6 Tips for Achieving Your Health Goals In The New Year

As children, we were told to “Aim high,” to “Dream big,” and to “Shoot for the stars.” Impossibilities were not even a consideration at that point. In our minds, anything was possible! We dreamed of becoming firefighting ballerinas, hosting cooking shows on the moon, and being sidekicks to Optimus Prime…

Now as an adult, as you’re setting health goals to reach in the new year, you may find that your pie-in-the-sky dreaming hasn’t really changed. You’re still looking at magazine pages, obsessing over airbrushed actors and actresses in Hollywood blockbusters, or mooning over that tight and toned friend who looks practically perfect to you. In those moments, you decide, “I want to look like that at the end of next year!”

Setting Health Goals You Can Reach

The reality is, when it comes to setting health goals, you’re not going to find a quick fix to get you there. It took an ample amount of time for your body, and your health, to get to the point where they are currently. It will take an ample amount of time to get you back to where you should be. And, truthfully, that’s okay!

You don’t have to try to tackle the process all alone, and there are plenty of ways that you can start taking steps today that will set the course for your health goals for years to come.

Here are just a few:

  1. Ignore the Noise

If you are setting your health goals based on television ads, or pop-ups in your Facebook newsfeed suggesting that you can lose 60 pounds in one month, you are setting yourself up for deep disappointment. Lightning-fast weight loss promos are unrealistic and unhealthy, and often do more harm than good! Avoid being sucked into dangerous lose-weight-quick tricks, and remember that losing weight at a slow and steady pace is the best way to keep those pounds off for the long-term.

  2. Find a Buddy

Although you may start the new year full of vim and vinegar, chomping at the bit to reach your new health goals of walking more, losing weight, drinking more water or eating less junk, eventually that motivation will wane. However, by teaming up with a friend with similar goals and determination, the likelihood of maintaining the willpower to continue moving forward increases exponentially!

  3. Recognize Real Successes

Millions of people each year start January with a health goal of losing a certain amount of weight or fitting into a specific pair of jeans. However, those goals are just numbers. The real successes of losing weight should actually be tied to the ways your quality of life will improve with the implementation of healthy habits. For example, take notice of when you realize you’re feeling better; when you’re starting to sleep better; when it becomes easier to climb a flight of stairs; when you can bend over and tie your shoes without feeling dizzy or uncomfortable; when you feel better about yourself and your self-esteem begins to climb! Enter this new year with the understanding that setting health goals is not about perfection or an unrealistic number on the scale. Rather, it’s the first step on a journey to improve your life and health.

  4. Make measurable goals along with your health practitioner

One important way to safely strive to reach your health goals this year is to get the input of someone who knows your health in and out – your doctor. Plan to keep regular checkups on your calendar so that you can get his or her professional observations as you lose weight, improve your blood pressure and your cholesterol, blood sugar, and triglyceride levels.

  5. Reward yourself

As you track your progress, keep yourself motivated with rewards for improving your eating and exercise habits that move you closer to your ultimate goal! These rewards should not be treats that will set you back, though. For example, if you’re trying to lower your blood sugar, the reward of a tiramisu or cheesecake plate isn’t a good idea. Instead, consider simple pleasures like flowers, going to the theater, or buying that bracelet you’ve been eyeing for the past month.

  6. Treat the changes as a new lifestyle

Rather than setting outcome-based goals (like, losing a certain amount of weight), aim to set process-based goals (drinking eight glasses of water a day or going to bed at 10:30 each night). It’s important to remember that these are not short-time commitments. Shifting certain behaviors and attitudes long-term is what will keep you feeling healthy and looking fine! The best way to do this is to find changes that are relatively easy for you to continually incorporate into your everyday life. Once you’ve done it long enough, those healthy choices become like an automatic habit, replacing the bad behaviors with good ones!

Celebrate Your Successes & Keep Moving Forward

As you start thinking about the health goals that you want to reach this year, make a list of the ways that you hope your life will improve as you begin reaching those goals – the more specific, the better! Setting realistic goals and reaching them will not only improve your self-esteem, but it will also serve as fuel to reinforce your efforts and challenge you to keep moving in the right direction.

You may not be able to garner your dream career as a botanist on Mars, but know that with the right support systems, and a little help from Innova+, you can start reaching those health goals that will change your life for the better this year!