It is natural to set goals in many aspects of our lives. It makes us feel like we have a purpose, or like we have accomplished something. Goal setting is healthy in general but your approach could create unhealthy, unsuccessful or negative feelings toward your goals.
For right now, I am going to discuss goals regarding a healthy lifestyle. Before you set your goals, you must know what you are up against. I am talking about obstacles or barriers. Barriers are what keeps you from accomplishing a certain goal. Some examples are:
I live too far away from a gym
I work long hours
I am tired all the time
My family doesn’t workout
My family won’t eat healthy food
Once you acknowledge your own barriers, you MUST, MUST, MUST create strategies to overcome those barriers. Each one of those strategies could be a goal for the week or month. Examples would be:
I wake up 15 minutes early to stretch before work
I walk around the office during the last 15 minutes of my lunch break
I allow myself 5 minutes of fitness before I say I’m too tired
I workout while my kids are doing homework
I make that spaghetti but I put vegetables in the sauce
These strategies are small goals to get you through the week or month. If you can accomplish one, two or three of these they are all linked to a bigger goal of leading a healthier lifestyle .
Take it slow, set small goals and when you are ready to reward yourself think about how much closer you are to your bigger goal! Now get ready, get set and start creating a successful goal setting plan.