Guest blog by Laurie Larson.
It’s that time of the year again when everyone sits down to reflect on the previous year and set goals for the new year.
Many are setting their resolutions with high expectations, hoping huge changes occur this year. Unfortunately, about 80% of new year’s resolutions won’t last past February.
Why is this? Are we as humans just too lazy and non-committal to stick to our goals? It’s possible, but what’s more likely is that we’re setting the wrong kind of goals. This year, learn how to set meaningful, attainable goals for yourself that will improve your health and wellbeing.
How to set a goal
When it comes to goal setting, you’ll want to make sure you’re setting smart goals, that is — S.M.A.R.T. goals. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Is your goal Specific?
- Is your goal Measurable?
- Is your goal Attainable?
- Is your goal Relevant?
- Is your goal Time-based?
When you follow these constraints, you’ll be setting reasonable goals that make sense for you and can actually be achieved.
Working on your diet and weight loss
If you’re thinking of signing on to a crash diet, it’s time for some rethinking. The only result you’ll have from a crash diet is, well, a crash.
The weight loss you experience from a crash diet only gives you false promises. You may shed weight quickly at first, but it’s likely sourced from lean muscle and water, not body fat.
When it comes to your diet, your specific and measurable goal doesn’t have to be pounds on a scale. A great example of a S.M.A.R.T. diet goal is “I want to reduce my daily calorie intake from 2,500 calories to 1,500 calories by the end of March.” This goal specifically outlines measurable data (not related to weight) that is relevant, attainable, and time-based.
If you want to make meaningful goals for your diet and weight loss, focus on learning about everything that impacts your body related to your food consumption. It’s important to fully understand all of the components of your nutrition and how it affects your weight loss. Before starting a weight loss plan, make sure you have all the facts you need to set you up for success.
Working on better sleep
If there’s something everyone wants more of it’s sleep. Simply saying, “I want to get more sleep in 2019” will, unfortunately, not get you very far. While quantity of sleep is important, so too is quality of sleep.
To work on improving your sleep this year, you’ll need to address the quality of your ZZZs. Are you tossing and turning throughout the night? Having trouble getting comfortable? Wake up groggy or in pain? All of these issues should be addressed, whether it’s by creating a more suitable sleep environment with blackout curtains or finding a better bed that won’t cause you pain and discomfort throughout the night.
There are plenty of quick tips for how to get better sleep at night, but you’ll need to make some bigger changes for sustainable sleep improvement. Setting your goal in stages may be the best way to tackle this resolution:
- Stage one: investigate why you have trouble sleeping
- Stage two: make the necessary changes (i.e. update bedroom, exercise more often, stay away from technology)
Working on mental health
Physical health and mental health go hand in hand. It’s almost impossible to set goals for one without setting goals for the other.
A too simplistic goal for improving your mental is to “be happier” this year. How does one measure happiness? There’s no specificity to help you work towards your goal.
Working on your mental health is a complex matter that may require backup reinforcements (i.e. a licensed professional). Although it may be challenging, it is an extremely important and meaningful area of your life worth goal-setting for.
To address your mental health, you’ll have to self-assess your status and how you want to grow. Do you experience anxiety often and wish to minimize its interference in your life? Are you often bored and wish to have more fulfillment on a daily basis? The more specific you can be, the better.
Next, you’ll have to find personalized ways to address your issues. Some people find success improving their mental health through exercising, picking up hobbies, and spending more time in social settings. It’s all about what’s best for you and learning how to prioritize your own wants and needs.
This resolution may even work in collaboration with your other goals; for example, you may wish to experience stress less often so you can get better sleep at night and address this issue by exercising more often. All of these key areas of your life are vital components to keeping up with your own wellbeing. By setting S.M.A.R.T. goals for these areas of your life, your resolutions will meaningfully make an impact on your health.
Here’s to a new year of positive changes!
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Author’s bio: Laurie Larson is a freelance writer based in Durham, NC who writes on health and lifestyle topics.
[1] Image Credits: https://unsplash.com/photos/
[2] https://www.businessinsider.
[3] https://www.pennmedicine.org/
[4] https://familydoctor.org/what-
[5] https://www.mattressadvisor.
[6] https://www.healthline.com/
[7] https://www.everydayhealth.
