Now that the excitement of the new year is behind us and we are settled into our new routines, it is time to review or set goals.  Have you set a goal for the next three months? What do you want to accomplish, start, or change in the next 90 days?

I know a gal that wants to lose weight.  She says she has over 50 pounds to lose and just can’t get her head around that.  Every time I see her, she tells me that she wants to lose weight, or means to get started or is thinking about doing it.  Then she tells me all the things going on in life that are preventing her.  When I saw her this time, the main reason was that she has a new granddaughter. 

Fifty pounds is overwhelming.  She can’t get started because she does not know where to start, what to do, and is afraid of failing again. It is time to put some goals in place. 

SMART Goals

There are many different goal setting strategies available to follow. When I was in education, we followed SMART GOALS by Ann Conzemius.  SMART is an acronym that stands for

S – specific and strategic

M – measurable

A – attainable and actionable

R – results

T – timely

5 Areas for Setting Goals

We can combine some of these SMART strategies into the following 5 areas as we think of the gal who want to lose 50 pounds. 

1. 1. Start small
   1. It is hard for her to think about losing 50 pounds.  So instead, she can start with a smaller goal.  Some examples of smaller goals are:
      1. -Drink 5 12 oz. cups of water each day
      2. -Walk around the block 5 days a week
      3. -Eat a vegetable with every dinner
      4. -Drink one less can of pop a day
      5. -Get up 15 min earlier to plan her meals for the day
2. 2. Write them down
   • Write down what you want to achieve in the next 3 months or in the next 30 days.  When you write goals down, it helps you to commit and to hold yourself accountable for what you want to accomplish.
3. 3. Be specific
   1. Instead of saying you want to get fit or you want to lose 50 pounds, be specific (and start small) by saying you want to walk 10 min 3 days a week.  Another example of being specific is to say you want to plan and fix 2 healthy meals at home this weekend instead of saying you want to eat healthy.  
4. 4. Think of your environment
   1. Would it be hard to lose weight with a freezer full of ice cream or a refrigerator full of healthy choices?  Instead of meeting your friends for a meal could you meet at the park to take a walk.
5. 5. Acknowledge the results along your journey
   • Acknowledging the success of cooking healthy meals is great.  Even though the scales might not say what is desired at this time, celebrating each step and accomplishment is an important part of the process.

Summary

What areas of your life do you want to change?  Do you want to stay in your comfort zone or are you ready to challenge yourself to obtain that certain goal?  Are you ready to set a goal for the next three months? Break that goal into smaller achievable steps and take time to celebrate successes along your journey.