Setting goals for yourself is common this time of year. The start of a new year is the perfect opportunity to start fresh and try something new that will improve your overall lifestyle.

Making goals for yourself is a great way to assess where you are and where you want to go. However, sticking to your goals can be challenging. Here are some tips to help you stay on track in the new year:

• Believe in yourself! Achieving your goals starts with a positive mindset. Having confidence in your abilities and in the goal you set will give you the push that you need to make your goals become a reality. Positive reinforcement is key!
• Break down your goals. While it is good to aim high with the goals that you set for yourself, start with something attainable by breaking down your end goal into micro goals. For example, if your end goal is to run three miles a day, start with simply adding 100 steps to your daily step count.
• Prepare yourself for success on Plan. Your journey to optimal health and wellbeing, and your consistent application of the Habits of Health, will help you stay the course and avoid any temptation, especially in your first months on Plan. To keep you coursing towards your goals, like staying more hydrated on a daily basis, be sure to devise a plan to make note of your water intake to ensure you drink 64 ounces of water**.
• Rely on me, your Coach. Setting realistic goals and developing a plan to achieve them is a difficult process, so don’t go at it alone! As your Coach, I am here for you every step of the way. I will give you the support you need, guide you on your journey, and keep you accountable. Remember that I am here to help you succeed!

Every new year brings new beginnings. Partner with me, your Independent OPTAVIA Coach, so I can work with you to set your goals and make 2021 a success!

Habits are a tricky part of our lives. It is easy to develop and stick with bad habits and difficult to form lasting healthy ones. While it may feel hard to create strong, healthy habits, it is crucial to do so when working to achieve a healthier lifestyle.

Forming your own good habits and behaviors can help drive healthy change and help you achieve the lasting results you desire, as you are on your journey to optimal health and wellness. Here are some tips to help you create solid and attainable habits, as we enter the new year:

• Start a new, healthier habit. Stopping a previous bad habit is a great start, but swapping it with a new, healthy one is even better. Practicing this new behavior will help fill the void of the old habit and ease any temptations to revert back.
• Be mindful. Changing habits often requires mindfulness. Make sure that you are aware of why you want to start a new habit so that your mind becomes informed and motivated to make this change.
• Practice patience. On average, creating a new habit takes over two months of consistent behavior. So don’t get discouraged if you miss a day with your new habit after a week or two. This is natural! Do your best to stay committed to your new behavior, and before you know it, this practice will be a part of your routine without a second thought.

Ask me, your Independent OPTAVIA Coach, for guidance and direction when creating your new habits on your journey towards Lifelong Transformation, One Healthy Habit at a Time. 

Paying it forward.

Before she knew it, Nicole found herself in a “blur of depression,” using food to fill a void that she was convinced could never be filled.

“I felt sick...I felt sad, and I used food like a drug.”

After her husband was in a violent car accident, he was scheduled to undergo surgery. Upon seeing his surgeon, Nicole was informed that he couldn’t perform the procedure because his blood pressure was fatally high.

“That was when I knew one of us had to start a health journey. One of us had to become healthy and take our life back.”

After joining the OPTAVIA Community and losing more than 100 lbs*, Nicole found out through social media about a boy who needed a kidney transplant, so she reached out to his family about being his donor.

The day she received approval from her doctor, saying she was a fit as a donor, Nicole realized just how much OPTAVIA had changed her life.

“Do you know what I found out that day? That if I hadn’t lost weight I could not have participated.”

Five months after donating her kidney, Nicole is more active than ever before. She walked 100 miles in one month and planned to participate in a half marathon for the children of St. Jude.

By continuing to inspire others and help them lead their journeys to lifelong transformation as an Independent OPTAVIA Coach, Nicole now helps her husband receive the gift of health with OPTAVIA.

“You never know where your journey will begin and where it will go, if you will just keep your heart and your soul open!”