Try These 5 Simple Steps for Setting Health Goals
There’s some real wisdom in the saying that goes “a goal without a plan is just a wish.”
Have you ever felt as though you put in a lot of effort and followed all the appropriate procedures for creating health goals, but ultimately found that you weren't making any progress toward them?
That may well be a rhetorical question, don't you think?
Naturally, you have. Everybody has.
And serving as Austin, Texas' go-to wellness chiropractic for everyone from...
- Lisa and Matt working and living at the speed of their three kids…
- To second year basketball coach Noah…
- To first year yoga student Kim…
- To retired master sergeant Ben…
We've observed, overheard, and assisted people from many walks of life to develop SMART objectives for their health.
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Bottom Line:
The majority of individuals do, in fact, frequently feel "stuck" when it comes to achieving their health objectives around this time of year.
They create goals and take a few steps toward achieving them, but they never manage to accomplish very much for a variety of reasons (apart from Diane, the tiny old neighbor who just won't give up, but we digress).
And one thing we've observed is that the issue isn't actually a lack of drive; rather, it's a lack of specific, SMART objectives.
Why it Matters:
When making health goals, following these 5 SMART steps can make all the difference in how well you stick to them.
You will find it simpler to focus your efforts, organize your ideas, and make the most use of your time thanks to these organized goals.
Following such objectives might also improve your chances of not only meeting but possibly even exceeding your goals.
5 SMART Steps for Setting Health Goals
Let’s break down our SMART acronym…
- Make It Specific: Make your goals specific for more effective planning. Think what, why, who, where, when, and which.
- Make It Measurable: define how you are making progress. Think how much, how many, and how will I know when it’s done.
- Make It Attainable: make them reasonable to accomplish. Think about how you can accomplish it and be realistic about any constraints you might have to contend with.
- Make It Relevant: your goals should align with your values. In a word, it should be worthwhile to you personally.
- Make It Time-Based: set a date of completion. Your goals can be short-term or long-term (today, 6 weeks, 6 months, etc), and this step in particular can help you focus and prioritize multiple goals.
When people come to us expressly looking for a wellness chiropractor in Austin, Texas online, we typically go over these stages for setting health goals with them.
They want more than the usual adjustment, as you would have predicted, and almost everyone has informed us that using this framework in conjunction with our support and advice has made a significant impact in their ability to stick to their objectives and achieve other goals.
For a moment, let's go back to Lisa and Matt.
Before having children, both of them were avid runners; nevertheless, it had been five years since their last marathon together.
They wanted to make this the year they finally got back to it, so they made a SMART plan.
- Specific: They wanted to start running together 3 times a week for 20-60 minutes (ideally, they would increase the minutes logged every few months), stretch on off-days, and visit our office at least once a month.
- Measurable: They would log their runs on their kitchen calendar, using various colored markers to represent the times.
- Attainable: They’ve both run marathons in the past, so while it had been awhile, this was in both of their comfort zones.
- Relevant: They had always enjoyed running, even before they met, and reviving their hobby was important to them.
- Time-Based: There was a local marathon put on downtown every year, so they knew how long they’d have to prepare.
They followed their SMART plan for establishing health objectives, and they did in fact finally take pleasure in their first marathon together.
Next Steps:
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
It couldn’t be more true.
A plan is a goal that has been divided into steps.
A strategy becomes a reality when it is implemented.
There is no better time than the present to start making some easy SMART changes to your wellness this year.
Having said that, we also want to emphasize that leading a healthy life is a journey. As such, remember to appreciate any improvement you make, no matter how minor it may appear at first.
And be confident that our team will be there to support you and lead the way.
It's a good idea to start by contacting the best wellness chiropractor in Austin, Texas, when it comes to answering health-related inquiries, tackling health issues, and getting rid of those persistent aches and pains that have been preventing you from achieving your goals.
Whether you’re looking for…
- Whole-body chiropractic adjustments
- Guided exercise and stretching recommendations
- Or diet and lifestyle advice
We’ve got you covered, and we’re here to help!
Just give us a call.
Science Sources:
SMART Goals: How to Make Your Goals Achievable. MindTools. 2022.