It’s time to think about your own goals. If you haven’t looked at the Healthy Weight Healthy You Goal setting and Motivation pages, you might want to look through those first to help you set your goals.
We recommend picking a small number of goals to focus on. This could be 1, 2 or 3 goals. Answer the questions below to get started - Don’t forget to keep the values you identified in mind as you go!
My SMART goal:
- Specific - Make your goal as specific as possible. What exactly do you want to achieve?
- Measurable – Identify a way to measure your progress whilst working towards your goal. How will you know when you’ve achieved it?
- Achievable – Your goal should be just out of reach but not out of sight. Is your goal challenging but doable?
- Relevant – Think about your values. Is this something that will really make a difference to your life?
- Time-bound – Set a time by which you would like to achieve your goal. By when do you want to achieve it?
My short-term goals
Remember, these are your small steps or bite-sized chunks to help you reach your main goal – try to make them as specific as possible. For example:
- I will drink 6-8-glasses of water a day.
- I will walk the dog twice a day for 30 minutes.
- I will only have one takeaway a month.
What might get in my way?
Look at your long-term goal and the shorter bite-sized goals you’ve just written down. Spend some time thinking about what might get in your way.
Getting over barriers
Now think about what you can do to help you with those barriers. For example, if your goal is to cook healthier dinners at home during the week, a lack of time might get in the way because you have to work late or your children have after-school sports. You might want to plan what you want to eat and the time you need to prepare it. You might also consider cooking in bulk to cover a couple of days. It may help to write these down:
If _____________________________________ happens
Then I plan to __________________________________.
Review and renew!
It’s important to review your goals regularly. This might be weekly or monthly, depending on your goals. Ask yourself, am I making progress? If I’m not, why not? Is there something you can change to make your goal more realistic or easier for you to achieve?
Continue your journey
Click on the next page Getting back on track after setbacks to continue your journey.
