Setting Health & Fitness Goals for the New Year

Can you guess what the two most popular New Year’s Resolutions are? Losing weight and quitting smoking. Goals like this take commitment, dedication, and will power, but a goal that is so general like “losing weight” will leave you back to your old habits in just a few weeks, or even days because there is no specifics or time frame to that goal. So how are you going to make this year different that the past years?

First off, define your progress

Progress does not mean make general goals and lots of them. Have you found yourself saying, “I want to eat healthy, I want to eat more vegetables, I want to eat less saturated fat, I would like to have a lower body fat percentage?” To really start on the path to success, you need to make your goals SMART:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely

A general goal would be, "I want to have a healthy diet". A SMART goal would look more like this: I want to lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks by eating a clean diet. This will include having small balanced meals every 3 hours with small portions of carbs, fat, and protein at each sitting.

This goal is specific because you've stated clearly what it is that you want. Having a specific goal lets you know when you will achieve it.

This goal is measurable because at the end of 6 weeks, either you lost 10 pounds or you didn’t.

Make sure your goals are attainable

An essential step in the goal setting process is to make sure your goal is attainable and realistic so you feel confident that you can achieve it. These factors are very important. If you shoot too low, you won't challenge yourself and may slack off. If you are too demanding, you may think it is not possible and lose motivation.

Give your goals a deadline

Finally, a timely goal is one with a deadline. "I want to eat healthy" has no timeline and no sense of urgency. Put a date on your calendar or in your phone that you have to follow so you are accountable to that time frame.

With a new year that is upon us, take some time to think about what your current goals actually are and how you can alter them to make that SMART goals. Before you decide on your goals, think about what you want to change personally, not what you think other would want you to do. It is important not to have too many goals at once and you feel they cannot all be achieved. Instead, have a 1 or two SMART goals that you can work on and once you have achieved those, set new ones.

Make a plan

Last but not least, decide the most efficient way to achieve your goals. Who is going to be in your "Power Team" to support you and keep you accountable along the way? According to a new survey commissioned by Weight Watchers and conducted by Harris Interactive(R) about half (45%) of U.S. women say losing weight will be one of their New Year's resolutions for the upcoming year. Among those who will resolve to lose weight in the New Year, almost all (97%) say they think they will need some assistance to keep their resolution. If you think you are in this category, don’t hesitate to get the support you need. After all, we want to make this year different than the past years right?. If you keep setting the same goals over and over, you are going to get the same results. Do something different this year to make your resolutions stick.

Contact our Registered Dietitian to assist in your meal plans or book sessions with a kinesiologist for personal training today!