So, I am on the war path against New Year’s Resolutions!  My husband is the only person I have EVER met who has been able to find success in this tradition, and that’s probably because he approaches it in a non-traditional way that ‘suits’ him.  He has an approach that is realistic and is based on reasonable expectations. Those reasonable expectations are key to successfully setting goals and are based on knowing WHO you are. In the last post (go here), I described 5 questions you should ask yourself before you actually set any goals.  We are approaching this from a health and fitness viewpoint, but I think the same questions can be asked for goals in other areas of life as well. In short, those questions are:

1. Who do you want to be?
2. What does that person do every day? (make a list of habits/practices)
3. Which one of those things/habits (from the list) do you have 90-100% confidence you could start today?
4. What do you need to do today to set yourself up for success tomorrow?
5. Can you forgive yourself for slip ups?

I am going to be the guinea pig… I am going to answer the questions above and then use that knowledge to show you how to approach goal – setting the SMART way.  In the health and fitness arena the idea is to set goals that are Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Results-oriented, and Time-based.

So, here we go—Keep in mind, I purposefully did not decide on an answer to #1 until I sat down to write this article.  I want this to be a genuine representation of this process…

1. I want to be someone who is committed to eating/feeding my family healthy, whole foods 90% of the time.
2. List of habits/practices: (not exhaustive):
   • Shops (often) for fresh foods
   • Plans meals ahead of time
   • Preps foods ahead or
   • Cooks everyday
   • Packs healthy lunches for self and family
   • Uses healthy recipes
   • Does not buy processed foods/products
   • Grows own foods and/or
   • Seeks out resources for fresh, healthy foods
3. Which habit….At first glance, I would say I could start packing lunches –I actually already do that most days…the killer, “healthy lunches”, which are dependent on the implementation of other habits on the list, first.  So, I am pretty confident that the next time I shop, I will be doing shopping for fresh foods and not buying processed.  Both will be a challenge, but that’s the point, right?
4. So today, I need to decide where to shop and make a list of what I will get.  But, first I need to dig out the healthy recipes (guess I am committing to that one, too! See how this works?)
5. Forgiving myself-I can say I am really good at this one, probably too good; however, some folks out there need to give themselves a break and realize that slip ups happen, one meal, even one day of unhealthy choices will not undo your progress, as long as you realize it, and get back on track immediately.  Forgive and forget and forge ahead!

There, I answered the questions!  That was pretty easy, now let’s make them SMART.

• Specific: I commit to shopping for fresh foods, based on healthy recipes, and I will not purchase processed foods.
• Measureable: I commit to eating/feeding my family healthy, whole foods 90% of the time, which equates to a little more than six days per week.
• Attainable: I believe I have the ability to determine what is healthy and where I can find these quality foods.
• Results-oriented: The evidence of this commitment will be in the lack of processed foods in my cabinet, and even more significant and hoped for—my husband will no longer need blood pressure medicine!
• Time-based: I commit to starting this the next time I shop with the hope that in six months, when my husband has a check-up, he will be off the meds!

At this point, depending on what your answer to #1 is and which habits from your list you choose, this may seem like a BIG challenge. But, that’s ok, just break it down like I have. Just choose one habit to change, then add another.  Step by step you can do this!

A little disclaimer here:  I know that people often choose weight loss as a goal, I understand that, but when I work with clients, I try to move them beyond that.  We delve deeper into the WHY of losing weight because just losing weight is: #1, typically not the REAL goal, and #2, if it is, success is typically not permanent, sorry, it just isn’t.  Even if weight loss is the only goal you can come up with, you can still use this process to help you ‘eat the elephant, one bite at a time’ –sorry for the comparison-but you can.  If you need help or suggestions, please comment below or contact me through Facebook or email @ suzy@imyourbff.com

Until next time–Be well and make Better Choices for a Healthier Lifestyle!

Your Bff