Set some SMART goals for a healthier you in 2023

Another year and another year when many people make some New Year’s Resolutions.  So many people make resolutions, only to forget about them by February or so.  I read that about 75% of us make resolutions which are broken only a week later.  About half of us actually get through 6 months of keeping our resolutions.  How can you set some health goals that you are more likely to keep in 2023?  How often have you heard people say, “I want to eat healthier” or “I want to lose weight” but then nothing happens.  How can you set some easy-to-follow health goals? Last week I provided some easier ways to eat healthier in 2023.  If you like goal setting, here are some ways to set SMART goals. 

First – set some S.M.A.R.T. goals.  

Specific – many people set goals that are vague.  Many students in my class start out with goals like, “I will eat healthier.” When I ask them what specific thing they will do, many haven’t really thought about it.  A more specific goal would be, “I will eat a piece of fresh fruit at lunch every day.”   Not a hard thing to do and a very good, healthy habit that is easy to follow.

Measurable – the goal of “I will eat healthier” is not really measurable.  But it is easy to determine whether or not you are eating a piece of fruit every day for lunch.  In an earlier blog, I mentioned how a health educator told my sister to eat some baby carrots at lunch every day.  This is easy to do and something I do every day.  Carrots are full of beta-carotene which promotes healthy skin (see Foods for Healthy Skin) as well as many other benefits.  Set a goal to eat more fruits and vegetables, such as the recommended 5 A Day.  Many Americans aren’t eating any whole grains.  How can you add 1-2 servings of whole grains a day?  (See Whole Grains in Your Diet written by a student in my class, Sophia Cable). 

Attainable – don’t set yourself up for failure.  A failure goal would be: “I will lose 20 pounds in one week.”  Not realistic.  Set some very small, healthy goals and you are much more likely to meet that goal.  If you have never gone to the gym, and you don’t like going to the gym, don’t set a goal of: “I will go to the gym and work out every day for an hour”.  I know people who join a gym in January and then never go – they pay every month but never go.  Or, they join a gym, go a few times in January, and then lapse for the rest of the year.  A better goal would be: “I will walk at lunch every day for 15 minutes”.  Or, people say they have “no time to exercise”.  There are stretching exercises you can do at your desk.  Take a break every hour and walk around.  Stop the excuses and make some time for a healthier you. Go to an exercise class with a friend.  I like a spinning class that a friend and I go to each week.  I also go to a weekly yoga class with my daughter. 

Realistic – Setting a goal of running a marathon if you hate to run, is not very realistic.  The goal you set can be a challenge but one you know you can work towards and achieve.  And if you don’t make the bigger goal you set for yourself, then modify your goal.  “I will walk after lunch for 15 minutes Monday through Friday.”  “I will work up to walking for 30 minutes at lunch every day.”  Choose goals that are easy to accomplish and you will be more successful.  For those with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, walking after you eat is especially beneficial.  You may want to set a goal of taking a walk after meals. 

Time – put a time frame in your goal.  Not, “I will exercise more.”   But add in some time period.  “I will go for a 30-minute bike ride every Sunday.”  “I will stretch at my desk every day for 5 minutes.”

Try setting a healthier eating habit goal for yourself and a goal to exercise more.  I like healthy goals of adding things to your diet.  I am not big on goals like, “I will give up sweets.”  “I will give up desserts.”  Why?  Who doesn’t like some sweets?  I try to get the students in my class to focus on adding some healthy foods to their diet and not on what they might subtract. Injohnnyskitchen recommends his health hack:  Take a piece of fruit when leaving the house.  Simple, but oh so healthy.  He even recommends leaving an apple by your keys so you can grab the apple when you grab your keys.  

Here are some ideas for: Healthier Eating Goals:  As a start to eating healthier, just choose one goal for 2023.

• I will eat a piece of fresh fruit for lunch every day.
• I will drink a half cup of real, 100% juice at breakfast every day.
• I will eat a handful of nuts at lunch every day.
• I will drink some low-fat milk at breakfast and lunch every day.
• I will eat a whole grain cereal for breakfast at least 4 days a week.
• I will use olive oil or canola oil when cooking.
• I will bring some yogurt in my lunch every day to eat at lunch or as a snack.  (A great way to add probiotics, calcium, vitamin D and a high-quality protein to your lunch.)
• I will drink four glasses of water every day.

Exercise goals – these don’t have to cost a lot of money for gym memberships and don’t need to take hours out of your day. 

• I will do a few minutes of balance exercises every day.  This can be as simple as standing on one leg, and bending the other leg.
• I will do some arm stretches after sitting at my computer/laptop for an hour.  (See 9 Desk Stretches for People Who Sit All Day)
• I will stand up and walk around after sitting for an hour.
• I will exercise for 2 minutes, every day, for 5 days a week.  James Clear recommends starting with a 2-minute exercise goal.  Who can’t exercise for 2 minutes?

No time for exercise?  WebMD recommends building exercise into your day.  When I used to commute to work, there was little time to exercise so I focused on exercising at lunch.  Whether it was a walk with friends or a 30-minute aerobic class at work, I tried to get some exercise in.  Or, exercise after work – stop off at the gym before you go home.  Many people find that once they get home, it is hard to go back out again to go to the gym.  Buy a pedometer or Smart watch to track your steps. Measure your steps for a week or two and then set goals to increase the number of steps you walk every day by 300 steps a day.  Studies show that consistently using a fitness tracker ... can increase your steps per day by more than a mile, especially if you establish a heart-smart daily goal. 

What are some healthier goals you can set for yourself for 2023?  Set one or two SMART goals and see if you can accomplish those goals rather than be the person who quits only a week later.  Make your healthy goals a habit for a healthier you in 2023.

Sources:  week , S.M.A.R.T , Foods for Healthy Skin , Whole Grains in Your Diet ,  Injohnnyskitchen, Goals , 9 Desk Stretches for People Who Sit All Day , James Clear , WebMD Image sources: Smart Goals ,  Piece of fruit   , stretch break