How to define your reachable health and wellness goal

Photo from dominikgolenia

Our health is something that can be measured when we’re striving to go from where we are to where we want to be. To first go through the process of achieving your goal, it’s important to define exactly what it is so you can be clear.

Firstly, what exactly is a goal? A goal is defined as a result to which you direct your energy for a period of time until the result is achieved. Goals can be either short term, intermediate term or long term and the timescale for your goal will be determined by how much change you want to make in your life. For example, a goal to become a body builder may be short or intermediate depending on where you currently are however a goal to have played 1,000 tennis games may take a few years and is a long term goal.

Setting a goal gives you direction, clarity and a result to look forward to. Think of it as dangling a carrot in front of you – and for that reason, goals are extremely important for any plan you set and any health change or improvement you wish to make.  In learning to define a health goal, I want to focus on ensuring the goal is clear, reachable, focused and exciting. If it meets these four things, I believe you will be able to move towards your goal successfully. Let’s look at these individually:

- Your health goal must be clear. State your goal clearly. If your goal is to lose weight, in which part of your body do you want to lose weight and how many pounds/stones do you want to lose? Clarity prods you on your path to create a strategy.

- Your goal must be reachable. Our goals also have to feel and be reachable for us because if we don’t meet up, we run the risk of tripping up and beating ourselves up. And we lose momentum, could end up as couch potatoes and run far from the goal.

- Your goal has to be focused. Be clearly focused on the goal you want to achieve. Lack of focus or too many choices leads to indecision and poor results.

- Your goal must be exciting. If the goal doesn’t motivate you to get up, energise you to get into action and get into momentum, then I don’t think it will take you a long way. Make sure your goal is exciting. 

Now you know this, go out and set your goal. Write it down. Stick it on your wall, put it on your computer. Be reminded of your goal and most importantly, take action on the strategy to achieve your goal.