Focus on the motivation for change, and ensure that your health resolutions or goals are ‘SMART’ to encourage long-term success.
New Year’s resolutions are often abandoned almost as soon as they are made, and the problem could lie in how the resolutions were formulated, rather than a perceived lack of willpower.
8 tips to set achievable health goals
Determine your why
To improve the chances of long-term success, carefully consider why you want to achieve a certain lifestyle goal, being as specific as possible. Regularly revisiting the ‘why’ behind the objective can help you keep up the momentum after the initial enthusiasm has worn off. Even if you have already broken their resolutions, you can reformulate these to support a successful outcome.
Once clear on your motivation, you can improve your chances of success by reviewing your work-life balance and committing to prioritizing self-care in the same way you would do for work success, for example.
Fix your health goals
The next step would be to formulate the health goals using the concept of SMART goals, meaning goals that are Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Time-bound.
Here is an example of a SMART goal: I will get up at 7 am, four days a week, to take a 30-minute walk.
Create behaviour-oriented health goals
Another useful approach could be to reframe outcome-oriented goals as behavior-oriented goals. Sometimes people start with an outcome goal such as wanting to lose 15 kg, whereas it could be more effective to identify behaviors that need to change to achieve this goal.
For example, aim to walk on the treadmill, rather than sitting on the couch, when watching a favorite TV show.
Keep up the momentum
Building a timeframe for the regular reevaluation of goals is also important, especially when overarching goals have been broken down into short-term, measurable goals. You can do this reassessment on your own, or with support from a loved one. Other options are to join a virtual or in-person group, program, or app that holds you accountable or keeps you motivated.
This has to be well thought out, so your choice of accountability partner is not counterproductive.
For example, if you are new to exercising and decide to work out with a friend who doesn’t enjoy exercising, you could easily end up talking each other out of any activity,
Set milestone rewards
Another helpful measure is the use of rewards. In general, internal motivation is more powerful than external motivation. However, when starting something new, judicious use of rewards can be really helpful. A non-food reward, such as a massage after a certain number of weeks can keep you motivated as you progress towards achieving your overall goal.
Setting some ‘one and done’ goals, such as signing up to complete a 5 km walkathon, could also help support achieving long-term goals. By achieving several smaller, realistic goals, you can build your confidence and motivation.
Prepare for success
To increase your chances of success, prepare and rehearse for temptations and challenges.
For example, if you want to commit to taking an exercise class every second day, but have previously found that some days leave you too tired to exercise, you could decide beforehand that on days like these you will do at least 10 minutes of exercise, which you can easily fit in while watching a TV program.
Anticipate obstacles
Similarly, you can identify obstacles such as moods that interfere with good intentions and then think about what has helped to overcome this obstacle in the past.
For example, socializing might help if someone feels down. If you normally ‘stress-eat’, you could anticipate this by having a prepacked calorie-controlled treat at the back of the cupboard to reach for, which helps eliminate the ‘all or nothing’ feeling that could lead to overeating.
Seek support
If there are specific mood disorders that get in the way of your success or if you are experiencing an ongoing struggle with an issue such as managing your weight, consider seeking support from a psychologist specialized in that area to help you explore and manage the issue.
How to Set Achievable Health Goals – 8 Actionable Tips From a Psychologist was last modified: December 26th, 2024 by
