New Year’s Resolutions made by well-meaning but, unfortunately, less than 10 percent of people who make resolutions feel that they successfully achieve them and only 45 percent last past six months. Self-improvement goals like lose weight, eat healthier, quit smoking, and life improvement rank in the top five more popular resolutions. So, what is that 10 percent doing that makes them successful at achieving their goals? What sets them apart?
Table of Contents
The SMART approach is a guide for setting realistic goals and attaining them. It is an acronym that outlines a success-focused strategy for goal setting:
Each step will bring you closer to achieving your goals and improve your health.
Vague, ambiguous goals can’t stand up to time and temptation. Get specific.
Say you want to lose weight. How much do you want to lose? How do you plan to accomplish it? What are your reasons for setting this goal? Whatever goal you are setting, ask why and get specific about the details.
If you set a goal that you can’t measure, how will you know when you reach it?
Any goal that you have can be measured in some way. Weight loss is measured in pounds, how your clothes fit, or how many inches you’ve lost. Eating healthy can be measured by what foods you incorporate into your diet, getting the junk food out of your pantry, and finding healthy recipes.
It helps to break your main goal into several smaller, attainable ones. It lets you see success very early, and you keep seeing success which spurs your motivation, making you less likely to abandon your efforts.
Accountability is a great motivator for helping you stick to your goals. Keeping a journal has long been a great way to keep yourself accountable, but there are many website and software programs that you can use to track your efforts that may prove to be even more effective.
Partnering up with a buddy is also a great strategy. Choosing someone who has a goal similar to yours allows you to hold each other accountable. Plus, success is always better when you can share it with a friend.
Unrealistic or unattainable goals are motivation killers. Even goals that are too difficult or require high-pressure effort over a long period can be challenging to see all the way through.
As you sit down, think about not only what you want to achieve, but what that looks like in your life. In other words, consider your personality and lifestyle, structuring your goals to accommodate those factors.
If your goal is to lose weight, setting a goal of 30 pounds in 30 days is not only unrealistic but unhealthy. On the other hand, setting a 2 pound per week loss is a goal that you will likely find to be much easier.
Creating a timeframe for meeting your goals gives your efforts structure which helps to keep you motivated. Make sure your timelines are realistic; give yourself enough time.
If the constraints are too tight, you could find that you veer off the path and even lose sight. Stay flexible, though. If you don’t reach a target within a given timeframe, don’t be afraid to move it a little.
As long as you are moving forward, toward your goal you don’t need to limit yourself just because you didn’t complete it within the time you allotted initially. It’s about meeting your goals and making lasting changes that will affect your overall health for the better. Cut yourself some slack.
Professional Scope of Practice *
The information herein on "How to Set Realistic Goals that'll Change Your Overall Health" is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.
Blog Information & Scope Discussions
Our information scope is limited to Chiropractic, musculoskeletal, acupuncture, physical medicines, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somatovisceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions.
We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.*
Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.
We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, or contact us at 915-850-0900.
We are here to help you and your family.
Blessings
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN*, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*
email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com
Licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in Texas & New Mexico*
Texas DC License # TX5807, New Mexico DC License # NM-DC2182
Licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN*) in Florida
Florida License RN License # RN9617241 (Control No. 3558029)
Compact Status: Multi-State License: Authorized to Practice in 40 States*
Presently Matriculated: ICHS: MSN* FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner Program)
Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN* CIFM*, IFMCP*, ATN*, CCST
My Digital Business Card
Elbow pain from lifting is a common symptom among individuals who lift weights, heavy objects,… Read More
For pregnant individuals, dehydration during pregnancy increases the risk of health problems for the individual… Read More
For individuals that are trying to change up their daily routine, can incorporating the beneficial… Read More
For individuals who may need to take pain medications to manage an injury or condition,… Read More
Lower back leg pain depends on specific symptoms and their duration. Can having a better… Read More
Can physical therapies help individuals with a Colles' or wrist fracture? Colles' Fracture A broken… Read More