Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, begins this Tuesday, February 1st of 2022.
Lunar New Year is determined by the lunar Chinese calendar and changes each year. Each year is associated with one of twelve signs from the Chinese Zodiac, with the coming year being the Year of the Tiger!
Lunar New Year is celebrated throughout the world and includes a little over two weeks (~15 days) of celebration involving activities such as family gatherings and meals, gifting red envelopes, and fireworks.
Cities throughout the world celebrate with festivals and parades that have spectacular traditional dances, fireworks, and of course, food.
Goal-Setting for the Chinese New Year
For anyone struggling with maintaining goals after January 1st, Lunar New Year may offer a chance to refine those goals. It is important to be strategic and realistic about the process of goal-setting.
According to the New York Times, a useful tool for setting successful goals is the use of the acronym SMART. To maximize the probability of success, a goal must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) (Miller, n.d.).
Be Specific — Avoid having a vague goal like “I want to save more money,” rather, set a goal that is more specific like “I will save 10 percent of my paychecks.”
Make it Measurable — Keep track of your progress by taking notes, checking off a calendar date, keeping a log, or any other method that is most convenient.
Make it Achievable — Make sure your goal is realistic so you don’t get discouraged and can appreciate your progress.
Make it Relevant — Make sure your goal is right for you and that is more than just a situational impulse.
Make it Time-Bound — Make sure you set a time-frame that is achievable for your goal as well as checkpoints to assess your progress.
The tradition of thoroughly cleaning one’s house days before the beginning of Lunar New Year can also double as a SMART goal. It’s believed that this tradition clears space to expel bad luck, thereby making room for good luck.
When it comes to achieving health-related goals, Santa Cruz CORE is here to help. CORE has practitioners experienced in many fields including corrective exercise, nutrition, chiropractic, and Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques such as acupuncture and fire cupping.
CORE also has practitioners knowledgeable in Hanson Manual Therapy (HMT), a unique form of trigger point and acupressure point therapy that provides instant relief from muscle pain and tension.
Hanson Muscle Therapy
The idea behind HMT is that acupressure points along meridian lines work as circuit breakers that become overloaded with stress and block the natural flow of qi.
By releasing the tension from these acupressure points, the natural flow of qi is restored and so is the body’s natural ability to heal itself.
HMT adopts techniques from both Western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine to help alleviate a person’s pain. HMT is performed by first diagnosing muscular imbalances in the body to detect the sites of greatest tension.
This can be done through a series of tests including
This manual therapy can benefit both athletes and non-athletes alike, since everyday repetitive motions and poor posture can contribute to the build up of tension and associated pain.
Set healthy and SMART goals for the Lunar New Year — give Santa Cruz CORE a visit or a call to get started with any fitness, wellness, dietetic, and pain related goals and/or issues to get help from award-winning experts.
References:
- Why is Chinese New Year so important? (2022, January 27). Retrieved January 28, 2022, from https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/special-report/chinese-new-year/
- Miller, J. A. (n.d.). How to make (and keep) a new year’s resolution. The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/resolution-ideas