Why is reaching a health goal sometimes so difficult?
You start out with good intentions, but after a while, old habits return and a goal is missed.
Most people concentrate on the end goal and believe this will supply them with the discipline and willpower to achieve that goal, but daily life and stresses constantly interfere, blurring your ultimate goal and your resolve along with it.
Now that it’s January, the month of fresh starts, goal setting and intentions, the Vital Body coaches wanted to share a few tips that can support you in reaching your goals.
Want to lose 25 pounds? Don’t make that your initial goal. To succeed, change your focus and accentuate the positive to make lasting health changes.
Try these tips
Set clear goals and start small
- Make small changes you can accomplish. For example, bring your lunch to work, take a walk several nights per week, park farther from the door, or replace the candy bowl at work with a fruit bowl.
Be flexible, adjust your goals based on your reality
- For example, if your goal is to pack your lunch every day and you only packed one healthy lunch one-day last week, don’t beat yourself up. Think about how you achieved your goal once. Now aim for two days next week.
Do what you love
- Like rollerblading? Do more of that. Like apples but not broccoli? Eat more apples. Selecting the right activities is the most proven way to feel good about living healthier.
Listen to how you talk to yourself
- Periodically, stop and assess what you’re thinking. If your thoughts are mainly negative, this will directly affect how you feel and your motivation.
Focus on what you can have vs. what you can’t
- If you are trying to lose weight, look at foods you can eat vs. all the foods you can’t. It’s hard to stay motivated when you feel deprived.
Believe
- If you don’t think you can lose 25 pounds, you won’t. Start with what you truly believe you can accomplish. Initial success will give you the confidence to set larger goals later.
Let go of negative thoughts
- This doesn’t mean ignoring them. Rather, reevaluate your response to focus on positive feelings and accomplishments.
Celebrate your success
- Success bolsters more success. As you achieve each goal, take a moment to recognize your accomplishment. Celebrating these wins will give you the momentum to go after your next goal and give you a sense of purpose and pride.
The Mayo Clinic wrote an article “Accentuate the Positive”, which expands on the points above. For more great insight and positive thinking techniques we highly recommend giving it a read!
