Setting Health & Fitness Goals for 2021

Setting health and fitness goals for 2021 is far more important than in years past. Why? Well, the healthier you are, the better you fare in a pandemic. Plus 2020 Anxiety still looms large, and your body and mind will thank you for consistently finding an outlet for that anxiety.

If you feel like you have struggled sticking to your New Year’s goals, or even if you don’t know where to start, you’re in the right place! We are going to guide you through the most effective steps to setting your health & fitness goals for 2021 that are both exciting…and realistic.

Grab a pen and paper and allow yourself some time to work through these exercises.

Step 1: Picking Your Priorities

First step I want you to take is completing an inventory of your health related behaviors, including, but not limited to the areas of:

1. • Nutrition/hydration
   • Physical Activity (not just exercise routine, but your daily movement habits)
   • Sleep habits
   • Stress level/mental wellness
   • Work life balance

Next, rank them in order of importance/priority, and for each, on a scale of 0-10, how ready are you to make a change (0=not at all ready to 10=Completely ready). At this step, think through WHY each area is important to you to help you rank them. Then, be honest with yourself of how ready you feel to make a change in each area. 

Ok, so far you have your five areas ranked in order of importance, and how ready you feel to make a change. Now, for each, what would help you get closer to a 10 (be more ready to make a change)? This can include:

1. • More planning
   • Making a written/verbal commitment 
   • Needing family/friend support
   • Seek outside assistance (coach/health professional)
   • Find more information (self education through reading)
   • Something else:_____________

Now, think about what the benefits of making this change would be:

1. • Improved health
   • Feel better or have more energy
   • More confident
   • Specific benefits (activities with friends/family)
   • Other:________________

What are your barriers that may make the change difficult? What do you feel like has been stopping you from making a change already, or that makes it overwhelming to make a change?

1. • Not enough time/too busy
   • Lack of resources
   • No support
   • Don’t know where to start
   • Fear/anxiety or other mental barrier

Alright, so you’ve done the hard work, and gotten real with yourself about where your priorities are and have mapped out what challenges or barriers you might face with your goals. You’ve also thought about what the benefits to making those changes are–and that should be exciting!

Step 2: Setting Your SMART Goals

For setting your goals, pick your top 1-2 areas where you are ready for change–that is the two areas where you ranked closest to a 10 on the “ready to change” scale.

Set 1 goal for each area according to the SMART principle

1. 1. Specific: What exactly do you want to achieve? 
      1. Ex: I want to eat more vegetables versus I want to eat healthier
   2. Measurable: How much/how many?
      1. Ex: I want to eat at least 800g of fruits and vegetables/day OR I want to eat 1-2 servings of fruits or veggies at each meal.
   3. Attainable: The goal is possible to achieve
      1. Maybe set a short term goal with a smaller amount (400g), then work up to 800g
   4. Relevant/realistic: the goal takes into consideration what is going on in your life now.
      1. How easily can you apply this? Think about your work/life schedule, how can you best structure your goal to fit. 
   5. Time-based: What is the time frame to accomplish the goal?

Putting it all together: I will work up to eating 800g of fruits and vegetables per day by 2 months from now. 

If necessary, make a smaller goal to give yourself a benchmark, and a little win before then: I will be eating 400g of fruits and vegetables per day by 1 month from now.

You can write goals for each of the health areas we inventoried above, however start with the ones where you are most ready to make a change, and those which are most meaningful to you. 

Step 3: Tracking Your Goals

1. WRITE THEM DOWN. This is the biggest thing that will help keep you accountable and motivated. Don’t just brainstorm them, use this blog and give yourself the time/space to work through these exercises.
2. Depending on the goal, do a daily or weekly check in on your progress. This will help you reevaluate and make changes as needed along the way to make sure you’re staying on track.
3. Set your long term goal, and maybe break it down into smaller more manageable goals (like the example above).
4. Share your goal with someone who can help keep you accountable.

Let Movement Rx help you with your health and fitness goals for 2021. Learn about how our programs can guide you in achieving your health & fitness goals here!. Otherwise, submit your info below and tell us what you’re looking to accomplish.