How To Set Health Goals For The New Year

With the new year fast approaching, the idea of goal setting gets thrown around a lot. In practice, setting health goals can be challenging. Do you ever find yourself two weeks into January (or into any lifestyle change) feeling directionless and already backtracking on your intentions? Let’s talk about how you can set realistic and actionable goals that work for you for January and beyond.

Make your goal specific

The term “eating healthier” is a little vague, what does that really mean? It’s much more effective to be specific. Are you going to cut out gluten for a month, do a Whole30, or try paleo? No matter what your goal is, be as specific as possible. Not only will this help you focus and avoid setting too many goals at once, but it will also help make the goal more sustainable. You can always revisit that specific goal when the going gets rough (which it inevitably will at some point).

Make your goal realistic & attainable

It’s easy to say you’re going to work out six days a week, but is that realistic for you in practice? Do you have room in your schedule on an almost daily basis for a workout? Especially if you’re in the beginning stages of a lifestyle change, sometimes it’s helpful to start simpler. Start by saying you’ll exercise three times a week, and be specific (see tip one!) about what that means for you. Here’s an example: ‘I will go to Crossfit (or insert workout here) three times per week for the 9 am class.’ It’s even better to have an ‘if, then’ backup plan, like ‘If I don’t make my 9 am workout, then I’ll hit the 5:30 class instead.’

Make a plan

This is crucial! Even the best-laid goals won’t be successful if you don’t plan ahead. If your plan is to do a Whole30, what are the steps you need to take to make that happen? Perhaps you want to hire a coach for motivation, or maybe you won’t have time to prepare your food so you need to enlist the help of prepared meals. Regardless of your goal, planning ahead will help set you up for success.

Visualize your health goals

Let’s walk into the land of ‘woo-woo’ for a second. If you don’t actually believe change is possible for you, it’ll be really hard to change your old habits. Let’s say you want to change your nutrition habits. If you view yourself as incapable of change or continually remind yourself that you’ve always been unhealthy, it’ll be challenging to make a lasting change. Instead, view yourself as a healthy person with healthy habits. Hold an image of yourself as the person you aspire to be, and lean into that when things feel hard.

Follow-through 

All of the planning and preparing in the world doesn’t matter if you don’t eventually take a leap and do.the.thing. Start your Whole30, meal plan for the week or get to the gym for the first time. Take action and follow through. And remember, it’s not always going to be smooth sailing, especially in the beginning. The important thing is to stay consistent, even if some days you don’t really feel like it. We’re here to support you every step of the way with our meals, with encouragement, and with helpful tips and tricks to help you live your best life.

What are your health goals for the new year? Tell us in the comments below!

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