It’s a new year – and that means it may be time for a New Year’s Resolution or two.
The beginning of a new year can be a great time to step back and assess what you want to achieve with your health. If losing weight is somewhere on your list (like most of our fellow Americans), we have some tools to help you get started and to keep you on track in 2008! Goals are one of the most helpful ways to make long lasting changes. Goals serve as a roadmap for what you want to achieve and help keep you focused and motivated to move forward. Setting SMART goals will help you be most effective. When setting SMART goals, make sure they are: Specific: Think through as many details of what you are going to do as you can. The more specific the goal is, the more likely you are to achieve it. Goals should include: what, when, where, and how.
- Unspecific goal: I will eat healthier.
- Specific goal: I will drink water instead of soda while at work during the day.
Measurable: You are more likely to reach your goals when you can see your progress. So, make sure that you can measure your goal in a simple way.
About the Behavior: Goals need to focus on a behavior that is under your control (e.g., something you do). You want to target something that you are able to change.
- Not about the behavior: I want to lose 10 lbs.
- About the behavior: I will replace fried food with grilled or baked foods and begin walking in the morning 3 days each week for at least 20 minutes.
(This one is tricky…you can’t directly control your weight, but you can control the behaviors that affect your weight. Focus on the behaviors and your weight will change as a result.)Realistic: Small, gradual steps are the best way to make lasting changes. Start with a goal that you are 90% sure you can reach. This is very important! If your goals are too hard, you are less likely to reach them and more likely to get discouraged or give up altogether.
- Unrealistic goal: I will never eat cookies again at work.
- Realistic goal: I will replace 1 cookie with a piece of fruit each day at work.
(Over time, you can continue to change that behavior until you are not eating any cookies at all!) Time-Bound: Goal needs a specific time-frame. Without a set time, the commitment is vague and it's easier to procrastinate.
- No time frame: I will start to increase my exercise by walking.
- Time-bound goal: I will walk 3 times this week for 20 minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday during my lunch break.
If you are looking to make changes to your health this year, take a little extra time with your resolutions, and make them SMART ones! Then post a comment and tell us what you are working on…I wish you all a happy, healthy 2008! - Dr. Z Labels: New Year's Resolutions
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