So you’ve decided you want to live more healthily. Congratulations! Now what? Well, in order to put you on the path to sustained wellness, you’ll need to set some kind of goal and put a plan in place to help you achieve it. If not, you’ll have nothing to aim for, and no way of knowing when you’ve ultimately succeeded. But how do you go about it?
Be specific
It’s no use saying “I want to lose weight” or “I want to become stronger”. Vague goals like these will only result in vague plans – and sometimes no plans at all. Set yourself clearly-defined goals such as “I want to lose 10kg” or “I want to deadlift 100kg”. You’ll have an exact aim in mind and you’ll instantly be more motivated to achieve it.
Put a plan in place
If you want to train for a 5k, download one of the many apps available or find a training plan online. If you want to lose a certain amount of weight, choose the eating plan that best fits your lifestyle and shop accordingly. Health goals aren’t achieved by ‘winging it’, they’re achieved by preparation and hard work.
Set yourself smaller goals along the way
Ticking off milestones along the road to success will give you a sense of pride and keep you motivated for the long haul. Break your bigger goal into a series of smaller, more manageable ones and give yourself a (non-food) reward for hitting each one.
Keep at it
You won’t l ose 10kg in two weeks, and you won’t run a half marathon on a month’s training. But you will, by staying consistent and sticking to your plan. Make peace with the fact that your goal will take a while to achieve, and find ways of keeping yourself focused and motivated when you feel your willpower taking a nosedive. When you’ve finally reached your end goal, all your hard work will have been more than worth it!
For more health advice here’s what to do if you ate a ‘bad’ meal!
