How many times have you set a new year’s resolution and failed to achieve it? Perhaps it was to cut out junk food or join a gym. You tell yourself that you are going to do it this year – and usually you are on track for about a week or so, maybe even a month – but then the chaos of life gets in the way. Perhaps you come down with the flu and start missing your gym workouts, or work becomes hectic, so it’s easier to pick up fast food on the way home. All of a sudden, we start de-prioritising our health goal.
In order to keep us motivated, accountable and on track with our 2019 new year’s resolutions, it’s time to improve the way we set our goals. We need to be more detailed when it comes to goal setting, including structure and a way to track your goals to bring them closer to reality. This will increase the likelihood of you achieving your goals, and is accomplished by setting a SMART goal.
This framework refers to:
Specific – A goal must be specific, what exactly do you want to achieve? A new year’s resolution of ‘losing weight’ is not a SMART goal. A new year’s resolution of ‘I want to lose 5kg in the next three months for the wedding’ is a SMART goal.
Measurable – A goal must be measurable to show you how well you are progressing towards achieving it. This will drive your motivation. Usually measured by a number, for example 5kg reduction in weight or lifting 20kg five times, you are able to identify if you have achieved your goal or not.
Attainable – A goal must be attainable, and you must believe that you can achieve your goal. If a goal is set that is too hard, it will de-motivate you and have a negative effect on your psychological health. I would encourage you to set short term goals that can build up towards your long term goal.
Relevant – A goal must be relevant or be something that you will have control over. Make sure you are in charge of setting your own goals. If running a marathon isn’t really what you want to work towards, but your partner wants you to, you will not find the motivation or desire to achieve it. Make sure it is relevant to you and your health objectives.
Timeframe – Your goals must also have a timeframe. A target date to help keep you on track.
Maybe it’s time to get help in 2019. The best place is right here at Optimum with our team, who are ready and willing to help you set and achieve these goals this year. Make 2019 different to the years gone by – and get the results you want. The best place to start is to take advantage of our free health consultations! This will get you kick-started in the right direction. Just a warning though: making this commitment will change your life!
