Hands up if you’ve ever set a goal and fallen off the wagon before reaching it?
If you haven’t raised your hand, you’re either telling fibs, or, you need to share your secrets!
But that’s why we’re here, to share goal-setting strategies that actually work.
But first, if any of your goals centre around fat loss, weight management, muscle gain or even learning more healthy recipes you can make at home, that’s what equ is here for!
We take the guesswork out of your health journey so you can eat the foods you love and still achieve sustainable results. Click here to find out more about our personalised nutrition service.
Now, into those goal-setting strategies…
Table of Contents
Set SMART goals
SMART goals stand for:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time bound
Setting specific goals essentially means being as clear and concise about your goal as possible. For example, instead of saying ‘I want to cook more’ you might say ‘I will make 3 new recipes every week’. This makes it easier to get where you want to go, because you know exactly what you want to achieve.
Measurable goals include precise amounts, dates and any other factor that suits your goal, to help you measure your success. So perhaps you might have set the goal, ‘I want to lose weight’ you can add a measurable like, ‘I want to lose 3kgs by a certain month, or in a certain amount of weeks.’ Remember to still be realistic, particularly if your goal does pertain to weight loss.
And that point rolls into our next goal-setting technique. Attainable goals are ones that are possible to achieve. Realistic. Setting goals you know are likely difficult and unattainable will not only mean you won’t reach them, it’ll also knock your confidence and motivation to try again.
Goals should be relevant to the direction you’re going, or want to go, in life. Setting inconsistent goals means they’ll likely work against each other and not use your time and energy efficiently trying to reach them.
Time bound means having a deadline. Similar to setting dates in the measurable aspect, giving yourself a deadline keeps you accountable and the sense of urgency and achievement are motivating.
Have control
There’s no use setting goals that you can’t control – that is ones that are dependent on other people or factors that you don’t have control over.
Ask others what works
Perhaps a friend, family member or colleague has achieved a goal you’d also like to achieve. Talk to them and ask them what worked for them, you can use that to inspire your journey. Of course remember, everybody is different so no two paths will be exactly the same, but someone’s advice can be really helpful.
See your goals
Writing your goals down or creating a mood board of images that relate to your goal is a visual reminder of what you’re setting out to achieve. One study by a professor at the Dominican University of California found that you become 42% more likely to achieve your goals, simply by writing them down on a daily basis!
Know your obstacles
No journey is without its highs and lows. When it comes to your goal/s, think about what challenges you might face along the way so that if and when they arise, you’re prepared to work around them.