As each year passes, we make the same promises to ourselves. We’ll cut down on this, and we’ll be better about that. We’ll stop bad habits and take up good ones. We’ll beat our addictions, and we’ll look after ourselves better. And each year it’s the same. We start well, and then we get distracted. We get sucked into old cycles and before we know it, we have lost our focus and motivation, and we are back to the beginning again.

 

We wish it were different. But it’s not, except with one glaring exception. We are another year further down the line. And the longer it goes on, the more the promise to ourselves becomes a little more desperate!

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How can we find the focus to change? How can we pick up the pieces and start to look after ourselves? With these five focus points, you’ll be able to get a glimpse of the whole you. Looking at the bigger picture you will see how every one of these five things feeds into the other. Use them to find the way forward you have been waiting for. Here then are five things to focus on for yourself.

 

Find your true fitness level and stick to it.

 

The trouble with most fitness regimes and promises is that they are hopelessly out of touch with who we are. We give ourselves hard and high targets to reach, and we wonder why we consistently fail at reaching them, or fall short and quit. The terrible part is how that discourages us and we feel that we have failed ourselves. Our self-esteem takes a beating, and we think that we will never make it. Another sad aspect is that we think we have to do what everybody else does. We end up pushing ourselves too hard and even hurting ourselves. This cannot be positive.

 

Stop being unrealistic. Forget the super fit photos of happy smiling gym bunnies and focus on where you are. The chances are you were not an Olympic athlete six weeks ago who has fallen a little out of shape. Most of us took a little longer to get like this. The way back to your fit self will be longer and slower than you think. But it will not be nearly as hard.

 

Forget everything else. Eat a balanced diet and get more exercise than you do now. That’s it. That is all you have to do. Keep a track of this and every month re-adjust your schedule. No killer diets, no fit camp. Just swim, walk, bike, dance and run if you feel like it. Eat well and be happy. Your heart will be happier, and you’ll feel more energetic and you’ll lose weight.

 

Look after your eyes

 

It’s almost ridiculous how we take our eyes for granted. It’s a little like assuming they will be there working away for us and then, the tiniest fleck of dirt gets in and, we can’t see a single thing. Then we fully appreciate the amazing thing we had taken for granted. Most of us don’t give our eyes a single thought until our eyesight starts to fail. Even then we don’t do nearly enough to help ourselves.

 

It’s not as if looking after our eyes is difficult. It’s easy, and it takes about ten minutes a year. If you have not had an eye check inside the last year, book an eye test now. That is the same whether you wear glasses or not. It is vital to get your eyes checked.

 

Eye examinations can tell us if there are any other problems, such as glaucoma, developing. We’ll get the right prescription for our glasses or contact lenses. We’ll be able to see clearer. We could even look rather cool. Glasses are officially sexy, which is saying something because for a long time they were not. You’ll stop squinting and start smiling.

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You’ll have stronger vision, and you’ll put less strain on your eyes. This means your eyes will last longer and see better, and that’s it. But when you think about it, it’s everything. Don’t fight it, look after your eyes. And once you have your prescription, get it filled. And in two years time go back and do it all again. It’s worth it.

 

The thing about teeth

 

A universal truth about teeth is everybody regrets what they did to them. Blame sugar, caffeine, tobacco if you must.  Sadly our teeth generally are not the white gleaming perfectly formed set of teeth they could have been. Some are a bit wonky and others broken or discoloured. Nothing feels sadder than realising you might have just chipped a bit off another one.

 

And as much as we don’t want to admit it, dental treatment is the answer. Forget about those horror stories. Most dental treatment is painless and amazingly accurate. But we put it off worrying it is too unaffordable. Get a dental health care programme. It’s the only way forward to keep your teeth looking and feeling good. Learn more at mydental.guardianlife.com/ about how you can get started.

 

Getting your teeth sorted means restoring your confidence. It brings back your smile. You’ll feel better. The discomfort that you might have been putting up with for a long time is gone. You will be lighter, more self-assured and closer to the complete you.

 

It’s all wrapped up in our skin.

 

Those rather incredible layers that keep us compact and enclosed forms our skin. Your skin is the most incredible barometer of your health. You can tell a lot about a person from the condition of their skin. This is not about whether you are sensitive or suffer from allergies. It is more about the general condition of your skin as the outward display of what we have been doing to our bodies. Conventional wisdom dictates that skin is made up of pores. Pores like to breathe fresh air. Your skin likes to breath!  If you are slathering on thick layers of foundation every day, you are just not allowing that to happen.

 

If we are not hydrating properly, as in drinking plenty of water, then we are not allowing our whole body processes to function properly. Contrary to popular belief sweating is a natural and healthy response to toxins. It is how the body cools itself, and to some degree detoxes. Let your skin breath, apply only natural skin products to it and drink plenty of water. Gently exfoliate now and again to encourage new layers of skin. A little sunshine doesn’t hurt either. There’s no quick fix here, but our skin is constantly rediscovering itself. The sooner you start to look after it, the better and quicker it will recover.

 

Perfect Sleep

 

Get more and better quality sleep, unless you don’t need it. This rather conflicting advice comes out of all the sleep clinics and research that seems to never end. The one thing that everyone seems to agree on is that sleep is good for you. Babies and teenagers need quite a lot of it. The older you get, it seems we don’t need quite so much. About eight hours a night is generally considered to be a good amount. If you are struggling to sleep or to sleep well, then there’s a wealth of advice and suggestions you can try to get a good night’s sleep.

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In a nutshell, it seems that one-half of the strategy concerns the room and conditions you sleep in. Being too hot, or cold, or noisy or disturbed will make you restless. That means you won’t be getting the quality sleep you need.

 

The other half of a successful strategy to sleep well is related to diet. That means less heavy food before bed. It means drinking less caffeine and alcohol. In summary most us who don’t get enough sleep can do something about it and take very real steps to sleep better.

 

If we do, the payoff is we can be calmer and more productive. We will enjoy our day more and get more from it. We will suffer less depression and ill health generally. The quality of your sleep directly affects your energy levels and your wellness.

 

Focusing on yourself is not about discovering another person. It is not about being selfish. It is getting in touch with the essential person who already inhabits your body. You didn’t go anywhere. You were always there, and you always will be. Your spirit is shining away regardless of the things we do to ourselves. Focusing on what works for you is making it easy for you to discover that sense of ease and wonder. It is re-discovering the enjoyment that we sometimes lose track of.

 

There are no wonder cures, and no courses or expensive programmes to undertake. You don’t even have to sign up for one single thing. You simply have to listen to your heart and take it one day and one step at a time. Keep a check of your well-being and health and hopefully, you’ll find a sense of peace and happiness is not far behind.