Congratulations to Caroline Mudd, who has qualified from the McTimoney College of Chiropractic with a first-class Master’s degree in chiropractic.  Caroline has written a short explanation of her technique and how it differs slightly from the other members of the chiro team.

“Kristine, Lucy and Nadene follow diversified chiropractic practices, which applies adjustments that cause the typical ‘popping’ sounds that chiropractors are known for.
The McTimoney technique focuses on the whole body and 

1. Go Outside
The recent sunny, frosty weather provide a welcome relief from the wet grey days that we have grown accustomed too. Exposure to daylight is good for us, it lightens our mood and it helps to regulate our sleep cycles properly.
Take five minutes out of your lunch break and go outside and get as much daylight as you can while it lasts!

​2. Plan a holiday
The very thought of a few days in the sun is enough to lift your spirits. Many of you will remember watching Judith Chalmers (Wish You Were Here?) and Cliff Mitchelmore (Holiday), which appeared on our screens as soon as the Christmas decorations were taken down! Brochures were perused, deposits paid and time off booked in the diary. The anticipation was just as exciting as the holiday itself! Even planning a weekend away, provides a lift in the spirits and doesn’t have to break the bank!

3.  Reflect and move on
Sometimes it’s easier to focus on the negative aspects of our lives than think of the positives. Negative emotions are key to our survival as they make us aware that there is a problem. The negativity associated with a health concern, or a relationship, or work, alerts us to the issues that need our attention and ultimately, we need to change.
The act of suppressing these negative thoughts and feelings not only increases our level of stress but can be bad for our physical and mental health. Research from Florida State University study showed that those who suppress emotions experience greater stress when confronted with the topic causing their negative thoughts.
Remind yourself that ‘good things’ do happen and try to create greater opportunities for these to occur this year. Look back over last year and create a list of the Top 10 things you did, then create a list of the 10 things you least enjoyed doing. Try and do more of list A and less of list B this year.
 
 
4. Exercise
Believe it or not, exercise can lift your spirits! Although it may appear cliched to start an exercise regime in January, the endorphin releases that exercise provides will lift your ood and help alleviate your post-Christmas guilt from your festive indulgences.




​5. Avoid unrealistic resolutions
 
Unrealistic resolutions set you up to fail, and make you feel even worse when you cannot fulfil them. Making resolutions to better yourself is a good thing, but make sure they’re things you can stick to. Use the month of February to re-evaluate your goals/resolutions. Once you have settled and are happy with them, break them down into smaller ‘specific’ goals that are easier to achieve

​6. Reset your axis
Comfort zones are dangerous things, as they cause us to stagnate and cease development. Try and ‘shake your snow globe’ by doing something completely different this month. Take time out, go to a movie, see a show, visit a gallery, visit somewhere new. Sometimes we appreciate the place where we live more, when friends come to visit, and we go for walks close to home. It sometimes requires an outside influence to remind us just how good life is!
 


​7.  Revisit an old love!
 
I don’t mean getting reconnected with an old flame on Friends Reunited! Sometimes life gets in the way and we have to give up certain pursuits or hobbies in order to do our job or look after the children. Just because your art teacher said you were no good at art, or you weren’t good enough to make the school team, doesn’t mean to say that you cannot enjoy those pleasures/pursuits/ experiences now!
 
8.  Sleep
 
If you are looking to make changes in your lifestyle or looking to get the optimum performance, it becomes even more important to establish and follow a routine. For instance, getting dramatically different amounts of sleep from night to night or waking up at different times is confusing for your system. If you can follow a consistent and predictable sleep routine, with regular mealtimes and consistency with your exercise plans, you will give yourself a better chance at improving your quality of life.

​It's that time of year again when gym memberships are at their peak, fridges are full of fruits and vegetables and all your friends are ‘dry’ for January! I am sure you are all wise enough to avoid the trap of following the masses and creating a resolution that you cannot fulfil! But the New Year offers an opportunity to sit back, review and plan for the year ahead. These are just a few tips we have put together over the years to help you get the ball rolling and create a better version of you!

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1. Just do it. If you have said you are going to run a 5k fun run this year but have no prior experience. The first step getting out of your door and making an effort, even if you only make it to the end of your road on your first training run, you’ll be about 2% closer to your ultimate goal than if you didn’t put in any work at all.


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2. Start from the very beginning. Achieving the best version of yourself requires you to start from the beginning and lots of small steps in order to become what you envision.

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3. The best version of yourself should be your vision, not anybody else’s. Don’t waste energy trying to live up to what somebody else wants you to be.


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4. There is no magic pill. Just as with diet and weight loss, there is no miraculous shortcut to the better version of you!


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6. Don’t worry about the small print.  You probably don’t have all the information or experience you require to find the shortest path to your happiness five years from today. But you probably have some idea about how to move in the right direction. Take those steps.

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​7. Seek advice and accept help from others. No man is an island! Help is at hand with just the touch of a button, as the internet has made it easier than ever to learn new skills. Remember that most successful people needed help along the way, too.

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8. Celebrate the small wins.  Appreciating the moment and all your small achievements gives you the motivation to keep making strides towards your ultimate goal.




9. Embrace failure. You can’t become the best version of yourself by playing it safe. Heck, getting fired could even be the best thing that ever happened to you,


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10. Get up earlier. Use the extra minutes to exercise or clear your desk and plan for the day ahead. It will help you become far more focused and relaxed throughout the day.





11. Help other people become the best version of themselves. Pay it forward. Helping others, will keep you motivated on your own path, and you’ll find that the lasting connections you build from helping others will greatly benefit you moving forward.


There is always some room for improvement in some facet of our lives and the quickest way to solve the problem is to begin working towards the better version today. There is no “right time” to get started, so what are you waiting for?
If you are still lacking motivation, download our free motivation guide
https://www.personalbeststudio.co.uk/uploads/5/0/6/2/50624321/personal_best_ultimate_motivation_guide-compressed.pdf