Have you made any healthy lifestyle goals for 2014? A good goal is a SMART Goal. So make sure your New Year’s goals are SMART:
Specific: not vague or general.
Measureable: in terms of quantity or time. Establish a criteria for measuring goal achievement. E.g. How much? How many? How will I know I have achieved my goal?
Achievable: it is important to set a goal that can be achieved and is realistic, in terms of your other life commitments.
Realistic: to be realistic, your goal must be something you are both willing and able to achieve.
Timeframe: by which you will have achieved your goal. In order to be achieved a good goal needs a timeframe.
For Example: If your New Year’s Resolution for 2014 is to increase your exercise, rather than saying “I will increase my exercise”, make it SMART like this:
“Starting tomorrow, I will walk for 30minutes 5 mornings per week before breakfast”
Another SMART Goal:
“By the start of March 2014 I will have lost 5kg (averaging 0.5kg/week)”
For more help achieving your New Year’s Resolutions, contact an Accredited Dietitian.
