you can make more challenging by using props like scarves and belts.
Belly Dancing Classes
Belly dancing is a type of dance in which sways, gyrations, hip shakes, and hip drops are used to shift your body weight from one foot to another or from one hip to another.
It is a great way to burn calories and strengthen your muscles-especially the inner thigh, abdomen, and back muscles-all simultaneously. It can be done in social and cultural gatherings and has very few side effects.
Yoga and Pilates
Yoga and Pilates are ancient exercise methods that help tone the muscles. They also strengthen the mind, focusing on one thing at a time.
Yoga is performed using yoga poses or asanas-known as ‘chakras’ in Sanskrit-meant to evoke certain feelings like peace and calm.
Pilates is a series of movements done on specialized equipment to strengthen the core. It also helps to increase flexibility in muscles and build strength.
These classes involve meditation, strength training sessions, or aerobics using yoga poses.
Personalized Fitness Routine
The best fitness routine is the one that you do yourself. You need to understand what your body needs and then plan a way to keep it fit.
Your routine can be anything that addresses your needs and fits your level of fitness. It could range from something as simple as yoga or aerobics classes to more challenging workouts at the gym.
Either way, you don’t necessarily have to create a routine from scratch. You can find Bootcamp workouts ideas from fitness magazines and websites, then add a personal twist to it.
Outdoor Activities
Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/group-of-people-having-fun-together-under-the-sun-708392/
If you work out at the gym, try taking fitness outdoors. Walk whenever you can, ride your bike or scooter instead of driving to work or school, and play sports like badminton or squash with friends to keep fit.
The advantage of exercising outdoors is that it keeps you motivated to do more than you would if you were stuck in a gym. You can do things like run, jog, or dance-whatever you want to keep your mind and body active.
Doing Chores
Doing chores is another way of getting fit. Cleaning, scrubbing, mopping, and all housekeeping jobs are suitable for your muscles and will help relieve stress too.
Cleaning work is not limited to just homes. You can take up cleaning courses to do the job professionally as well. Nonetheless, what’s essential is you reflect a positive attitude towards cleaning and see it for what it is: a better way of keeping fit.
So, these are some of the best activities that will keep you healthy and fit. They are varied and can be tailored to any fitness level so that you can find the perfect one for you.
The key to a healthy mind and body is to be consistent in your routine and not get discouraged when you can’t do all the exercises perfectly. Incorporate rest days into your routine, too-this will help your body recuperate from a strenuous workout.
There is nothing quite like seeing a larger than life star up on the silver screen. America has been fascinated with celebrities since the dawn of the film era more than 100 years ago. During that time, we’ve come to expect a certain “perfect” look to our stars and starlets.
Sometimes, though, a star with a unique look catches our attention and wins our admiration. Here are 8 of them, with a special focus on their smiles – because we are dentists, after all!
- Clint Howard – Clint Howard is one of those actors who you may not know by name, but when you see him you realize you’ve seen him in a million movies. He’s no matinee idol and he knows it, but he’s also one of the nicest, most talented guys in Hollywood. His smile is more than a little unusual, and that’s a big part of his charm.
- Julia Roberts – Julia Roberts is known as the “Pretty Woman” of Hollywood thanks to a big, bold smile that is larger than life. When she smiles wide, it’s as big as a fireworks display. No one has a smile like she does, which is one of the reasons why she’s a silver screen legend. Any dentist in Ocean County, NJ would be honored to have her as a patient.
- Miley Cyrus – For Miley, it’s not as much her smile that’s unconventional, it’s what she does with it that sets her apart. Like a young, female Gene Simmons (the famous bassist for the rock band KISS), she makes it a point to wag her enormous tongue any chance she gets. Smiles don’t get much more non-traditional than that.
- Kirsten Dunst – Dunst is an extremely talented actress who also boasts unconventional beauty, in part because she has the sort of smile you don’t often see in Hollywood. Look close and you’ll see why her teeth have earned her some cruel nicknames. She rises above it, though, through sheer talent and beauty that defies trends. And she’s a local! Dunst went to school in Point Pleasant before she rose to stardom.
- Anna Paquin – This True Blood star got as much attention as a child actor for her gap-toothed smile as she did for her talent. Paquin bucked Hollywood trends and decided to keep her smile just the way it is, gap and all, even though any dentist near Manahawkin, NJ could correct it for her. It has since become a signature part of her look, proving that unconventional and attractive are not opposites.
- Jim Carrey – The elastic-faced Jim Carrey is one of the funniest comedic actors of our time, and much of the credit has to go to his shape shifting facial abilities. If Carrey has a traditional smile, it’s usually hidden behind the kind of face-bending antics that few can imitate and none can match.
- Gary Busey – Gary Busey’s teeth are big. Really big. They’re a perfect fit for his eccentric personality, though, which is probably why he got extra large veneers to replace his teeth after a 1988 motorcycle accident. That big smile was too important a part of his image to “fix!”
- Ed Helms – He’s the toothless goof from The Hangover comedy films, the guy who made getting a tooth pulled out hilarious. He makes the list because there were no special effects used in the movie. He really did pull his tooth out! It turns out Helms has dental implants and temporarily took one out for the movie.
Did we forget anyone? Tell us in the Facebook comments and maybe we’ll include them in a future post!
The New Year is here again, and you’ve got some goals in mind. Maybe you want to lose a few pounds, or read some of the classic novels, or be a more patient driver.
Believe us, as dentists serving southern Ocean County, NJ, we know many of our patients have big goals for the year ahead!
Whatever you goals, remember the following and you’ll be well prepared to ensure those New Year’s Resolutions are not mere hot air:
- Keep Track Of Your Successes – If you’ve resolved to read 12 classic novels this year, post about your progress to Facebook. If you want to get more exercise, keep a log of your daily progress. If you are trying to lose weight, take weekly pictures to track how you’re doing.
- Allow Yourself To Celebrate Achievements – The road towards your final goal may be a difficult one, so don’t be shy about patting yourself on the back now and then. Rewards for meeting key milestones – losing you first five pounds, running a mile for the first time, going three months without alcohol, etc. – are well-earned. Give yourself a day off from work, go shopping, or some other reward that won’t set you back.
- Be Ready To Reassess – Making big changes in your life is a noble goal, but big changes often come with roadblocks you may not have foreseen. That’s okay. Be prepared to periodically reassess your goals and to adjust them as necessary. That’s not failure, it’s simply being smart and realistic.
- Put Something Of Value On The Line – Loss can be a great motivator. Consider making a friendly wager that you can meet your goals, or use a site like stickK.com, a site set up by behavioral analysts through which you can forfeit a chosen amount of money if you don’t succeed. Quite a motivator!
- Let Others Do The Work For You – With some goals, it’s possible to automate the process and/or let others do the heavy lifting for you. Saving money, for instance. If you want to save more, arrange for your employer to direct deposit a specific amount from each paycheck into a side account. Opt for the bank not to send you monthly statements on that account, and do not accept a bank card. Before you know it, you’ll be building savings with no effort at all.
- Mix And Match For Better Success – If you hate exercise but love music, use your exercise time to catch up on music you may have missed. If you want to eat better and love to eat out, start eating at restaurants that specialize in healthy food. If you want to read more but have a hard time staying focused, take a book with you to the gym and use that time for reading. The combinations are endless, and they can help you meet your goals.
But the most important thing to remember is both the simplest and the most difficult: Be positive. As dentists serving Manahawkin and the surrounding area, we know it works!
Good luck!
You want whiter teeth. We all do. The confidence that comes with having a white, bright smile can be a huge part of living a happy life.
Modern teeth whitening treatments can help you get the glowing teeth you’ve always wanted, but if you want to keep that smile you’ll want to avoid eating or drinking too much of the following:
- Coffee – You had to know this would make the list. As much as many of us don’t like to hear it, coffee is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to staining your teeth. It may be the morning pick me up for half of America, but it’s also putting a damper on our bright smiles.
- Red Wine – Like coffee, red wine is a big favorite that can also wreak havoc with our teeth. It’s no surprise that so many red wine enthusiasts end up seeking a teeth whitening treatment, available to people in Barnegat, Manahawkin, Forked River and beyond. Long years of the good stuff is a great part of your social life, but a bad part of your dental life.
- Tea – Sorry, caffeine lovers, switching from coffee to tea will not cure your teeth staining blues. In fact, tea can be even more aggressive on your teeth than coffee. High in tannins and somewhat acidic, a lot of tea in your diet can be bad news for your teeth (and also, incidentally, for your kidneys). The good news is, black tea is the primary culprit. Switching to green, white and herbal teas can help.
- Cola – Your dentist in Ocean County has probably been telling you for years that soda is bad for your teeth. It’s something we all learned in childhood: all that sugar in soda will rot away your teeth. What they didn’t tell us is that cola can stain your teeth, too. The sugar, when couples with the dyes and coloring and other ingredients of cola, means you’ll be seeking a teeth whitening after a few years of regular cola consumption.
- Blueberries – Blueberries are a great part of your diet. High in antioxidants, they’re some of the very best fruits you can be eating – except, of course, when it comes to your teeth. Blueberries are especially high in tooth-staining colors, which is one of the reasons they were historically used in dyes. Blackberries, raspberries and other dark berries have similar qualities, but blueberries are by far the worst. Keep eating them – they’re good for you – just be sure to brush when you’re done.
- Tomato Sauce – Sorry, pasta lovers, but that great red sauce that is used in every other pasta dish you enjoy also has qualities that can contribute to stained teeth. The acidic nature of tomatoes coupled with their deep red color means that you may want to see your Ocean County dentist after long years of eating Italian food.
All of this may seem like bad news, but it’s not. Most of the above food and drinks have good health qualities (though you may want to skip the cola), and their staining effects can be reversed by modern teeth whitening treatments. Remember, consume them in moderation, practice good oral hygiene, and you can have a great smile your whole life long.
Health and wellness surged to the forefront of people’s concerns due to the pandemic. But even before the time of lockdowns and quarantines, young people were already becoming more concerned about how they’re living their life.
According to a survey, 66 of millennials or people aged over 20 want to live healthier lifestyles. People who are younger who belong to Gen Z are even more concerned with their health, with 70 percent of this generation wanting to lead healthier lives.
The following are six simple but effective methods you can explore for ensuring your lifestyle gets healthier.
- Develop a Face Regimen
How often do you just wake up and get about your business without even washing your face? Do you often slip into bed after a long day without stopping by the sink to freshen up? Developing a face regimen can not only improve your looks, it can also make you feel a lot better about yourself.
Pop on over to the nearest drugstore and get yourself some toner for skin whitening, a moisturizing skin cream or some face cleaning foam and start paying attention to your face today.
- Sleep On Time
Not enough people are getting the right amount of sleep. Sleep is one of the most important bodily functions. When you’re asleep, your cells regenerate, your organs recuperate and your mind can destress. But modern life has become so busy that you may not be getting the correct hours of sleep.
Impose a bedtime on yourself and put away mobile devices when this time comes around. Getting to bed on time can reinvigorate you both mentally and physically.
- Eat Healthier
The adage you are what you eat is very true and if you don’t eat enough fresh food, you’re going to be in very poor health more often than not. Eating healthier means incorporating less processed foods and focusing on what your body truly needs.
For example, you should eat more leafy greens like kale, spinach and lettuce to give your system much-needed vitamins and nutrients. An occasional low-carb pasta or smoothie can go a long way in making you feel better. Remember to consult with a dietitian or nutritionist before you make any drastic change in your diet to ensure you’re doing the right thing.
- Cut Sugar Intake
Americans are notorious for consuming too much sugar. The proliferation of sugar-rich derivatives, such as a high-fructose corn syrup in grocery store products, may be a contributing factor. Although sugar is indeed needed by the body, too much sugar can lead to psychological and physiological issues, most famously diabetes.
If you want to start living healthier now, reduce the amount of sugar in your diet. Prioritize removing food items like confectionery and sodas. Read the ingredients list and nutrition information on food packages to make sure they don’t contain too much sugar. This doesn’t mean you have to stop eating sugar entirely, but seriously regulating your intake can only lead to better things.
- Exercise for Half an Hour
A surplus of sugar and a loss of physical activity is often the root cause to many health problems, most commonly heart conditions. People often lead sedentary lifestyles seated in front of computers or just lounging. This can decrease the efficiency and overall health of their cardiac system.
If you don’t want to become a gym rat but you do want to stay reasonably healthier, exercise for 30 minutes every day. This can be a simple jog around the neighborhood, some yoga in front of your television or basic calisthenics routine. Any activity that can boost your heart rate can be very stimulating to your health.
- Spend More Time Outdoors
People have spent too much time indoors recently due to social distancing measures and quarantines. This disconnection from nature can be the root of many psychological issues. Research has indicated that spending time outside the house can be a great way to relieve your stress.
If you are lucky enough to have a garden or yard, sit outside among the leaves and grass for an hour or so. If you don’t, look for the nearest local park and just enjoy the fresh air and sunlight. You’LL be surprised how rejuvenated you’ll feel after a short time outside among the birds and the flowers.
Changing the way you live can be a difficult endeavor. Starting your transition into a better, healthier lifestyle begins with only a few steps. These tips can help you start your journey to self-improvement without much difficulty and maximum effectiveness.
We know you want brighter and whiter teeth. You wouldn’t be reading this or visiting us here at Bayside Dentistry if you didn’t! Though the best results can only come after a visit to our office, there are some things you can do right in your own home to assist with making your teeth whiter. Here are some ideas:
What To Do:
Brush Your Tongue
Brushing your tongue is not purely about keeping your breath fresh. Your tongue gets bacterial buildup, and that buildup that often results in staining on your teeth. Brushing your tongue helps ease that problem.
Eat Raw Fruits and Vegetables
The saying that an apple a day keeps the dentist away is true! Raw fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, celery, carrots, and others help scrub away plaque and other elements that can stain, making them a nutritious way to maintain whiter teeth. Just don’t skip your visit to a dentist serving Forked River and Southern Ocean County, like Bayside Dentistry!
Use Apple Cider Vinegar
This is an organic teeth whitening technique you can try at home. Just rinse with apple cider vinegar. It’s that simple! Though not nearly as effective as the professional treatments you’ll get from your dentist – it’s not even close – it can offer pretty decent results and help you maintain some brightness. All you need to do is mix two parts water to one part apple cider vinegar and rinse.
Replace Your Toothbrush
You should be doing this no matter what! Keep in mind that due to bacterial buildup, you should replace your toothbrush every three to four months, because worn bristles become increasingly less effective at cleaning your teeth as they wear down.
Rinse Your Mouth After Eating Citrus
Oranges, lemons and others are delicious, but they can be bad for your teeth due to their high acidity. Eat them as much as you want, but rinse with water after you’re done. Your teeth will thank you for it.
Visit Your Dentist
All of the above suggestions will help alleviate the staining effects that time, eating, and drinking will have on the whiteness of your teeth, but if you desire noticeably whiter and brighter teeth, you’re going to want to ask your dentist about teeth whitening in Ocean County.
What NOT to do:
Do Not Use Baking Soda
This all-purpose cleaning agent is often suggested, but proceed with caution! Baking soda can be abrasive, wearing away the enamel of your teeth and eventually causing them to darken.
Drink Too Many Energy Drinks
You already know to avoid coffee and tea, but did you know that energy drinks can wear at your teeth color, too? The team here at Bayside will confirm that these drinks are highly acidic, causing them to wear at your tooth enamel. If you have to drink them, consider using a straw to help avoid your teeth.
Don’t Gorge on Dark Foods
Marinara sauce, blackberries and blueberries, dark sauces for your pasta, and similar foods may be tasty, but they can stain your teeth. If you do eat them, brush promptly afterward!
Finally, the best thing you can do for your white teeth? Have regular checkups with your dentist, especially if they are a dentist serving Manahawkin.
Your mouth is a funny place. Your body is fairly easy to keep clean and healthy when compared to your mouth. As long as you shower daily, eat right and get some exercise, generally speaking your body is going to treat you fairly well. Your mouth is another story. Your mouth is a place that is warm and wet, and that makes it a great place for germs and bacteria to thrive. It’s also filled with tiny little nooks and crannies that create perfect places for oral problems to begin. And finally, it acts as the gateway to your insides.
That’s why taking good care of your mouth requires some work on your part – just as your Southern Ocean County dental office tells you!
And make no mistake, it’s a relatively small effort that you’ll want to make, because your oral health is closely tied to your overall health. Here’s how:
Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/group-of-people-having-fun-together-under-the-sun-708392/
Periodontal Disease
Some recent studies now prove there are links between periodontal disease and other oral afflictions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. dentists have found that they can often diagnose those conditions early in part by your oral health.
Good Digestion
Your every bodily function begins and ends with your body’s ability to turn food into energy, and that entire process begins in your mouth.
Heart Disease
It might seem to be counter intuitive that these two things would be linked, but a study from 2008 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine suggested that periodontal disease was a risk factor for heart disease. A few follow-up studies also appear to show that treating periodontal disease can also lower’s a person’s risk for heart disease.
Diabetes
Diabetes shows itself in a number of ways, among them in gum inflammation. This is something your dentist might notice, allowing you to spot early warning signs of the disease.
Preterm Labor
This is another that may surprise you. We now know that pregnancy increases the risk of gum disease and other oral maladies, and further, gum disease increases the risk of low birth weight and preterm labor. So these things are linked!
Pneumonia
Earlier when we said your mouth was a good place for bacteria and germs to gather, we weren’t kidding. Under some conditions, breathing in germs may put you at an increased risk of developing pneumonia thanks to those factors. That’s a good reason to have good oral hygiene!
Osteoporosis
Current studies are still looking into this, but a few researchers believe that suffering from both osteoporosis and periodontal disease could lead to faster bone loss. That’s not really a risk you want to take then, is it?
Arthritis
This link still being studied, but it’s worth noting. A study published in the Journal of Periodontology is one of several trying to establish a connection between these two inflammatory disorders.
With all of the above in mind, it appears that a good idea is to follow the advice of your dentist in Ocean County when they tell you to do better at care of your mouth. Wouldn’t you agree?
By now you know what to do: Brush at least twice daily, ever day! Floss daily. Be sure to use mouthwash. Go for regular checkups with your dentist. Avoid food and drinks high in sugar. And so on.
Why? Because these things may seem minor, so small that sometimes you can’t be bothered to follow through, but they can play a role in protecting a much bigger, interconnected system – you body.
Over the years, your Barnegat dentist has done and seen it all. You name the procedure and they have probably done it. There are, however, a few that stand out as far more common than others. Here are the 6 procedures we find ourselves doing more than any other:
1) Fillings
One of the most common dental procedures is also one of the easiest: getting fillings. This is nothing more than using restorative materials to repair damage to your teeth, usually cavities. In addition to filling holes left by tooth decay, aka cavities, these materials might be used to repair chipping, cracks, and other tooth damage. The resins used are colored to match your teeth, giving you a natural look that blends in seamlessly with your existing teeth.
2) Caps or Crowns
Dental crowns or caps are covers usually made of porcelain that go over or around existing teeth. These procedures are usually performed to help repair the appearance of broken or cracked teeth. These crowns not only improve the appearance of teeth that have been chipped in accidents and other events, they also help strengthen what is left of the teeth.
3) Tooth Whitening
More common than ever these days, the professional tooth whitening offered by your dentist in Ocean County is a cut about over-the-counter solutions. Using one of several types of treatments, your teeth can be whitened by several shades, reversing the damage done by years of coffee drinking, juice, smoking, and other ways to stain your teeth. Even better? The procedure is fast, easy and affordable.
4) Bridges and Implants
When teeth are missing or removed, it’s usually a good idea to replace them in some way. This is not just for the sake of appearance, but to protect your gums and to make eating easier. One of the most common ways of doing this is with a bridge, sometimes called dentures. These are false teeth with crowns used to fill in gaps in your mouth. Another is through the use of implants, metal posts that are placed in your mouth to serve as anchors for false teeth. In both cases, technology used by dentists near Manahawkin has come so far that you’ll never notice the difference.
5) Root Canals
Also known as Endodontics, root canals are a procedure often talked about with fear, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Modern advances in how these procedures are done have made them far less uncomfortable than in the past. Root canals are the removal of the pulpy, thread-like tissue in the center of the tooth. This is done when decay had advanced far enough so that it might cause infection inside the tooth. Root canals can save teeth from being extracted, but more importantly, they can prevent the formation of abscesses, buildups of pus that can destroy tissue and cause extreme pain – and sometimes worse.
6) Extractions
This one is pretty self-explanatory. An extraction is when a tooth is removed. These procedures may be done for a myriad of reasons, whether the tooth is damaged, decay has progressed too far, unwanted extra teeth are coming in, and more. In most cases, extractions are relatively easy procedures that any experienced dentist near Forked River can perform.
Dental problems. Many of us are embarrassed by the dental problems we have, but the truth is that just about everyone has some sort of dental malady or another. It’s not unusual, and therefore is nothing to be embarrassed about – as long as you’re getting it treated by your local dentist, that is! Here are five of the most common:
Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-chimpanzee-smiling-50582/
1) Bad Breath
If you have bad breath, you are not alone. The truth is, there is no larger oral health problem than bad breath, also called halitosis. In 4 out of 5 cases, a dental condition is to blame. This can be dry mouth, having cavities, gum disease, bacteria on your tongue and other factors.
2) Mouth Sores
If you have them, don’t worry. Lots of people do. They come in many varieties, too. Canker sores, cold sores, fever blisters, ulcers, and more among the most common. They can be really bothersome! Thankfully, they are rarely anything more than a nuisance. They often go away after a few weeks. Once in a while one of them can point to a bigger problem. If you have a mouth sore that lasts for more than two weeks, see your Ocean County dentist!
3) Cavities
The scourge of tooth decay is one of the most common oral health problems in America, and in fact it’s one of the most common medical problems of all. Cavities hit almost as many Americans as the common cold. If you brush twice a day, however, and remember to floss, watch what you eat , and more, you’ll enjoy the best defense – which is prevention!
4) Gum Disease
Technically this is known as periodontal disease. Gum disease happens when the gums surrounding your pearly whites become infected. This usually begins with gingivitis. After a while it progresses and may lead to tooth loss. Gum disease is actually the most common reason for tooth loss among adults
5) Oral Cancer
Oral cancer doesn’t get the attention other cancers do, so you might be surprised to learn that there are 300,000 new cases of oral cancer diagnosed each year. At any time, millions of Americans may have oral cancer. As with any cancer, it can be a deadly problem if left untreated, but thankfully it’s also very treatable, especially if caught early. That’s a good reason to see your dentist regularly!
We’re sure almost everyone reading this has suffered from at least one of these at one time or another. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Just be sure to see your dentist near Manahawkin regularly so small problems don’t become big ones!
The New Year is here again, and you’ve got some goals in mind. Maybe you want to lose a few pounds, or read some of the classic novels, or be a more patient driver.
Believe us, as dentists serving southern Ocean County, NJ, we know many of our patients have big goals for the year ahead!
Whatever you goals, remember the following and you’ll be well prepared to ensure those New Year’s Resolutions are not mere hot air:
- Keep Track Of Your Successes – If you’ve resolved to read 12 classic novels this year, post about your progress to Facebook. If you want to get more exercise, keep a log of your daily progress. If you are trying to lose weight, take weekly pictures to track how you’re doing.
- Allow Yourself To Celebrate Achievements – The road towards your final goal may be a difficult one, so don’t be shy about patting yourself on the back now and then. Rewards for meeting key milestones – losing you first five pounds, running a mile for the first time, going three months without alcohol, etc. – are well-earned. Give yourself a day off from work, go shopping, or some other reward that won’t set you back.
- Be Ready To Reassess – Making big changes in your life is a noble goal, but big changes often come with roadblocks you may not have foreseen. That’s okay. Be prepared to periodically reassess your goals and to adjust them as necessary. That’s not failure, it’s simply being smart and realistic.
- Put Something Of Value On The Line – Loss can be a great motivator. Consider making a friendly wager that you can meet your goals, or use a site like stickK.com, a site set up by behavioral analysts through which you can forfeit a chosen amount of money if you don’t succeed. Quite a motivator!
- Let Others Do The Work For You – With some goals, it’s possible to automate the process and/or let others do the heavy lifting for you. Saving money, for instance. If you want to save more, arrange for your employer to direct deposit a specific amount from each paycheck into a side account. Opt for the bank not to send you monthly statements on that account, and do not accept a bank card. Before you know it, you’ll be building savings with no effort at all.
- Mix And Match For Better Success – If you hate exercise but love music, use your exercise time to catch up on music you may have missed. If you want to eat better and love to eat out, start eating at restaurants that specialize in healthy food. If you want to read more but have a hard time staying focused, take a book with you to the gym and use that time for reading. The combinations are endless, and they can help you meet your goals.
But the most important thing to remember is both the simplest and the most difficult: Be positive. As dentists serving Manahawkin and the surrounding area, we know it works!
Good luck!