Nutrition Habit Building: Goal Setting!

Written by Shelby StrainIt’s a New year and you’ve finally decided to change your health through nutrition. Good for you! You’re really trying hard not to fall into the “new resolution trap” of setting a new goal and then falling through weeks later like you always do, right? We’ve all been there and we’ve all failed at something. So, what’s causing you to fail? It’s not you, it’s the goal you’re trying to reach. It’s either too audacious or too vague to follow through with day to day. This can cause confusion and frustration due to the lack of clarity on a starting point towards a healthier you!The following is a goal setting strategy that the coaches of Friendship Fitness use to help create goals for their clients and themselves! If you have a goal for 2020, try using this system to create a solid plan. S.M.A.R.T. Goals Smart goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-boundVague, audacious goal example: I want to eat healthier.✨ Specific✨In order for you to reach your goal, it must be as specific as possible. This is so you have a clear, concise understanding of what you want. The narrower the goal, the more you’ll understand the necessary steps to achieve it. Specific goal example: I want to meal prep my lunch and dinner for the week using clean protein, carbohydrates, healthy fat, and veggies. ✨ Measurable✨How do you measure “eat healthier”? There is no end to eating healthier so how will you know once you’ve accomplished it? There needs to be some metric that can quantify or at least suggest progress. An example would be to plan on grocerying shopping and preparing your meals on Sundays and Wednesdays. Or take it one step more and specifically measure how much food you’re eating. ✨ Attainable✨ Whatever your goal is, just make sure it is something reasonable. Setting goals you can reasonably accomplish within a certain timeframe will help keep you motivated and focused. If you absolutely hate cooking, what is the likelihood you will stick with it after a week? You may need to create a different plan -- or hire someone to meal prep for you! ✨ Realistic ✨Consider your current circumstance. It’s important to consider any conditions or possible limitations that might get in your way. If you have zero time to prep your meals on Sunday’s due to weekly family obligations - you’ve already failed. Set yourself up for success by setting a goal that also fits into your daily life.Also, consider that some of your current habits may need to be tweaked a little or completely replaced. For example, instead of Sunday Pizza Night, replace this with Sunday Night Family Dinner by cooking a healthy meal together! You could also use leftovers for lunch or dinner for the next couple of days.✨ Time-bound✨It’s important to specify when you want to accomplish your goal. Setting a deadline or “by-when” date creates urgency. Tell your family and friends about it too! If you haven’t achieved your goal by the deadline, reflect on why. Maybe your timeline was unrealistic, or there was an unforeseen roadblock. Set yourself up for success by giving yourself a reasonable amount of time to learn any new habit! Once you achieve your S.M.A.R.T. goal, don’t feel like you need to reinvent the wheel. Continue to build on your success and tweak your goals accordingly. If you need further guidance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to any Friendship Fitness coach. We want you to reach your goal just as much as you do! Happy goal-setting!