Not Meeting Your Health Goals? Try This New Approach

I have set health goals for most of my adult life and failed to achieve them. I would get off to a good start, but within a few weeks would fall right back to where I was. The advice of the motivational gurus didn’t help me, even when I did my best to follow it.

It wasn’t until I reached the ripe old age of 62 that I realized the methods others used to reach their health goals didn’t work for me. I had to try something different. My whole attitude and approach changed. Within a few months, I was able to turn my health around. I can’t guarantee this will work for you, but if you’re frustrated about improving your health, it may be worth a shot.

Why You Aren’t Achieving Your Health Goals

You try to make too many changes at one time

When I would try a new diet or exercise regimen, I jumped in with both feet. And in less than a month, I usually fell back into old habits. The old saying “don’t bite off more than you can chew” definitely applied to me. Some of us can’t muster the motivation or discipline to make these wholesale changes. HERE is another approach that may work better for you.

You Try to Do It All By Yourself

Accountability and encouragement go a long way to help keep us on track. Keeping your health goals a secret can undermine your efforts big time.

You Don’t Take Your Limitations Into Consideration

I am not the best time manager, and I’m a little lazy. Keeping journals and tracking everything ain’t gonna happen either. Those are just a few of my limitations. Our limitations may include time, money, physical issues, or attitudes. If you fail to consider your limitations when choosing how to reach your health goals, you are less likely to succeed. Yes, you have to make some changes, but you should always keep your limitations in mind when choosing what those changes will be.

Information Overload

It’s hard to sort through all the information out there and much of it is conflicting. So you can sink into analysis paralysis and fail to even start. When it comes to diet, asking yourself a few questions may help you decide where to start.

Shiny Object Syndrome

I suffer from this big time. After a week, I would abandon the diet or exercise regimen I had chosen for one that sounded better. Only it wasn’t. I never gave anything time to work. Try to keep things as simple as possible for your diet and workouts.

When SMART Goals Don’t Work

SMART s an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. For goal oriented people, it’s a great path to success. But a lot of folks aren’t goal oriented. I am one of them. Once I finally realized that the conventional goal-setting wisdom was a recipe for failure, I took another approach. And it worked. It’s not for everyone, but if following the conventional wisdom has failed you, the following strategy may be worth a try.

Set General Health Goals

Here are my health goals:

• Avoid lifestyle medications (statins, blood pressure meds, etc.) for as long as possible
• Improve my strength, mobility, and stamina
• Slow the progress of my arthritis
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Stick to my eating and exercise plan 80% of the time.

Notice that my goals aren’t specific at all. They are like a compass, giving me a direction to travel on my health journey but not a specific destination. It’s like the thrill of hiking a trail without knowing what is just around the bend.

Focus on Progress, Not on the Goal

I decided what direction to take. The next step is to begin the journey. Instead of focusing on how far I have to go, I ask myself a series of questions (almost daily) that turn my attention to how far I have come.

• Is my arthritis pain better, worse, or the same as it was a week or month ago?
• Is my stamina improving? Can I go farther without getting winded and/or recover quicker?
• Can I do more repetitions or lift more weight than I could?
• Are my balance, strength, and flexibility better than before? These 3 things are the components of mobility.
• Can I get up from the floor easier? At 64 years old, this is a valid question.
• Did I stick with my eating plan last week?
• Was I consistent with my workouts last week?

Answering these questions helps me track my progress. Just sticking with the plan is a measure of progress. You may not notice any physical improvement over a week or two, but the fact that you are sticking with the program is success in itself. I don’t keep a written record of my progress, but it’s a good idea if you are inclined to do that.

Celebrate Your Success

Feeling good about your progress may be the only celebration you need. But it’s perfectly OK to treat yourself to something special to celebrate your success. Maybe it’s a sugary treat you gave up or you might want to skip the workout one day to do something fun. Just make sure you keep your treat as something special and rare. It can help motivate you to keep up the good work.

Now go Do Something 4 Your Health.