5 Tips to Stick to your Health Goals

I have talked about goal setting a few times. It is an important topic for many subjects and goals in general. How can you know you’ve achieved what you set out to do if you don’t take the time to write them out and the actions needed to achieve them? How do you know you are working towards an end if you don’t set your intentions in the beginning? Not everyone agrees with these statements. That’s okay. The question to ask those people though, is if they don’t have goals in mind and laid out, how can they truly be successful?

Most recently, I discussed at length about SMART goal setting. You can check that out here, but it is valuable information in regard to setting all goals. This includes setting health and wellness goals. Health and wellness goals can include a range of topics, including but not limited to losing weight, having more energy, meal planning/prepping, improving sleep, starting an exercise program, and so much more! 

Read on for more information about sticking to those health goals you set using the SMART goal setting tips. 

Support

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Creating a support group to keep you accountable is a great way to ensure you stay the course. Have someone to ask you how things are going. A person you can call when you are struggling one day. A friend to push you out of your comfort zone and say yes to a new activity. More importantly, you need someone or a few people to be able to help you reach those goals, share in your success, but also help you when you have a setback is vital to stick to your goals. 

Backup Plans

Even though you set your goals and action steps to achieve those goals, life happens and can cause setbacks. When this happens, you need to have a plan in place to account for that. Things like losing your job and not being able to keep up with your gym membership. You can still work out in other ways at home for free with minimal equipment. If you are going out of town and your health food options are limited, pack food you can travel with to help you stay on track. Or if you simply cannot continue on with an exercise regime due to injury, figuring out low impact workouts to help you can be beneficial. 

Setting Priorities

Do you have more than one health goal in mind you are trying to reach? That’s good! However, don’t let it all overwhelm you. Break those goals up into more manageable pieces and prioritize! For example, if you want to change your diet and start working out, it can be a drastic change to do all at once. Maybe start walking more during the week and eat more vegetables. Then each week, add more small changes to your routine. This will help them become more lifestyle changes than a “fast fix”. They will become second nature and you will not stress as much about achieving those tasks of change or feel overwhelmed. You are more likely to stick with these changes in the long run and be more successful over time. 

Sticking with it

This goes back to that support system up top. It can take time to see the effects of your health changes. That is okay! That does not mean you are not working hard enough or “doing it right”. There is no one way to achieve those goals or a timeline that must be met in order to reach those goals. It may be hard to hit a milestone timeline but not have hit your goal weight yet or look the way you wanted by then. You are still becoming the best you, that you can be! It took a long time to become unhealthy, and it will take time and energy to get back on track. Keep your motivation up by looking at what you have achieved. These can be non-scale victories such as changes in how your clothes are fitting, not necessary too big or too small, but different. Does your face look thinner with less inflammation? Do you have more energy? Are you able to walk further than before? Can you lift more than you did when you started? Are you sleeping better at night? Those are all achievements that YOU have accomplished along the way. It can be hard, and you can hit plateaus at times where you struggle. Just remember where you started from. Talk to your support group about your struggles and ask for help when you need it! 

Keep a Journal

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Many people chose to keep a journal or log their day to day habits. What they eat, how they exercise, how they feel, how they slept, and more. This can be very beneficial, especially when you are just starting out to see how the changes you are making are impacting you on a daily basis. If a certain food is bothering you, you can pinpoint it easier if you have it to go back to for reference and see if that feeling has occurred before. It can also help you see how you are on track to reaching your goals. Remember to set goals that are more than just “I want to lose 25 pounds”. Health and wellness are more than just weight loss! 

You can achieve whatever you set your mind to. You are more than what you see. Remember, you are your own worst critic and you will be harder on yourself than anyone else ever will be. Have grace, faith, and forgiveness for yourself. Ask for help when you need it, that does not make you a failure. 

Want to work with me to help you achieve those health and wellness goals you are working towards? Send me a note and let me know how I can help you! I am here to support and love on you on your journey. I will not be a person that is hard on you for making a mistake or anything like that. 

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