Massage in Hull

How good is massage?

Massage is a treatment that involves the warming, compressing, stretching and all round conditioning of the muscle and connective tissue. This is usually performed hands-on by a trained masseuse using a massage couch, towels & oils. The oils help the transfer of heat from the masseuse's hands, help the clients skin become more supple and ease any friction during the massage strokes. Alternative mediums to oil include certain creams and even powders, however most people prefer to work with oils. 

If you're thinking of booking your first massage then it pays to do your home work. Most importantly seek out those that hold an official qualified, fully insured & show references. Try to go for a masseur that operates from a professional set-up (not your home or theirs) this neutral ground will help safeguard you both. All massage techniques stem from Swedish massage but many evolve and every masseuse has their own style so is great to check with your friends and go by recommendations.

When actually attending your massage appointment, you should expect to find a smart room with clean towels / couch roll. You can also expect to fill out a health questionnaire which will give a brief medical back ground and high light anything that the masseuse needs to be aware of. If your treatment requires the removal of clothing (down to underwear level) then your masseuse will leave the room giving you enough time to get changed and place the towels (especially if they are the opposite sex). So about now your ready to enjoy your massage.

If you live in the Hull area and would like a sports massage, relaxation massage or an Indian head massage then contact MassageHull.com and book in. Click on this link below to see a 2 minute video (feel free to 'like' it):

Massage in Hull

thanks

james.

TV Dangerously gets Childhood Obesity Solution WRONG!

Hi folks,

I switched to channel 3 whilst munching my cereal this morning & there was a debate on;  Is childhood obesity is the fault of the parents?

3 mums where interviewed who said that it isn’t their fault that their child is obese, as they can’t control what they buy when away from home. Another reason or possible excuse was that their child had some sort of medical condition that causes fat levels to rise (very few conditions actually cause this). It’s worth mentioning that all these parents where also highly obese, which doesn’t really help their argument.

Then the channel had an ‘expert’ on the couch who said that it is the fault of the parents. She bluntly said that kids need to eat less & exercise more as everything you eat has to be burnt off by exercise!

Is it just me or is this giving off totally the wrong message & being of no help to viewers? Surely it’s the parents duty to teach their child about the right amounts of calories & getting it from real food (un-processed) that your body can use, whilst encouraging an active lifestyle. If we obsess over drastic calorie cutting & over exercising then this is more likely to lead to dangerous childhood eating disorders.

John Cammish, a fellow personal trainer is a fat-loss expert & recently wrote a great article on this called The Calorie Conundrum. Visit his site for more info  

Let me know your thoughts folks,

James

Can Antibiotics Cure Work-Related Lower Back Pain?

Hi folks,

Danish studies of 162 adults have revealed that a specific type of chronic lower back pain (approx 40% off all chronic lower back pain cases) can be significantly treated with a series of antibiotics.

Which type? 

Pain caused by vertebrae swelling (caused by disease related-changes / infection in an area concerning a previously slipped disc) & it can only be detected by MRI scan.

Is this useful to us? 

If you have suffered a slipped disc & are still in pain 6 months later, then quite possibly. Contact your GP, ask them to review your records & consider further investigation / MRI.

Work-related back pain – probably not. Workplace lower back pain is down to being in a sedentary position (lack of movement) causing poor posture & associated muscle, connective tissue, & disc stress. This can only be resolved by;

1)      Reviewing options about the way you work.

2)      Potential ergonomic aids.

3)      A basic biomechanical understanding of the back & related structures & adopting any necessary exercises.

Occupational Fitness specializes in such measures & can boost your company performance by minimizing lower back pain in your workforce. Contact us for more information.

Thanks

James  

Blame it on the Boozy!

Hi folks,


I'm bogging about alcohol this week because after many years as a personal trainer, it still surprises me how people underestimate the effects of a cheeky tipple.

I bumped in to a lady the other day that I used to train. She always trained really hard but only got limited results so I suspected that she wasn't as committed to the nutritional side as she made out. Now she looks in the best shape ever so I asked what made the difference, yep you guessed it - she cut the alcohol down & now only drinks when on the occasional night out / special occasions (I felt like screaming 'that's what I said').

When improving body shape (& health) nutrition is the main factor. Many clients realise this & make a great effort to adjust their nutrition but the thing they often seem to ignore is that glass of wine / can of beer in the evenings. Myself & fellow personal trainers know a many more gym-goer's who will willingly address everything else except their alcohol intake. There are approx 170 calories per glass of wine, so 1 glass 5 evenings per week = 850 cal which is more than an extra 1/3rd of a days food intake!

With most of us having hectic lifestyles we tend to reach for that glass of plonk at the end of a hard days work or when in party mode. Try buying in your favourite / really special brand of alcohol to use sparingly whilst using exercise as a means to de-stress & a nice meal as a means of reward instead of booze.

Remember, the first (& most significant) steps if you want to reduce body-fat are to minimise saturated fats, salt, & sugars - including alcohol.


OH & HR managers: Could this be present in your workforce? If so work performance could also be suffering from alcohol's other affects - dehydration & poor sleep quality. Contact us for more info.


thanks,

James.

Develop Your Own Workplace Athletes!

Hi folks,

As you regulars will know, I keep bringing you blogs on the highlights of 2013's top workplace health conferences & this weeks focuses on mobile technology.

Walking around the exhibitions I came across 4 -5 stands trying to sell me little gizmo's & gadgets that track my body throughout the day (& night in some cases). The most simple & common being pedometers, but two others caught my eye.

1) A heart rate monitor to be worn 24hrs per day over a typical 3 days & the user has to keep a diary for this period. The info is then uploaded to some software where you can see if any rises in heart rate coincide with any non-physical activities = stress.

2) This looked like small pedometer that sticks on to your skin & is worn under clothing. It uses very low electrical activity to recognise how much tension is in the muscle underneath. Some muscle tension is natural but as many of us will know, physical & mental stress can cause counter-productive amount of muscle tension.


It may be interesting to ask a company CEO or director to wear one or even both of these gadgets so they can get a personal insight in to the impact of their position. However as the HSE is now taking a wider approach to stress management, it wouldn't be practical to 'hook up' every employee & monitor them. HR managers could ask for a cross-section of volunteers but results may not represent the whole workforce as stress levels depend upon stress tolerance which is very individual to each person (even when doing the same job).

It's fantastic that this technology is available & is very interesting for personal use but is not a realistic solution for workforce health & wellbeing. A company's time & money will get a better ROI if spent on the softer measures such as nutrition & exercise incentives.

Let me know your thoughts & how these gadgets may 'go down' in your workplace.

James

Obesity Culture at Home (& at Work)

Hi folks,


Just last week my home town of Hull (Kingston upon Hull if we're being posh) was in the news for having some of the highest obesity rates in the country. This doesn't surprise me as our poor city traditionally seems to get more than its fair share of bad press despite us trying to shake this off through lot of recent redevelopment & investment.

Like all cities there are the wealthier areas in the suburbs, and pockets of middle-class mixed with working-class of which I live in (without meaning to pigeon-hole people). Being a passionate health advocate, when I'm out & about I tend to notice things like a young lady the other day - walking passed the local shops, 8-pack of lager under one arm & battered jumbo sausage on fork in the other. Of course this may not have been a true reflection of her lifestyle but as she was rather overweight, it probably wasn't far off. I don't mean to be snobbish or have a pop at obese people as it's their choice, but I just want to  help create a healthier Hull.

The stereotype is that the higher rates of obesity are often in the poorer areas of society, & in my experience I'd say this is true for Hull, BUT WHY? is it because...

• Money is tight so it is spent on the cheaper highly processed foods?
• A poorer background may instill lower aspirations, lower motivation levels?
• This in turn goes hand in hand with lack of understanding / awareness food & drink.
• A depressing / drab physical environment as streets & housing are often in need of maintenance.

*HR / OH managers: does your workplace display similar elements?

All these factors contribute to one key element - an underlying lack of self worth / confidence. So what are we doing to turn this around? Well supermarkets have recently started highlighting special offers on fruit, veg & fresh meat, Schools are now doing a great job of promoting the wide range of career opportunities & healthy lifestyle education, the government is advertising it's healthy eating campaign, & the local council is progressively updating street life.

So with a bigger push, it looks like Hull's bad reputation may be short-lived!

James. 

Latest Exercise Guidelines for your Workforce

Hi folks,


Exercise is great for increasing self value, self belief & moral, for moderating stress hormones, & for decreasing anxiety, depression, confusion & fatigue BUT research shows that 60% men & 70% women are under active (80% of us overestimate how active we actually are!) It's hard to know what's right when we're constantly being bombarded with new exercise fads, fancy machines, scientific techniques & equipment so just trust 2 things:

 1) If its realistic, makes sense & makes you breathless,
 2) The latest exercise guidelines (below) for the Health & Well-being @ Work conference:

Traditionally it had been recommended that we do 30min of moderate exercise 5 times per week but this has now been reviewed. New guidelines still say to total 150 min of exercise per week, but make 30-60min (30min for beginners & up to 60min if you're pretty fit) of this an exercise of vigorous intensity, & repeat it 3-4x per week.

So in summary the main difference is that instead of more frequent light- moderate exercise, we actually get better benefits from fewer workouts but of slightly higher intensity. 

Better results in less time sounds good to me!!! To translate this in to workplace health activities then please contact me.

James

 

Power to the People!!

Hi folks,

Just a short one (but very important one) this week. As you know I'm always blogging with solutions to improving workforce health & how to get your employees engaged, but this week I'm going to say "Let them decide!"

In my research on stress management, one of the most impacting factors is how much control an employee has over their work. With this in mind, if we dictate extra measures to them (with good intentions) & tell them what they should / should not be doing then many may resent this and may end up having a negative effect.

By consulting employees, e.g. by forums, surveys, or group meetings, we can increase employee engagement, sense of value, sense of purpose & ultimately success of the health & well being program. The optimum way to do this may be to circulate a very short e-survey asking employees to number a list of health measures (such as the ones mentioned in my previous blogs) in order of preference, then a blank section asking for other suggestions or comments. The results could then be analysed by a group made up of department reps & mixture of management levels.

Enjoy the Easter break!

James


  

'THE Next Big Thing' in Workforce Health!

Hi folks,

Those of you in the workplace health industry will be familiar with the usual measures such as health checks or even postural education & weight-loss clubs, but lets take a massive jump in to the future & see what may be happening in 5-10yrs time:

STRENGTH TRAINING!!!!

Surprised? Get rid of those preconceptions & images of big muscly sweaty blokes downing protein drinks & replace them with a more healthy, toned & resilient version of your workforce. Yes, this may involve a dumbbell, barbell, kettle bell, resistance tube, or even just body weight but the adoption of these steady controlled movements that are simple & safe for everyone to do will...

1) Not only strengthen muscle but other connective tissue (tendons, ligaments & fascia), making your employees less prone to inflammation, wear & tear, RSI's

2) With the correct tuition, teach your employees control of not only a weight & other forces, but also greater control & awareness of their own body in the workplace. 

3) Safeguard / re-balancing your posture. (Strength training here is essential as ergonomic interventions & stretching are not enough & can't do this effectively).

4) Stimulate the growth of nervous pathways giving your employees more control, over more of their body.

5) Increase energy & confidence of your workforce, both mentally as well as physically.

6) Burns calories effectively, & sometimes they don't even get sweaty!

With my background in the fitness industry you might expect me to be such a fan so don't just take it from me, take it from the back surgeon that predicted strength training as "the next big thing in workplace health" in his seminar at the recent Health & Well being @ Work Conference. 

If you're even just 10% as passionate about this as I am, please contact me via my website to see how we can deliver these benefits to your workforce in a unique package.

James

Could Workplace Pain be all in the Head?

Hi folks,

Last week at the Health & Well being @ Work conference I came across an interesting concept about pain symptoms related to injury & workplace MSDs (muscular skeletal disorders). Obviously we usually think of pain being a product of some physical trauma in the body but some recent research suggests this is not always true.


A group of physicians where assessing one of their clients who presented with scoliosis (lateral curvature of the spine), however this client reported no pain despite there being some structural degradation. This lead the physicians to research further, gradually forming the concept that often pain is a mental response to an emotional trigger. For example, the anniversary of a death or another stressful period of time may subconsciously cause the stress felt at the time to re-occur, lowering our resilience. This then, depending on our job & workplace dynamics, may raise our exposure to pain.

Other research has also been done on the separate areas of the brain that deal with emotion and pain, and apparently a direct connection can be traced ie. the pathway doesn't have to involve the physical.


So in summary:
1) Not all MSDs / degenerative conditions cause pain
2) Underlying emotional stress can increase the risk of injury = pain
3) Underlying emotional stress may be able to trigger pain symptoms with no physical injury apparent. 


With so many HR managers, H&S managers, & OC health advisers having to deal with a number of employees with pain (often back pain) on a daily basis, this blog may be of interest & support more bio-psychosocial elements being included in any FCEs (functional capacity evaluations) your company may have.

Thanks

James

Let's Get Real about Red Meat!

Hi folks,

As you will have heard in the news, new guidelines have come out regarding safe amounts of red meat to consume. Some sources say that if we have more than 500g per week or the equivalent to one chipolata per day, we are significantly increasing our chances of serious diseases (heart attack, cancers etc) later in life. This coupled with the earlier news that Britain has some of the highest obesity rates in Europe, doesn't sound too good does it.

Even though red meats do have slightly higher saturated fat levels than white meats, I feel that this is not what we should be focusing on. What's going to make the biggest improvement to national health is cutting out processed meats!

A lean piece of steak with the fat trimmed off is a lot healthier than a chicken burger made with re-formed meat, added salt, water & preservative!

Workplace: Have a thing about your work canteen. Are those 'home cooked' meals made using processed red meat such as economy mince or sausage meat? Realistically it is affordable to have a healthier option such as chicken / turkey breast / fish fillets on offer each day. Take a look at your options next time you're buying your lunch & let me know what they are!!


PS: Ive just got back from the Health & Well being @ Work conference, the best annual conference in the industry. So next weeks blog will be on what's new!

thanks

James

How to Engage Employees in Workplace Health: Part 2

Hi folks,

Last week’s blog suggested 3 ways to engage those ‘Yellow flag’ employees (aka the pre-contemplators) & get them to buy-in to the benefits of workplace health. This week, as promised, I’m focusing on the contemplators / relapses’. These are those employees that already have more of an interest in a healthy lifestyle &/or have made a positive start but fallen off the wagon for some reason.

If we can just re-ignite these people then it will be a relatively quick & easy result!

Here are the 3 steps to take:

1) Time – a busy few weeks is all it takes & exercise goes on the back-burner right? So let’s use your employee training time quota for short educational workshops on topics such as back care, stress management, posture, & nutrition etc. Then set up pre & post-shift on-site exercise & stretch sessions to that focus on exercises that have positive transfer to employee roles.

 

2) Motivation - Unfortunately it takes a little time & hard work for people to see results so the first few weeks can be disappointing. By getting people to work in groups (nutritional group & activity groups) we can significantly boost their commitment. Additionally, organise reward / incentive actives such as short charity runs, abseiling, water rafting, and laser-quest, to keep things fun & interesting.

 

3) Illness / injury. The flu or a shoulder injury are common set-backs & we can’t eliminate them. But, we can proactively reduce them by improving vitamin intake through nutritional education, then improving our strength, technique & flexibility through exercise sessions. Use sections 1) & 2) above to cover this.

So that’s it, by using the 3 steps from last week as well as the 3 above, you are well on your way to a healthy & high performing workforce. If you would like any help on delivering / implementing any of this then please contact me.

 

Thanks

james

 

How to Engage Employees in Workforce Health!

Hi folks,

  

This week I’m blogging about positive engagement. When a company offers a string health related activities (i.e. Health club memberships, company sports teams, charity events etc), these are mainly used by employees that already live an active & healthy lifestyle. This is great but the real drain on your company health could be those ‘Yellow flag’ employees that give such activities a wide berth & are hard to engage.

Here’s a course of action that I’d recommend for targeting your Pre-contemplators (those that aren’t interested in being healthy):

 

a)      We need to speak to them & find out what’s important to them, why health isn’t a priority, what their opinions are on where / how they work, & see if we can relate the benefits of being healthy to this.

 

b)      We have to Make It Easy - This means no cost to the employee & low time commitment. Examples include providing healthy breakfast options on-site, pleasant outdoor areas to take their break, the ‘bike to work’ scheme, on-site 30min exercise classes (pre / post shift).

 

c)       Monetary value / incentive. We all know that money is an incentive for everyone so let’s use it. Provide free fresh fruit & veg in bowls around the office or as free side options in the canteen, or perhaps operate a voucher system where a certain number of steps on their pedometer = discount off healthy options at the canteen. As well as this really shout about any free / discounted health incentives that you may be running alongside.

 
 

Next weeks blog will focus on the Contemplators / Relapse’s. Don’t miss it!

 

If you are interested in discussing any of the above then please contact me.

 

James

Packed Lunch Vs Canteen! - Which is best?

Hi folks,

 

Earlier in the week I saw a discussion on children’s lunch boxes, & that apparently 9/10 of them are ‘unhealthy’! In light of this, one particular school has banned packed lunches, forcing the pupils to purchase their ‘healthier’ school dinners.

Let’s think about this in an adult workplace context, should a company only allow food bought from its canteen?

 

• This takes away employee free choice & could cause resentment to the company.

• Who says the company canteen food is healthier? (Many canteens are ran by sub-contracted companies that may be selected on their low cost (likely low quality ingredients) & who don’t have an interest in your workforce health.

• It could cost more for the employee to buy than a packed lunch does.

• What about medical conditions such as food allergies & intolerances?

So what’s the answer? Well this is what I’d recommend:

• Allow employees to bring packed lunch & provide a leaflet on suggested healthy options.

• Limit the amount of high sugar, salt & saturated fat foods available on-site & perhaps raise their price slightly)

• Design a canteen menu that has had the input of an up-to-date nutritional advisor who is familiar with the industry sector.

• Sell this food at a non-profit price so it’s attractive & affordable (The company will reap wider profits through overall improved health & performance).     

• This increased use of the canteen facilities encourages employees to actually take their break (socialise & change of environment to mentally refresh) & not eat at desk.

If you like any of these ideas then please contact me to help you put them in to place.

Thanks

james

Slow Down to take Workforce Health Forward

Hi folks,

February has only just begun but do you already feel that you’re chasing your tail, that you’re just chipping away at an ever-growing pile of work, or are you even working overtime? If we carry on then the problem is just going to get on top of us making us under perform & affect our health right? So the sooner something changes, the better.   

My research over the passed 4 months has highlighted that the combination of high pressure society, the fast pace of business, & the increased workload dumped on employees (due to not replacing staff) has resulted in a lack of communication. How can this happen when mobile technology (Skype / email on phones & tablets) is at a peak? I think the problem is the quality of this communication & that it’s a major cause of stress in the workplace.

If slow down for a minute, re-evaluate & then focus on the most important tasks then this will give us some clarity & direction. It’s always easy to blame others for not communicating properly but if we start by insisting on face-to-face communication whenever possible then they have to respond by doing the same.

  Good Task management       =      Good Workplace Health

+ Quality Communication                        + Performance

 

Let me know your thoughts on this little mantra

 

James

Is your Corporate Gym Membership Harming your Workplace Health?

Hi folks,

Do you get free or discounted membership at your local gym because of where you work? This is a very easy & conveinient way for companies to 'address' or 'tick the box' of work place health with hardly any input or cost to themselves. Ok so whats wrong with that, doesnt it benefit both employee & employer? Here's why we should thing again:



1. In my years spent as a personal trainer I've seen many trends. Women stick to the cardio kit, inner / outer thigh machines etc & don't want to go anywhere near the grunting men who go straight for the biggest weights they can pick up, who end up dropping them, then sprint flat out on a treadmil before having a heart attack on the way out. What I'm getting at is that just because we go to the gym it doesn't mean that we are healthy. We need to make sure that we are exercising correctly & if there isn't an experienced trainer to hand that pro-actively offers / is asked to help (& trust me this rarely happens), then this is probably causing more workplace injuries than its saving!


2. We all know that 90% of the employees that use their corporate gym memberships are those that would join a gym anyway. The employees that negatively affect your workplace health are the ones that arn't really interested / or motivited to make the journey to a gym, & therefore need engaging in the workplace instead. By holding workplace health activities on-site, this also boosts workforce team moral & culture (as opose to exercising indiviually at an off-site gym).

If you would like to discuss bringing short on-site exercise sessions to your company, lead by an experienced workplace health & fitness trainer then please contact me.

Thanks

James 

Are Energy Drinks Good For Us?

Hi folks,

A pretty general question so ‘ill try to answer it from a few different angles.

Gym scenario: Last Tuesday I walked in to the gym & saw one of my clients working hard on the exercises that I’d given him. It was great to see him putting the time & effort in by himself but I was horrified when he glugged down an energy drink. This particular client’s goal was to lose weight (body-fat), however many people (especially beginners) don’t seem to realise these drinks give us energy because they are packed with calories, the very thing that most of us are trying to lose!

I would only suggest possibly using energy drinks in two cases:

1)  If you’re exercising to maintain / increase weight (body-fat) by focussing on other areas of fitness such as muscle size, strength or agility.

2)  If your exercising continuously hard for more than 90 minutes (your muscles will be almost empty of energy (glycogen) & you will need to replenish salts (electrolytes) lost during sweat.

Workplace Scenario: Many companies that are interested in workplace health want to increase the energy levels of their workers (not surprising as their productivity will likely increase!). Unfortunately they go for the ‘quick fix’ by handing out energy drinks as part of health packs. Workforce obesity rates are high especially among those in sedentary roles, so the last thing they need are more calories which will ultimately plummet workforce health. A much better & more responsible approach would be to focus on boosting hydration & activity levels of the workers, & getting them to understand how to fit a balanced nutrition with their working day.

Let me know your thoughts folks

james

Take this Vital Step to make Workplace Health Initiatives Soo Much Easier!

Hi folks,

 

Here’s how to make a huge leap forward for your company’s workplace health: Most companies recognise the value of a fit & healthy workforce, & equally many employees are open to the idea of fitting exercise in alongside their working day, what’s missing are the bits in between – organisation & facilities.
 

To take workplace health seriously, a large company needs to employ a specific workplace health coordinator. This job is often just written into the role of the HR manager or OH nurse who just don’t have the time to give it the dedication it needs.

However, one thing that will instantly get your workforce moving more & therefore performing better is to build some good quality shower & changing facilities on-site (shower cubicles, benches & lockers). Once employees are aware of these facilities (& that they are modern & clean to use) more people will start cycling & jogging to work as they don’t have to worry about being dirty & sweaty all day.  It also opens up massive opportunities for future activities such as pre-work exercise / running clubs, charity events, sports days & after work exercise classes.

So if your company hasn’t already got good changing facilities or they are run-down, then lets make this a priority this year!

James

Shocking Facts about Diet & Exercise

Hi folks,

A short while ago i watched a program on Channel 5 called '50 shocking facts about diet & exercise'. some of it was interesting but most of it was either terrible or trivial info that most of us don't need to know. I didn't really want to draw attention to this program so i didn't really blog / chat about it, but I have heard a few people around the gym gossipping about it & misinterpreting the information so i thought i better try to straighten things out. 

As the program suggests, it blasted us with random facts about food, exercise, & our bodies much of which was frankly confusing (it would even put me off a healthy lifestyle). This is damaging as even though the info was factual, much of it was out of context e.g. saying that alcohol & a full English breakfast are good for us, & that your gym instructor may well be an adult film star. I think that this program did more damage than good & misguided people who are trying to start a healthy lifestyle.

I've done many roles in the fitness industry over the last 10 years & for 90% of us to be in good health we just need to follow these SIMPLE rules:

1) EAT / COOK CLEAN (buy unprocessed foods to create quick tasty meals & snacks. Steam, grill, microwave or boil this food. only add oil after cooking)
2) STAY HYDRATED (2-2.5ltrs of water per day)
3) SMART EXERCISE (Keep sessions short (30-45min) & frequent,  focus multi-joint exercises, or even better your full body, make sure you get out of your comfort zone, & chose a type of exercise that you enjoy).
4) QUALITY RECOVERY (Make enough time to get sufficient good quality sleep & me-time)


Follow 50 or 4? - which will you be more successful at? Hope this helps,

James

How to succeed with New Years Resolutions

Hi folks, & Happy New Year!

Fed up of making new years resolutions that don’t stick? We all have goals for 2013 so here’s how to raise your chances of success:

1. Choose a goal that YOU actually want to do, not what others want you to do. 
2. Positive psychology – focus on doing things rather than stopping things; e.g. instead of ‘I want to stop eating so much junk’ change it to ‘I will eat more healthily!’ (if we're busy doing the positive things then we'll automatically stop the negative things) 
3. Be Specific e.g. ‘I will aim to eat more vegetables each day’.
4. Make sure you can measure it. ‘I will eat 4 different vegetables each day’
5. Make it achievable; make sure it’s something that you are physically able to do.
6. Make it realistic; is it something that you can fit in to your lifestyle?
7. Give yourself a deadline! make it less than 12 months otherwise we are tempted to ‘put it off’. It’s even better to break your ultimate goal down in to related medium & short term goals using the steps above.

You can use the template above for any goal you like, even for getting work tasks done (workplace health projects). If it ticks all my 7 rules then you've given yourself the best possible start! Next step preparation - be pro-active & get any kit together you might need.

Have a great one!

james