Setting Heath Goals for 2015

7 Questions in Need of Answers

By Adrianna Stadnyk, RHN

It’s a New Year. This means it’s time for fresh starts, new beginnings, and new goals. Many of these goals will be health oriented, but the majority of us will set health goals for 2015 and not follow through…probably because we didn’t take the time to reflect and come up with a good plan of action.

Here are 7 specific questions to ask yourself (along with some tips) to help you create a personalized and unique health resolution…that you can actually stick to in 2015! I would suggest you grab a pen and paper to write things down while you are asking yourself these questions.

1. What is MY definition of good health?

When setting a health goal, it will make a world of a difference if you are honest with yourself. This means you need to take the time to reflect and dig deep. Ask yourself: “what is good health to me and only me?” Just saying “I want to be healthier in 2015” isn’t good enough. It isn’t specific enough. A great answer to this question would be: “Good health to me is getting 8 hours of sleep each night so that I get a good nights rest”. Keep in mind, you may have many definitions of good health and they are all valid!

TIP: Good health is personal and everyone has the right to determine what good health means to them. It’s not defined by what I say, what other health professionals say, what doctors say, or what the media says. It’s defined by you and only you.

2. Why do I want to reach this health goal?

When setting a health goal, knowing the WHY is really important, and again, you have to be honest with yourself. The WHY cannot be superficial. It has to have meaning behind it, and you must truly familiarize yourself with it. Your WHY should have a story behind it that is genuine. For example, “Good health to me is getting 8 hours of good sleep each night because then I will have energy the next day to function at work, fit in a session at the gym, and spend time with my children without feeling exhausted. Having more energy means I spend less time feeling like crap and more time doing the things I love.” Your WHY should be a story and represent who you are and what is important to you. Again, the more specific you get the better.

TIP: A good way to know whether your WHY is genuine is to say it out loud to yourself. When you explain your WHY, does it evoke any kind of emotion? Does it make you feel happy or proud? If it does, then this is the true showing of your WHY being genuine.

3. How will I reach this goal?

The how is pretty much the meat and potatoes, so to speak, of setting your health goal. Without knowing how to reach a goal, there is no real plan and no path for you to follow. Without the how, you can’t really get to the what. Strategies are always necessary.

TIP: How do you come up with strategies? The answer is simple. Make a mind map for yourself. Here’s how: in the middle of a piece of paper, write your goal. For example, I write the goal “get 8 hours of good sleep each night”. I will then do a little research and start to fill in my mind map. From my goal I will make some strategies branching out from it. Some examples may be: go to sleep earlier (by 10 pm), work out three times a week for one hour at a time, turn off computer, TV, phone, etc, 30 minutes before bed, read a book 30 minutes before going to bed, meditate 5 minutes before bed, have light blocking curtains. The list of strategies on your mind map could be endless, but at least it shows you different ways you can reach your goal AND it is totally personalized because you created it!

4. When will I reach this goal by?

Give yourself a time line. Write down what you want to achieve in the next 3-4 weeks. Then write down what you want to achieve in the next 3-4 months. Then write down what you want to achieve in the next 6-12 months.

TIP: Don’t know what to put in for each timeline? Look at your mind map and start getting ideas from that. For each time span, you focus on a couple of strategies or steps that will help you reach your health goal. Visualize this time line and write it on a big white board if it helps. This part of goal setting is about progress and taking gradual steps forward. Changes are not going to be successful or lifelong if you try to do it all at once. Doing it all at once just becomes a stress, and more stress is the last thing we all need. The key is small steps leading to bigger steps.

5. How will I know I reached my goal?

We cannot know whether we have reached a goal unless we have determined what reaching that health goal will look or feel like. This is the time to project your vision of yourself into the future, and try to figure out how you will look or feel by the end of your goal timeline. Will you be 5 pounds lighter? Will you have more energy in the mornings? Will you be pain free? Will you be able to lift 20 pounds more at the gym?

TIP: The “how” should also be as specific as possible, which means it should be measurable in some way. That means you must keep a record of some sort, whether it is a food diary or a reflection diary, a schedule, or measurements. Try to write in this diary or record every day or every week.

6. Is my goal realistic?

This is one of the most important questions to ask when making a health goal. When making a health goal you have to be realistic and accept that crap happens that we do not have control over; or sometimes, it’s just nice to escape and take a break from it all. You or a loved one may get sick, you may owe money, you may travel somewhere for work or leisure, etc, etc. We all know life throws curve balls at us. Some days we may not be working as hard at attaining our goal than others. Sometimes we have to put others before ourselves and take care of business. This is a fact of life. When this happens, do not be hard on yourself. Take a minute, pull out that mind map, see where adjustments can be made to suit you, and do your best each day to do one thing that will help you reach that goal; no matter how small or insignificant you think it may be. Any change or effort is still worth being proud of.

TIP: Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. It can take longer than you first thought to reach a goal, so don’t give up and be flexible!

7. Who will support me when or if things get hard?

A final and important tip to succeeding in reaching your health goals for 2015 is to get a support group. It is always easier to do things as a group or with a partner than on your own.

TIP: Talk to friends, family, your co-workers, or partner. Ask if they would like to join you on your health journey and share your goals with you. If all else fails, you always have the support you need at One Health Clubs. Each and every staff here takes pride in giving our members the support they need to succeed in their health goals. We have a caring team of staff who are knowledgeable in nutrition, fat loss, sports training, muscle gain, energy improvement, supplementation, you name it! We are here because we want all of our members to look and feel their best, so don’t be shy and let us know what your health goals are for 2015 and we’ll tell you how we can help.

So why not make 2015 the year of feeling your best, pushing your boundaries, and committing to yourself? There is no better time than now!