By Coach Wendy

It sounds like something your mother, partner or best friend would say, but often it is in a shortened request form - "Look after self!" Often when it is said to you, it feels more like a safety message than a request of care or an expression of concern. Looking after yourself is about developing lifestyle habits that enable you to manage your life so that you can have the style with the life you deserve!

Regardless of how the phrase is used, it still begs the question of what does it actually mean. To me as a facilitator, coach, a daughter, a sister and as friend, it means keeping an eye on yourself so that you can get the best out of every day. It's far more than eating well, getting some daily exercise, ensuring you get enough sleep, or being aware of how much alcohol you drink, or avoiding second hand cigarette smoke or even dealing with challenges when they crosses your path.

It is in fact it is the combination of all the above but with some additional components. Your work needs, creating and working towards a yearly plan, weekly checking of your goal status, your financial situation, your overall safety and for some of you it may be your spiritual health. Most of all, critical to looking after yourself is your own view of your self worth.

It is a juggle of many components that creates the balance of being able to look after your self. Juggling three balls is pretty skillful, but for so many people the components of their lives at times must feel like they are being asked to juggle 20 balls into a head wind with one hand tied behind their back!

So what are some of the key skills of looking after your self? With over 23 years of experience in working in the fitness industry and as a facilitator of corporate training, I have found that the clients that do a good job of looking after them selves practice the following habits.

Smoking Tires & Burst Bubbles: Looking after your self is about taking the time to recognize and understand what excites you. What spins your wheels? Conversely, it is under standing the environments that challenge you in a negative sense. Situations that threaten and cause your to under perform, that cause you to feel like someone has just burst your bubble. It goes with out saying that the smart trick is to maximize and surround your self with people and situations that support you and limit your exposure to the negative areas.

Ownership & Responsibility: Looking after yourself is about taking ownership of your welfare, taking responsibility for your actions. It's the concept of looking after yourself, of making your health and happiness a number one priority. In essence it's about managing your greatest asset - you - for the benefit of being in the best shape you can be, for you and for those who share their lives with you.

Satisfaction: Measuring personal success is a fascinating topic, for what may appear to be a simple achievement for one may be a huge effort for another. Setting your own level of success and defining your own criteria for success means you can totally control your own score. Success is relative, relative to who's eye and heart are measuring.

Moderation: John Tickell, is a well known Lifestyle Management Australian Medical Consultant. He prescribes to the theory of moderation in everything except four things: Laughter, Sex, Fish and Vegetables. Laughter and sex form the best stress cycle breakers known to man. Fish and vegetables form the main food groups for people who live the longest and look the healthiest. In typical Australian humor, he suggests that all four elements should not be consumed or performed all at the same time!

Targets: Sets some goals and work towards them. Looking after yourself means creating value for yourself. How you value yourself is often reflected in what you feel you have achieved. By setting targets, working towards them and achieving them, you allow yourself to indulge in two rewards. Firstly the bonus of achievement and the sense of pride and satisfaction you will feel, but often far greater, is the sense of ongoing platforms for further success.

Staying Safe: For those exercising, looking after yourself, means staying safe. It is making sure that when you train, you do so at a level that you can still talk to a training buddy. Looking after yourself is taking care of yourself, not hurting yourself or pushing yourself to find your limits. For those of you looking at starting an exercise program, I always recommend to my clients that they should make an appointment with their GP or practice nurse to discuss this first. If you're going out for a walk, make sure you leave a note at home so that people know where you're going. If you require medication i.e. an asthma puffer, make sure you take it with you when you are exercising. I'd recommend carrying a cell phone whilst exercising also - you never know when you might want a ride home! For the cyclist and the runners, make sure that your bike is roadworthy, that your helmet is safe and that you are visible. Add to this by ensuring that you exercise in well lit areas with good roads or trails.

Recharge & Recover: Allow yourself time to recharge and recover. This may be in the format of a weekly catch-up & coffee with a friend, a weekly massage or even a sleep in. The important feature of this habit is that is your time for you in recognition of what you are trying to achieve. It is catch your breath time. For those of you that have started a recent training program, recovery for you may well be in the format of making sure you have one week in three as an easy week. It is during the easy week that your body's memory retains the benefits gains the previous harder week. Recovery is a very important component of any training.

Reassess & Refocus: Make a point of at the end of each week to check your diary on your progress. By having your goals written down in a diary or notebook that contains both your goals and the needs of others, you will be able to objectively assess how the week has gone and what the upcoming week holds.

Reward: This habit is usually handled in two ways, very rarely or in excess! Make sure that you allow yourself a treat time every week. You're out there at the coal face, doing a big job so don't be shy to take time to reflect on your achievements and reward yourself accordingly. This may be in the simple form of a lunch date with some friends, a nice bottle of wine, the latest CD, or a romantic dinner date with your partner. Regardless of the value, it is the habit of personal recognition of your achievement that is the issue. Remember also to acknowledge those that provide such a great support role for you also.

Cleaning Your Teeth: Looking after your self is like cleaning your teeth! Let's make it a daily routine that happens at least 3 times a day! Keep it simple, make it a routine and allow yourself the instant gratification for reminding yourself just how important you are. Let's work towards creating the attitudes and habits of self-belief and self-critique. It is about constant review and checking that you're doing okay and that you are getting the rewards for the roles you play and your deserve.

Looking after yourself is about ensuring you give yourself the best opportunity to maintain your health, creative energy, financial security, network of family and friends and the smartest skills you can to cope with everyday challenges. Make looking after your self your number one priority, for only you can take responsibility for your welfare. Fill your world with passion, follow your dreams, seek new challenges and be satisfied with the rewards as there are no dress rehearsals for this life, so let's make the most of every minute of everyday.

Go on, ignite the passion that fills your soul and creates the most effective habits that will enable you and whoever shares your life with you to reap the benefits of you looking after yourself.

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