You have created your SMART goals and now what do you do? Your next step is to take action, but how are you going to do that when your goals are so big? Where will you start? If you have not already taken time to break your big goals down into smaller, more manageable goals, make sure you do this now. People tend to rely on their willpower to carry them through major lifestyle changes and end up falling short. As a result, they blame themselves for not having sufficient willpower and they feel like they have failed themselves, often giving up on their goals entirely. Willpower can be helpful but it is not sustainable for most people. Breaking your goals down into smaller pieces that align and build towards your bigger goal gives you something you can work with.
All you need to reach those bigger goals is a little bit of inertia. You can do two things to keep the momentum going in the right direction; simplify your goals, and celebrate your victories (no matter how small they may seem). For instance, your fitness program says you need to go to the gym five times per week, work out one full hour, and follow a specific routine each time you go. You can certainly aim to adhere to this program but if you are coming from a place of not working out at all, this may feel overwhelming and it will be easy to give up on, especially with an all or nothing mindset. Let go of the all or nothing thinking and reframe your idea of success to something like, you will make it to the gym after work each day this week and will move for at least ten minutes when you get there. Defining success in this simpler way, gives you a little more flexibility and allows you to celebrate your achievements in a way that the previous goal did not. For example, if everything else goes wrong on one of those days but you managed to still show up to the gym and move at least 15 minutes, you have a lot to feel proud of and can celebrate that. Being able to celebrate this will associate a positive emotion with your new habit of going to the gym which will make it more likely that you will continue to go to the gym after work moving ahead.
Once you’ve taken action, you will need to be able to sustain action. Inserting accountability in your plan is one way to keep things going. Accountability can be done by having in-person check-ins, emails and texts with your partner or coach, using apps to track and log your progress, and posting your accomplishments on social media. Keep in mind, accountability is not a time to judge yourself for what you have not done, but instead, it is a time to learn what went well and what did not go well so you can make necessary adjustments moving forward. It is also a time to take some pleasure in what you did get right and acknowledge those things! Using accountability in this way leads to you feeling more empowered to be in control of your wellness goals and know how to take the right steps to accomplish them.
You can be accountable for your fitness and nutrition goals by monitoring completion of your tasks (i.e. Did you get your 3 fitness routines in? Did you eat at least 3 servings of vegetables for 5 days of the week?) Although, not all goals will have to do with your workouts and what you eat. Sometimes you will need to gain more knowledge on things before you can step ahead towards your bigger goals. In this case your task completion may look more like asking your friends and family to complete an informal survey of a new fitness app they are using. Or maybe you want to learn more about a specific way of eating so you will have things you need to look up and research online as one of your tasks that need to be completed. Think about when you will complete these things and if you will need to make note of it.
Let’s go back to willpower for a moment. When it comes to making a behavioral change, a lot of people will wonder why you simply cannot practice some self-control, which is very much like willpower. It’s a fair question so let’s dive into it for a moment. Self-control does not come from a continuous fountain, and it can be made more difficult depending upon your environment and how deeply rooted the habit is that you are trying to change. For example, if you are trying to cut back on sweets, how much self-control will you be required to exercise if your home kitchen is filled with them and you work from home? Not indulging in those sweets will likely exhaust your self-control and you will give in to the temptation. However, if you change your environment and remove the sweets from home, will you have a better chance at maintaining self-control? Yes, you most likely will. Keep in mind it may not completely eliminate your temptation. Depending upon how “hooked” you are on those sweets, there’s a chance you will go out of your way to get some by leaving the house, and that’s probably okay. Instead of getting multiple servings and bringing them home, just get one serving and enjoy it before coming home. This way you are no longer associating a place you spend a lot of your time in such as your home with sweet indulgences. There are, of course, many environments we cannot control so easily such as the work office. If this is where you encounter sweet temptations regularly, you can be better prepared for it by packing nutritious snacks that you have at the ready instead of getting something out of the vending machine.
To adequately adjust or prepare for your environment, you will need to identify your triggers. What are the things that have a tendency to throw you off course? In most cases you can do something physically to reset your environment and take the power away from your triggers. Sometimes your mind may be the thing that needs a little adjusting when it comes to how you manage stress. Did you know stress is one of the most common triggers for people? If it is one of yours, seek out healthier ways to cope with it such as meditation, yoga, breathing techniques, journaling, and listening to calming music. There are many tools and resources out there to help deal with stress. The first one you try may not work. I encourage you to try a variety of tools until you find the best solution for you.
Guess what? Even after doing this, there will still be times that you have set-backs. They are going to happen and the key for you will be to deal with them in a positive manner. You can do this by acknowledging what happened and figuring out how you can do better next time. Get excited about what you have learned from the experience and reflect on it, so that you can be more prepared to deal with the situation next time. Let go of the absolute mindset and look at your set-backs as opportunities for you to get better and stronger every time they occur. In most cases, the problem is most likely something you can work out and find a solution for. It really is an empowering exercise that can lift you up, instead of tearing yourself down because you had a misstep.
Remember, once you’ve made your SMART goals, take action. Just one small step is all you need to start heading in the right direction. If the first step feels too big, break it down into something smaller and easier to work with. Make your short-term goals simple and celebrate all of your accomplishments. Keep the momentum going by creating accountability with others, your social media, or an app. Track your progress with task completion and self-monitoring. Set up your environment so that it supports your goals, or be prepared for the ones that do not. Lastly, make sure you are managing your stress in a healthy and effective way since it is one of the most common triggers for set-backs when it comes to wellness goals.