Here’s how to stick to your health goal this year.
When it comes time to setting fresh health goals, good intentions can only go so far. It’s not so easy to make those goals stick! Whether you’re aiming to eat better, move more, or simply feel your best, some expert advice will help you stay on track all year long.
Heather Lieber shared five solutions to making your health goals stick, not slide.
Align Goals with Your Values
Setting goals that align with your core values is a big part of success. Heather emphasized, “If you make a really ambitious health goal, but it requires that you neglect your family, eat gross food, or don’t get any sleep, you should probably rethink that.”
Make sure your health goals do not conflict with what you value most in life. ” Whenever you’re making a health oriented change, something’s got to give,” Heather said. “You’ve got to give a little sacrifice somewhere, but it shouldn’t be those core values that matter most to you.” If you value family time, setting a goal that requires excessive time away from your loved ones might not be sustainable.
Set Manageable Goals
Big, lofty resolutions can be inspiring, but they need to be broken down into smaller, manageable steps. Heather advised, “Those big lofty resolutions… have to be accompanied by smaller bite-sized goals.” This approach helps you make steady progress without feeling overwhelmed. For example, if your goal is to run a marathon but you are not a runner, start with a 5k and gradually build up your endurance.
Embrace Incremental Progress
It’s important not to beat yourself up if you don’t reach your big goal immediately. Heather encouraged, “Any small amount of incremental progress towards a goal is a win.” Celebrating small victories along the way can keep you motivated and on track. It’s not about being perfect, but making consistent progress.
Avoid All-or-Nothing Mentality
An all-or-nothing approach can be the opposite of helpful. Heater explained, “All or nothing can sometimes feel like if I make one slip-up, all is lost.” Instead, aim for moderation and sustainability.
Lots of people, even sometimes teens in high school, challenge themselves to cut out sugar entirely for a year. “ If you find yourself taking on something absolute and extreme, and you find yourself returning to the same habits you had before, it’s probably time to rethink how you’re approaching that,” Heather advised. Rather than completely cutting out sugar, find a balanced approach that you can maintain long-term.
Heather emphasized, “ Make a small change you can keep up for 20 years rather than a big change you can only keep up for 20 days.”
Focus on Functionality Over Appearance
When setting health goals, it’s more important to focus on functionality rather than appearance. “ Many of us, all too often, base our ‘why’ on appearance or size,” Heather said. “I would just challenge us all to dig a little bit deeper and think about functionality over appearance.” Goals should be about improving your quality of life, such as having more energy to play with your kids or feeling your best at work, rather than just fitting into a certain dress size.
Keep a Positive Mindset
Maintaining a positive mindset is key to achieving your health goals. Heather highlighted, “The more positive feelings you have about yourself, your ability to accomplish goals, and the positive things in your life, the better off you’re going to be in succeeding in those health goals.” Positive emotions can broaden your mind and open you up to new solutions and possibilities.
Find more of Heather’s advice on Instagram, @dietitianheather, or at goldinutrition.com.
Add comment