Thinking about goals for the New Year?

The start of the new year is a perfect time to create new goals or keep working on ones you have already set with your health coach’s here at Allied Wellness. Sticking to health goals can be tough, but luckily there are various strategies you can use to achieve your goals.

Small Steps

While having big goals are great and motivating, we hope you would not run a marathon without some training and experience. Creating small realistic goals can help build confidence. Evidence suggests that focusing on smaller goals can actually increase productivity and help accomplish more difficult goals in the future.

Measurable Goals

Making measurable and time bound goals can help ensure progress. Creating a tangible goal can provide you with a clear target to reach and aim for. Aiming to exercise three times a week can be an example of a measurable goal with a target to reach. Keeping track of your progress can help you stay motivated as it’s always exciting to reach milestones!

One At a Time

Focusing on one goal at a time can help focus your energy and prevent relapse from new behaviors. Focusing on more than one goal at a time can be less efficient than you think. We can all be guilty of spreading ourselves too thin but focusing on one goal is more likely to lead you to long-term success and keep resolutions more achievable.

Obstacles

There may always be some sort of obstacle when trying to set and keep new goals. It can be helpful to think about what challenges you may encounter when creating a new behavior and develop a plan of action. Preparing meals ahead of time and forgiving yourself when things don’t go according to plan can help overcome any challenges that may be encountered. Planning ahead for any obstacles may help you be better equipped to handle your stress should any road blocks come up.

Remember, creating new lifestyle changes is a process. It may take some time to accomplish goals you have set for yourself, and that’s ok! Any slip-ups you may encounter can be used as a lesson and may even help you in the future. Mistakes are part of the process it can become an opportunity for change as well. Celebrate even the smallest of wins for yourself and be realistic about your goals.