wellness/advisor
RESOLUTIONS THE EXPERTS MAKE We asked our wellbeing mentors to share the goals they’re aiming for in 2014
“I’ll be asking myself, ‘What would I like to say about my year at the end of 2014?’ Once I know where I’m heading for the year, I can break that down into small, easily achievable goals. The most important change every woman can make in 2014 is to give up on being perfect and focus on being the best she can be. Too many women are caught in a cycle of perfectionism and a big part of this is having unrealistic expectations, failing to meet them and then beating yourself up. This cycle erodes your self-esteem and leads to selfsabotaging behaviour. Instead, treat yourself as you would your best friend: be warm, encouraging and supportive, not critical, abusive and negative. This is the only way to protect your self-esteem, nurture your confidence and allow you to be your best.” Domonique Bertolucci is a life coach and author, www.domoniquebertolucci.com. 158
www.marieclaire.com.au
THE NUTRITIONIST
“My aim for 2013 was to find a level of stress reduction and balance without losing out on work. I’ve managed to do well, but I would still like to perfect my daily meditation, exercise and, most importantly, ‘Zoe time’. The majority of women I meet are trying to do it all and failing at a lot of it. This causes low self-esteem and bad coping mechanisms, such as unhealthy food, too much alcohol, little or no exercise and late nights. What has helped me is setting aside 15 to 20 minutes daily to either meditate, go for a walk, or sit down and reflect on what’s happened throughout the day.” Zoe Bingley-Pullin is a nutritionist and author of Eat Taste Nourish (New Holland, $29.95).
THE HOLISTIC EXPERT
“My New Year’s resolution each year is imagining who I want to become by the end of the year. I ask myself, ‘How will this year serve me, my family, those around me and the higher good?’ Staying aligned with your values helps you connect to your meaning and purpose in life. Not knowing where we’re going in life makes us feel unmotivated and is unproductive. We may have the best of intentions, but never get around to creating change unless we make time for it. Try to find time away from work and fill it up proactively so you are moving in the direction you need. Making a commitment to yourself boosts your confidence very quickly.” Donna Abate is a naturopath, personal trainer, yoga teacher, qi gong instructor and Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat’s program manager (www.gwinganna.com).
PHOTOGRAPHED BY EDWARD URRUTIA. TEXT BY NAOMI CHRISOULAKIS. FOUNTAIN PEN, $2550, SMALL AGENDA COVER, $605, AND 2014 SMALL AGENDA REFILL, $59, ALL BY LOUIS VUITTON
THE LIFE COACH
THE DERMATOLOGIST
THE PSYCHOLOGIST
“I’m going to start saying ‘no’ more often. People-pleasers like me frequently say yes to everything because of our caring nature. But saying ‘yes’ too often can be a dangerous habit for wellbeing. I’ll be reminding myself that it’s good to be a gentle, kind and caring woman, but that I have to balance saying ‘yes’ with saying ‘no’, so it doesn’t upset my sense of mental and physical health. I’m also taking up yoga; both these things are about getting self-care into my daily routine. Your lifestyle in the here and now is a predictor of your future health. Women who make time for self-care build strength and resilience.” Dr Deborah Serani is a psychologist and author of Living With Depression (Rowman and Littlefield, $30.95).
“My skin resolution for 2014 is consistency! I’m a sucker for new products. The problem is we often don’t give good products a chance to work. A period of weeks to months is usually required to modify the characteristics of the skin and see results. And don’t worry about skin irritation at first – the trick is to expect some slight stinging, dryness, peeling and even redness, and let it settle down. I start slow with a new product – just using it every second day – and use only one new product at a time.” Dr Cara McDonald is a dermatologist at the Dermatology Institute of Victoria, www.div.net.au.
THE YOGA TEACHER
“I need to remind myself to slow down, to take a moment to find stillness within, instead of rushing through the day. A timeout improves your outlook on life, allowing you to experience moments of self-reflection and appreciation for all that is in front of you. I simply take a few deep breaths – it’s the key element to bring you into contact with the present moment. Even when you’re doing everyday things, like eating and walking, you can do them mindfully. It’s so refreshing to actually ‘be’ rather than to always ‘do’.” Charlotte Dodson is a yoga teacher. Her virtual classes are available at www.charlottedodson.tv.
THE CARDIOLOGIST
“I’m promising myself to make time to exercise on a daily basis, no matter what. Maintaining an active lifestyle is an important way of reducing the risk of developing diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, but more than half of all Australian adults don’t exercise enough to gain any health benefits. The amount of exercise required to gain some benefit is not huge – just 30 minutes or so of moderate-intensity exercise at least five days per week.” Dr Jennifer Johns is president of the Heart Foundation (Victoria).
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