My Health is My Choice- 8 Types of Health to Focus on for a Better Year

A new year always gives us the opportunity to evaluate and refocus our goals.

The phrase “My Health is My Choice” is what keeps on coming to me.

That phrase doesn’t just mean trying to lose weight or staying healthy. It covers all aspects of my life that I want to continue to improve this next year. Areas are either growing or dying. This year I want to continue to grow in these areas of my life.

1. Focus on Physical Health

I’ve been slacking and I need to take responsibility that my nutrition and my exercise are my responsibility.

My joke this past 6 months is that I wear stretchy pants and boots because my jeans are tight and that’s the truth. I have a lot of excuses but they are just that…. excuses.  I even have a gym membership but have not made consistency at the gym a priority.

2. Focus on Nutrition Health

I also don’t enjoy cooking which means that I haven’t made great nutrition a priority.

Knowing and doing are two different things. I know this needs to change for myself and my family to reach our optimal health. This year I need to step it up.

3. Relational Health

In the past few years, I’ve lost constant contact with several good friends. Some have moved which has made keeping things the same harder because of the distance. Others have made choices that resulted in cutting off communication with anyone from their previous life which really hurts.

A few years ago, a few friends and I met at Starbucks every Tuesday at 9pm. It was guilt-free because the kids were in bed and it was a time that worked for everyone. When I lived in Michigan we would rotate houses for moms coffee. I think that friendships in your 30’s change due to the season of your family at the time.

Meeting with friends with young kids is a lot harder and my kids are at a stage where I have more freedom. My work schedule is different now but I recognize that I need regular time with other women where we can celebrate, discuss and share the good and bad of life together.

I’ve been married 20+ years and marriage is WORK! I can honestly say that this past year has been our best year. Marriage is something that you have to continually invest in.

It is both challenging and rewarding in the same day, even the same hour. Continued communication and quality time are necessary to keep relational health where it needs to be.

4. Financial Health

We’re in a rebuilding stage after a few rough years with a career change and two layoffs. I’m going to try to achieve a balance in saving and spending money on things that are worth the money.

I think it’s easy to enter into the extremes of being so frugal that you don’t enjoy life or not planning for the future which makes any bump in the road devastating. There has to be a healthy medium.

5. Organizational Health

This is a constant battle for me. We have an active family and our home can become chaotic in minutes. I also have a hard time letting go. I recognize that it’s a generational thing in my family.

I inherited my love of a large wardrobe and desire to repurpose things from my artist mom. I get from my love of books and holding onto keepsakes from my dad.

 Losing family members has also resulted in the guilt of what to do with items that they loved. Financially challenging times in our past created that “just in case” mentality because we might need it again

6. Business Health

There are things that I need to do to take my business to the next level. That means balancing the things that I enjoy with the things that I dislike. I’ve allowed certain aspects of the business to intimidate me and this year I’m determined to push through those fears. I’m creating a vision board for my office space to help keep the focus on what I want to achieve this year.

There are also a few ideas that I have been wanting to try that I’ve put off due to fear of failure. This year I’m facing my fears and going to at least try it. I would rather try it and fail than always wonder “what if.”

7. Spiritual Health

My spiritual health is something that I want to take more responsibility for this year. It’s an area that I’m as close to my creator as I want to be. I need to invest time in this area of my life daily.

For me, this is in my personal time and also with initiating time with smaller groups in my church community. An attitude of gratitude and reflection is also great for perspective. I also want to invest time in a few non-profits aside from my church where I can help make a difference on a regular basis.

8. Adventure Health

Believe it or not, adventure helps me feel more alive and fuels me. The more that I continue to get out of my comfort zone the more courage I have to face the next challenge. It’s important for me to have adventure goals each year. “One day” will never happen unless you have an action plan.

This past year I crossed off several adventures that I would not have dreamed would have been able to happen in such a short time. I was also open and recognize the opportunities when they came. This past year I have also kept adventures on the regular. I like to have something to look forward to all of the time.

Your adventure doesn’t have to be once a year. Your life is your adventure. Make it interesting. It could be a simple as trying a new restaurant for the 1st time or going to a part of town that you’ve never been to before.

I realize that all of these areas will take work and an investment of both time and resources. I’m a firm believer that the end results will be something that money can’t buy. My goal is to make the healthy aspects part of my lifestyle instead of short term goals.

I hope this encourages you to evaluate the areas of your life that you want to take to the next level this coming year.

“It’s never too late to be who you might have been.” – George Elliot