SMART GOALS FOR A HEALTHIER NEW YEAR

My alarm clock goes off, startling me out of a cozy dream. One eye cracks open. Before I even see the time, my mind is already coming up with a list of “really good reasons” (AKA excuses!) why I shouldn’t get out of bed to go to the gym. Reasons so good, in fact, that I actually buy my own story, close the one eye (that only opened a crack in the first place) and go back to sleep. End scene.

How many of us have done this? I know I have (just this morning actually, hence the inspiration for this January newsletter). ‘Tis the season for New Year’s Resolutions and so perhaps some tips on how to make and keep resolutions will be helpful for those of us who have resolved to: spend less money, make more money, save more money, lose weight, eat better, exercise more, be a better person, quit smoking, give up coffee, or whatever else DIY self-improvement renovation you can come up with. It’s great to be inspired and come up with ideas about how you’re going to improve or change an aspect of your life. But, without a realistic plan to get us there, our enthusiasm and motivation drains away and excuses easily creep in. So, how do we move from the honourable-yet-rudderless “idea phase” to the motivated, really-gonna-do-it, have-a-roadmap “implementation phase”? Read on!

It’s valuable to set aside some time to reflect on the major aspects of your life and how you feel about them. New Year seems a timely choice, however any time of the year can be appropriate to set new goals. It can be a useful tool to sit down and spend some time answering the following questions: Where am I in my life? Where do I want to be and how do I get there? What do I truly want? Am I living in sync with my core values- in fact, what ARE my core values? How am I contributing to the world? Try to create a tangible picture of things that you want to achieve and then set some SMART goals to get you there.

S is for SPECIFIC:
This is the “what” factor: What do you want to achieve? A specific goal is concise and precise. “I want to be healthier” is not a specific goal. Consider the difference between, “I want to exercise more” and “I want to walk for 30 minutes 4 times per week” or “I want to complete a 10 km race”. The greater the clarity of the goal, the easier it is to create a realistic plan to achieve it.

M is for MEASURABLE:
This is the “how” factor: How will you know that you’ve achieved this goal? Is there a specific outcome or result that will give you the objective answer? For example, a measurable outcome is “I want to save $5000” or “I want to lose 10 pounds”. This gives you the ability to quickly (and accurately—no excuses allowed!) assess whether or not you’ve reached your goal or you’re still progressing towards it.

A is for ATTAINABLE:
Goals need to be realistic, yet challenging enough that you will have to stretch or grow a bit to reach them. Growth is what goals are all about, so be prepared to put in some effort. This aspect really relates to how far from achieving your goal you currently are. For some “bigger” goals, you should consider creating some smaller, more realistic intermediate goals. Otherwise, the goal seems too far away, impossible to achieve and therefore a waste of time (all great excuses for giving up).

R is for RELEVANT:
Relevance is the “why” factor: Why is this goal important to me? How does it fit into the bigger picture of my life? Goals should be things that bring you joy, provide opportunity for growth and enhance your wellbeing. Avoid goals based on external “shoulds”: motivation is the fire that comes from within. Try to attach your goal to a greater intention in your life. Dieting to look great in a bikini may slim you down, but there’s not much meaning present that will provide the ongoing motivation for change.

T is for TIME-BOUND:
An end-date is essential in order to create the urgency and momentum to move you forward. Without any time limitations, it becomes really easy to bump your goal-oriented activities lower on the priority list. We all lead busy lives, and day-to-day tasks somehow have a way of filling our time unless we specifically make time for the things that are important to us. By clearly defining the “when” of your goals, you have an objective horizon that you’re moving towards. Again, as with all aspects of goal setting, it’s important to be realistic with your time constraints. Give yourself a comfortable time-period to achieve the results you’re looking for without postponing too long.

SMART goals, once you’ve defined them, create a practical roadmap that you can follow. Without this roadmap, it’s too easy to get off track by using excuses to let yourself off the hook. Sometimes we all fall prey to the inner “I don’t wanna!” list of “really good reasons” that in reality are just excuses. Having a clearly defined plan (especially one that you actually put on paper and refer to frequently) is essential to successfully achieving your goals.

Shannon Taylor, Naturopathic Doctor