2019 is here! How did you bring in the New Year? My family walked 3 miles the last few hours of 2018 and then settled in for an evening of the television show Cops and watching the ball drop. I’m not sure how we landed on Cops, but I now count not ending up on that show in 2018 a definite win.

The criminals featured on the show Cops may have found a different life path if they intentionally spent some time on January 1st setting goals for the New Year. While that may be a bit of a stretch, I do believe it is essential to ring in the New Year with a visual of what you want the year to look like, and I can bet that doesn’t include being arrested for participating in a high-speed chase with your infant in the back seat.

Being in the fitness industry my whole adult life and now, as a Physical Therapist and Pilates instructor, I talk about the body a lot. People are always willing to admit how amazing the human body is-until it becomes personal. When I ask my patients how they feel about their body, their attitude shifts. The awestruck wonder of how a human body operates is suddenly replaced with a wishy-washy response of disgust and frustration.

Let’s change that in 2019. We should make it a goal to view the body, our body, as God intended it to be seen, even before Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. No, I am not saying we should all walk around naked, flaunting our bodies for all to see and appreciate. What I am saying is that we should focus on the positive attributes God gave each of us that will help us accomplish our mission in life without shame and bias from our own knowledge. Rather than label your body as pretty or ugly, fat or thin, healthy or weak, look at part by part as you are actively using your body. Standing in the mirror often brings judgment. Instead, look at your hands while they’re typing and be thankful for their ability. Look at your feet as you’re walking and be grateful for their ability to propel you forward. Instead of evaluating the size of your bum in your jeans, appreciate it for its ability to help you get off of the ground. When you see your body for its strengths, you can find gratitude instead of disgust.

Keep going! It would not be advantageous for us to make a resolution for our physical body, without also addressing our spiritual and emotional health. These three attributes are woven so intimately together that it is impossible to separate them. You may view your physical body negatively because your emotional health is lingering too low. Or maybe you aren’t spiritually connected with God; therefore, you cannot see how you were made in God’s image.

The first time I see a patient for an evaluation in physical therapy, I set specific, measurable short term and long term goals with details about where the patient is currently and where they want to be in 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, or maybe even 6 months from now. It is essential to document your abilities and shortcomings now to see the gains in the long term honestly.

Use our goal handout to help you get to where you want to be physically, emotionally and spiritually on New Year’s Eve in 2019. To fully encompass your servant’s heart for God’s children, we encourage 2 sets of goals. One that will serve yourself physically, emotionally and spiritual so that you may continue to serve others with the best of your ability. The other set of goals is to outline how you will serve others physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Setting goals provide you with boundaries that will dictate a yes or no decision.

Serves You                      &                          Serves Others
1. Physical                                                   1. Physical
2. Emotional                                               2. Emotional
3. Spiritual                                                  3. Spiritual