How to Set Realistic Health Goals

The New Year is just around the corner, and with it often comes the desire to set goals, overcome challenges, and  improve quality of life. 

But not everyone achieves their goals.

According to research, only 20% of people set goals for themselves, and out of this 20% of people, only about 30% will succeed.

In addition to that, only 8% of people making New Year’s Resolutions achieve them, and about 62% give up on their resolutions within a month.

If you want to change your life for the better, then be SMART. Make your goals SMART. This stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. 

 

Let me briefly explain them one by one (for more detail, check out my book Choosing Health).

Specific. A specific goal is simple, sensible, and strategic. It answers the questions “what is it that you want and why do you want it?” It also includes strategies on how you can achieve your goal.

Measurable. An effective goal is something that can be measured so that you are aware of your progress. You can create milestones towards your goal so that you can encourage yourself when a milestone is achieved. 

An example of a specific and measurable goal is to shed 4 lbs in 2 months through diet and exercise. You can set milestones such as releasing 1 lb every 2 weeks until you release 4 lbs.

Achievable. Make your goals realistic. Setting a goal like stopping all your medications may not be achievable because it’s not realistic. It could also be very dangerous. Instead, making changes to your diet and lifestyle consistently, so that your body doesn’t need certain medications anymore (and then get the green light from your doctor to stop taking medication), is achievable. Similarly, if you want to release weight, it takes time to do it healthily and sustainably. It isn’t achievable to release 20 lbs healthily in a week!

Relevant. You’ve got to ask yourself if this goal you’re setting is relevant to you.Think of the bigger picture. Will this goal help you have better quality of life? How will this goal affect you and your future?

If you have pre-diabetes, then releasing weight if you are overweight and adding in consistent physical exercises can help prevent you from developing Type  II Diabetes. So releasing extra weight is relevant in this case.

Timely. Make a timeline for when will you achieve your goal. Chances are, you will be able to follow your timeline and accomplish your goals. You can adjust your timeframe and make new goals when done with the first.

People who have goals are more likely to succeed in those areas of life than those who do not. SMART goals are great to apply to any aspect of your life that you want to improve.

It is my passion to work with people like you whose health symptoms are getting in the way of you living life fully and with a sense of freedom in your body. I can help you to regain your health so you can feel great and free to enjoy life fully.
 
If you’re ready to discover where your best health has been hiding, I’d love to connect with you!
Apply for a complimentary Unstoppable Health Discovery Session. http://bit.ly/schedulinghealth (subject to availability).

Until next time, I’m wishing you unstoppable health and happy holidays!

~Rebecca