This InspiRD LIfe

Are you always making the same goal and never attaining it? Time to look at your goal and rethink it. There are many reasons people make goals but never reach them....

​

They are not specific: "I want to lose weight" is one I hear very often, however losing weight is not a goal, it is a result of goals, so thinking about what actions it will take to help you lose weight is a great place to start. Do you drink sugar sweetened beverages? skip meals? snack mindlessly? Identifying these specific areas that you can address and will result in weight loss will get you moving in the right direction toward your goal.

​

They are not measurable: "I am going to work out more" is another heavy hitter on the goal train. While working out more is great, and will certainly help you with many areas of health, not having a way to measure if you are meeting that goal makes it easy to brush off. Think about something like, "I will increase my daily steps by 1000 a day" or, "I will do 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 5 times a week". This will help you know if you are on track and if that goal is helping you towards your overall goal. 

​

They are not attainable or realistic: "I want to lose 40 lbs in 4 weeks", in our want it now society I see this more and more. But realistically, losing that much weight that fast would result in loss of muscle and likely a lot of water. To lose body fat and maintain your muscle, small amounts of weight loss between 1 to 3 lbs a week and doing strength training 2-3 times per week is the way to go. Setting small and realistic goals are more likely to be achieved and therefore get you results. 

​

This is a great time to bring up habit stacking....

Habit stacking is a method used to attach a new habit to an existing one. As you know habits are strong and take time to develop, so why not attach a new habit to one that is already in your life rather than starting from scratch (read more here) 

​

They are not time based: Here is one of mine "I am going to meditate more". This is such a general statement that it allows me an out. Setting a time frame and also time goal is really important here. For example "I will meditate for 5 minutes a day for two weeks after I exercise and then add 5 minutes for a total of 10 minutes a day for two weeks after I exercise." 

​

Progress is not tracked: How do you know if you are making progress if you have no way of tracking or checking in? Think about making a star or smiling face on your calendar each day you complete a goal or writing in a journal or keeping paperclips in a jar and only filling the jar when you achieve your goal for the day or the week. Having a visual way to track success is really motivating and will support your progress towards making your goal a habit. 

​

​

Here are some examples of SMART goals: 

​

• Your goal: Drink more water

• Habit stacking method: After I start the coffee maker (existing habit) I will drink a glass of water (new habit)

• Your SMART goal: I will drink more water by putting a glass next to my coffee maker and having one glass each morning after I start the coffee maker for the next month.

• Your tracking method: place a coffee bean in a small jar each time you achieve this goal.

​

• Your goal: Pack lunches to avoid ordering take out  

• Habit stacking method: After I cut up foods for dinner, I will cut extra for the next two days lunches

• Your SMART goal: I will eat more fruits and vegetables at lunch by preparing foods while I am cooking dinner at least 3 nights a week for the next month.

• Your tracking method: place a star on your calendar in the kitchen each time you achieve this goal.

​

Remember, starting new habits and therefore meeting goals is a process, start with one goal, make it clear, make it specific, measurable, attainable/realistic, time based (SMART) and track it!