Successful Goals – Starting 2025 Out Right

This year could be totally different for you. With New Year’s resolutions, ambitious goals, and dreams for 2025, we can sometimes set ourselves up for failure if we haven’t planned intentionally. Many have heard about making SMART goals, which is a great principle to follow, but there may be more to it. With this blog, we want to give you, our reader, some different considerations when making those goals for 2025.

In January, individuals can start off strong with their goals and intentions. Occasionally, those best intentions diminish shortly into the New Year. One of the reasons that this can happen is that the stressors of life creep in and our expectations for ourselves are unrealistic. With that being said, before we even hit the treadmill or cut the poor health habits, we need to ask ourselves some important questions.

Are your goals fair and realistic?

Too often we make goals for ourselves that far exceed our resources and capabilities. It is important to ask ourselves if our goal is fair, even on our worst day. For example, is exercising every day of the week realistic for you? Is being 100% strict with your eating choices/diet fair? When we can have this viewpoint and consideration, it can help us to reassess the goals we have and make them more realistic.

What is your “worst case scenario” plan?

Have you considered what your “worst case scenario plan” is? What we mean by this is if you had no energy or resources, what steps could you still take to achieve your goal? On your worst day, what tools or resources need to be available to you? This thought can facilitate planning for hard days and can cause even your worst days to be successful.

Are your attempts better than nothing?

Finally, thinking about those days where we have missed the mark, it is important for us to examine our expectations. We are not perfect, nor should we be. Grace is important for any goal. This question helps to give an opportunity for grace, but still movement towards that goal. All or nothing mentality can be crippling, but by examining the small changes and putting value to them, we can move modestly, but successfully, towards our goals.

If you have found this to be helpful, there are many other great pieces of information in Dr. Cook’s book “Stress less and weigh less”. Even if weight loss is not your goal, but reducing stress is, this is a great resource to have. You can find this book on Amazon https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0C87VD1FD or at our clinic. We also invite you to consider putting a health care provider into “your corner” to help you successfully accomplish your health care goals. If you are ready for that support, feel free to contact our clinic. We are always accepting new patients! Regardless, we hope that 2025 is your best year yet.

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let us know what you think. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact our clinic by calling/texting 226-232-7665, and we would be happy to book your naturopathic appointment today! 

Dr. Cook’s new book Stress Less and Weigh Less is now published and available to purchase!

We are so excited to announce that Dr. Elisha Cook ND’s new book Stress Less and Weigh Less has officially been published, and has already made it to the Best Seller list on Amazon in several categories! Dr. Cook has compiled much of her clinical experience and research into the writing of this book. It includes practical guidance and a wealth of knowledge on the impact of stress on the weight loss journey. In particular, the struggle that chronically stressed individuals can face when it comes to weight loss. 

In this book, you will learn

  • What stress is and determine if you are stressed
  • What weight loss approaches work based on research
  • What forms of exercise and dietary patterns help you lose weight when you are chronically stressed
  • Realistic coping techniques for stress
  • How to overcome common weight loss strategy pitfalls

To make sure we can get this book into as many hands as we can, reduced pricing will be in effect until June 26, 2023! It can be bought on amazon for $9.99 as the paperback and $0.99 as the kindle version until June 26, 2023. After this date the price will go up.

If you are interested in getting your hands on a paperback version or a kindle version of the book, see following link: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0C87VD1FD . We will have copies available at the clinic, and will make updates on social media when they are available.

In addition, if you subscribe to our blog, you will automatically be sent a PDF of the workbook to go with the book Stress Less and Weigh Less.

For a complete book description, please see below:

We live in a society of pressing deadlines, overwhelming schedules, and increasing demands. On top of keeping up with this lifestyle, we expect ourselves to have the body and physique of an athlete. It may be surprising for some, but chronically stressed individuals often have a very difficult time losing weight and keeping the weight off. There is a way to stress less and weigh less. You do not have to struggle to lose weight anymore.

In the book, we examine if you are truly stressed and what it actually looks like in all its facets. Once we know what stress really is, we can then begin to examine its impact on weight, and how it can contribute to weight gain. Dr. Elisha Cook ND discusses three key focus areas: exercise, diet, and stress management. With each section, we examine the strategies that increase stress and those that decrease stress on the body. When you manage your stress confidently and prioritize yourself, you can lose weight and keep it off.

In this book, you will learn:

  • What stress is and determine if you are stressed
  • What weight loss approaches work based on research
  • What forms of exercise and dietary patterns help you lose weight when you are chronically stressed
  • Realistic coping techniques for stress
  • How to overcome common weight loss strategy pitfalls

With the constant stress surrounding our daily lives, we need to be able to keep ourselves healthy and manage our stress. In this book, Dr. Elisha Cook ND hopes that she can help people identify sources of stress in their life, how it may be halting their weight loss journey, and how to overcome it. To find out more about her methods, grab this book today!

Want more information about our clinic or services?

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in trying any of our services, working with any of our amazing practitioners, or are simply wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact the Plattsville Natural Health Clinic by calling 226-232-7665 and book your appointment today! 

Ways to Practice Self-Care Daily

Today’s society is very go, go, go, and often, we put ourselves last due to the demands of life itself. Individuals can be left feeling burnt-out, tired, drained, and overwhelmed. When we over-burden ourselves and drive ourselves to the point of exhaustion, it can be difficult to bounce back. By practicing some “self-care” every day, it can help to prevent you from reaching this breaking point.

5 Ways to Practice Self-Care

  1. Eat Well – your gut can be the gateway to overall health. By eating a well-balanced diet that is right for you, you can help your stress, mood, energy, sleep and overall health. By speaking to a naturopathic doctor or a holistic nutritionist, you can determine a plan of action on how to best eat for your health situation.
  2. Exercise – exercise can be a great outlet for stress and aid with overall health. When we look at aerobic exercise (for example, walking), we see many great benefits including reduced stress, depression, and anxiety. In addition, exercise can give you the energy you need to accomplish your to-do-list that may be adding to your stress.
  3. Ask for Help – Asking for help is not easy for a lot of people but it can make a big difference when you are feeling overwhelmed. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It provides you with the potential for more support when you need it most. Asking for help may also include going to see a health care professional, such as a Naturopathic Doctor, to help you with stress management, work-life balance, pain, mood, energy etc.
  4. Pace Yourself – Many people rush to get things done saying that there are not enough hours in the day, there is too much to do, etc. If you constantly run in 5th gear, you may find that you are worn out much quicker. Pacing yourself and accomplishing a set amount each day can provide space for you to recover. It is also important to forgive yourself for items you may not have accomplished especially if you take time for yourself. Time for yourself is necessary recuperation time and is justified. It is important to put yourself higher on your priority list.
  5. Leave Work at Work – For some individuals that run their own business or feel like they mentally carry their work home, this is much easier said than done. Try not to bring the concerns of work home with you and instead leave it at the workplace. Use the commute home to be your dividing line or find other constructive tangible ways to create a separating point between work and home. This can help decrease the burden that you carry when you get home. It helps to separate work-life from home-life. Ultimately, we need to start to establish healthy boundaries between work and home, and this conversation may even extend itself to other areas of your life where you need healthy boundaries.

If you benefitted from this blog, Dr. Elisha Cook ND will have her book published soon that has information like this AND MORE. Contact us by emailing info.pnhc@gmail.com or through the contact portion of our website. Let us know if you want to be a part of her launch team and get early access to her book!

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share this article with someone who you think might benefit from the information and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Dr. Elisha Cook ND by calling/texting 226-232-7665 and book your appointment today!

PNHC Grand Opening Celebration April 14/18, 1-5pm

 

PNHC Grand openingWe are celebrating the grand opening of Plattsville Natural Health Clinic on April 14/18 from 1pm-5pm. Please drop in and enjoy the festivities which include:

  • A bouncy castle (weather permitting)
  • A visit from Chase from Paw Patrol (even Chase needs acupuncture and naturopathic care right?)
  • A draw for a free Naturopathic Consult with Dr. Elisha Cook ND
  • A draw for a gift basket with teas produced by Plattsville Natural Health Clinic
  • A tour of our clinic
  • Acupuncture and cupping demonstration at 1:30pm and 3:30pm
  • Snacks from Dr. Elisha Cook ND’s book “The Ultimate Guide to the Elimination Diet”
  • Grass-Fed beef on a bun
  • A Gratitude Ceremony to close the festivities

To keep up-to-date on this event and many others, please gIMG_2118o to our Facebook page at Plattsville Natural Health Clinic. Please also see below for a summary of the event details.

Location: 16 Albert St Unit A Plattsville ON N0J 1S0

When: Saturday, April 14, 2018

Time: 1pm – 5pm

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Dr. Elisha Cook ND by calling/ texting 226-232-7665 and book your appointment today!