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For many of us, ringing in the New Year means turning over a new leaf and refreshing goals – particularly those centered on health and fitness. No matter how you feel about the importance of starting changes in the month of January, today we’ll be discussing some strategies to promote and maintain positive health behavior changes.
What are your goals?
The first step to making any change is to define your endgame. With no goal in sight, it is hard to know what steps to take toward it. It is also key to have that goal be pretty well-defined. Some readers will be familiar with SMART goals:
| S | Specific | What will be accomplished? What actions will you take? |
| M | Measurable | What data will measure the goal? (How much? How well?) |
| A | Achievable | Is the goal doable? Do you have the necessary resources or skills? |
| R | Relevant | How does your goal align with your broader mission or values? |
| T | Time bound | Time frame for accomplishing the goal? |
Thinking through these criteria will help you to break down your goal more effectively into steps that are more likely to get you to the finish line. Let’s put it into action with an example.
Many people have a broader goal of “getting into better shape.” What does that mean to you? It might comprise two separate (but related) goals: (1) Losing weight; and (2) Improving fitness. If either one of these is your sub-goal, you might want to start with a smaller SMART goal around movement. After-all, losing weight is possible from making dietary changes alone, but typically a combination of changes to eating and movement will lead to greater and more sustainable change both in weight loss and in physical fitness.
Here is an example of a SMART goal to increase movement: Invite my spouse to add a 30-minute walk to our week, each Tuesday in the month of January.
S: My action is clearly defined, and I am holding myself accountable by involving my spouse in the plan.
M: The amount of exercise is specific and defined, and I will set a timer on my phone when we start the walk.
A: My spouse gets home early on Tuesday nights and so do I. Thirty minutes is an amount of time that feels reasonable with our household evening schedule.
R: Right now, I am not walking at all so this feels like a meaningful way to commit to moving more in a way that feels sustainable.
T: I committed to the month of January; I will re-evaluate my plan after 4 weeks!
Good luck with changing routines! Remember, making any behavior change can be a lot easier and more fun when you involve supporters! At Beacon Physical Therapy, we support our patients in leading a healthy life and establishing a healthy lifestyle. If you are having an issue, make an appointment today. We’d love to meet you and get you back to doing what you love.
