The SMART Approach to Setting Health Goals That Stick

Going after large goals without really thinking, planning, or being specific about them is like running a unplanned marathon.

It's like waking up one day, and after getting outside, you're like, "Hey, maybe i'll just keep running and make this a marathon!" Although I appreciate the ambition, unless you are Forest Gump, this would likely end in disaster.

What about food and water, is your body physically and mentally prepared for this long journey, and also — where are you going?!

Creating goals that you can achieve must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time Frame. What we call a S.M.A.R.T goal. And within these large goals, like losing weight, there are smaller goals that fit into that to make it happen, like eating healthy, exercising, sleeping, and reducing stress.

So let's dig into the S.M.A.R.T. way to make and ACHIEVE a goal.

The Importance of Goal Setting

There’s a lot of talk about goals. Do you make them? Or, do forget them? Regardless on where you lean, goals can be helpful in specific areas of your life. You don’t need to over plan every single area, but goals can be great for things, like career and entrepreneur growth, health, and travel and fun.

Did you know that 80% of New Year’s goals are abandoned within the first couple of months? Yikes! If anything, that would demotivate me to just abandon the idea altogether.

But hold up! Setting goals and creating lasting change is our specialty. As Health & Nutrition Coaches, we see how behavior change is one of the most, if not the most, important aspects of our business. To make change, we all need accountability, structure, and support. Having a “plan” is the name of the game. When you have a plan, you not only know what to do, but also when, how, and where to do it. As well as what to do when challenges come up.

Today, I’m walking you through how to structure, or create, a strong goal. Grab a pencil and paper, and let’s go!

Step 1: Think about your top 3

Take a couple of minutes and write down everything you want for your health. (You can certainly do this for any part of your life, like financial, social connection, home, business, fun, etc., but I’m sticking to health here.)

Maybe you want to have more energy, feel less stressed, improve your sleep, eat healthier, or lose some weight.

After you jot these ideas down, identify your top three goals.

Step 2: Ask yourself “Why?”

This may seem pretty straight forward but there is a lot to unpack here. Go through each goal and ask yourself why you want to achieve a particular goal. Don’t skip this step! It’s the most important one.

Continue to ask:

• What will achieving this goal bring me?

• How will it affect others around me?

• What else will it affect in my life (financial, friendships, stress, etc.)?

Now dig deeper:

• Why are the above answers important to you?

• Keep asking why, until you can’t answer “Why?” anymore. You may be surprised that it brought something up that doesn’t seem related, but in fact, it’s what drives you.

Step 3: Rate them

Now that you know why you really want to reach these goals, rate their importance on a scale from 1 to 10. “One” being not important and “ten” being extremely important. Which one came out on top?

This will be the goal that you’re going to focus on first. You can always go on to the others but focusing on one goal at a time increases your ability to succeed, dramatically!

Step 4: Make it measurable

You might have heard of a SMART goal before. It’s an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time Frame. You essentially want to address each of these. Simply ask yourself, “How will I measure success?”

• How do you know when you have reached it? How will you measure success?

• Can you make it more realistic? Something not too big and that you could actually do.

• How long are you going to give yourself to achieve it?

Once you make it measurable, you can start tackling the details and make it happen. You’ll want to think about what habits would help you hit your goal—the smaller the habit, the easier it will be. There’s a lot to say about creating habits, but that’s for another time.

Last but not least, accountability

Just remember that you aren’t reaching for perfection but your best. Life is a long train ride, not a short rollercoaster. You’ll need to be flexible and nimble so you can make changes along the way. And most importantly is perseverance. Accountability partners are one of the best ways to help you keep going.

If you need personalized guidance and support, we’re always here to do the work for you and set up your goals, make a plan, and take you through action steps, one step at a time. We’re here for you if you want to set up a FREE consultation call to learn more about how we can help!