5Jan, 23

Reach Your “Healthy Habits” Goals With an Action Plan

Reach Your “Healthy Habits” Goals With an Action Plan

For many people, the new year is about new beginnings. That is why many of us take up a new hobby or activity, set new goals, or make promises to eat better, be a better person, or improve in some other way.

Sometimes it feels like there’s no middle ground between making HUGE resolutions that are difficult to keep and not making any resolutions at all.

Trust me. I get it!!

Most of us have probably felt the highs and lows of this tradition; Shifting from the excitement of a fresh start and the chants of “This Will Be MY Year” to the frustration of setbacks, roadblocks, and feeling like an outright failure.

Thankfully, we don’t have to start the year dreading the pressure of following through with ‘resolutions.’ It’s possible to set objectives, get a fresh start, and keep a positive attitude in a healthy, sustainable way!

Honestly, any day can be the day your start over or follow through on a resolution you made five weeks or even five years ago. That said, the New Year can be a fantastic time to create healthy habits.

The sad truth is, most people tend to give up on their health goals once that first workout is skipped or their cheat day turns into a cheat week. But it doesn’t have to be that way! There are ways to be much more successful at Goal Setting and Goal Getting!

You are much more likely to keep your resolutions if you follow certain steps when CHOOSING them in the first place, as well as following certains steps when WORKING TOWARDS your objectives.

HERE’S HOW TO: Choose Smart Goals & Achieve Them!

First, your focus for these goals should be on intentional, deliberate action that:

✔️ Works WITH Your Lifestyle

You do NOT have to overhaul your life with a dozen new habits. Choose goals that fit into your life. There’s no need to make expensive changes or purchases. Use what you have more creatively.

✔️ Adds Real Value To Your Quality Of Life

Adding value to the quality of your life simply means learning to enjoy life more and relish each experience for what it has taught or brought you. This is a learned skill, not an innate one we’re born with. The idea that life is beautiful is a mindset you must train yourself to believe.

✔️ Gets (And Keeps!) You Excited About The Future

The actions you choose to focus on should create excitement and encourage you to work toward them.

✔️ Steadily Moves You Closer To Your Personal Vision Of Success

As with any plan, the steps you follow should always move you toward your goal by keeping your vision of success in mind.

Your accomplishments will not and should not look like anyone else’s because we are all different in our pursuits. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else.

OK, you’ve chosen to make some changes.

Now it’s time to identify the goals you want to achieve.

The following suggestions can help you get started in creating a list of goals or resolutions.

These are basic and can be expanded, so feel free to use these 4 tips as a jumping-off point!

➡️ Begin With the End in Mind

Where do you want to be as you work through your plan to attain/maintain your resolutions? Think about what success looks like to YOU, not how others define it. Remember that working towards an objective takes time and a plan you can implement. So, remember that “success” doesn’t always mean you’ve arrived or crossed the finish line. But it DOES mean you’re happy with your progress in a certain period.

➡️ Consider Habits

Think about the habits you’ll need to develop in your daily routine that will move you closer to your vision of success. These should be result-driven and realistic.

They can (and will) be habits that expand over time, adding time, energy, and resources as they become more ingrained into your daily routine. Starting small and achieving daily and weekly wins will help you build momentum to FOLLOW THROUGH and CRUSH your goals this year.

➡️ Be Specific

Avoid vague or general objectives that don’t achieve anything specific. Use precise wording when setting your intentions. This will help you be in the right mindset and know exactly what you need to do to reach these goals.

➡️ Choose Measurable Goals

It’s important to be able to measure the progress and eventual success of your goal. This will help you see how far you’ve gone on your journey, which can be very encouraging, and make the finish line more visible, which can boost confidence to see it through.

You Can Do This!

By identifying your objectives, you’ve taken the first step towards starting the new year positively. Now, let’s talk about how to reach them.

Again, this is a basic list of ideas to help you work towards success. These can and should be expanded or amended as needed.

✔️Keep Goals Realistic

Set attainable objectives based on your health, age, time schedule, and ability. When assessing these goals and creating action plans, be honest with what is manageable for you and your life.

✔️Start Small

By starting small, you can begin seeing results quickly. Achieving daily and weekly wins will help you to build momentum. (Plus, this can be incredibly encouraging!)

✔️Write Your Goals Down

Make your goals visible by putting them on paper. Then post those goals somewhere that you will see regularly. Try using a journal or creating a vision board.

✔️ Identify Potential Obstacles

Think ahead and prepare for hurdles that could get in your way. Doing this will help you avoid being discouraged when something pops up and slows you down because you’ll already be prepared to deal with it!

✔️ Track Your Progress

It may sound silly, but rewarding yourself for each little victory or step of progress (like the stars earned for reading a certain number of pages each week in 5th grade) will keep you motivated. On those tough days when you think you aren’t moving forward, a glance at your charted progress will help change your outlook! Your health journal will be helpful for this step.

Let’s Make this a NEW YEAR to Remember for Something Positive and INCREDIBLE!

Here at CleanFoodCrush, we want to help you break through your internal barriers so that you can look back on 2023 as one of the best years of your life.

Rather than struggling to make the white-knuckling, intense disciplining approach work (when it really doesn’t), try making a plan that works with your lifestyle and adds to your quality of life.

After all, these goals are for YOU and are meant to make you happier, healthier, fitter, or whatever your intention is. So, seeing the plan through shouldn’t be an impossible feat destined to make you miserable. Make it fun and exciting so you’ll stay interested and committed to it!

If you need ANY help, encouragement, or accountability with setting goals, losing weight, or having a plan to follow, check out our 30-Day Challenge! It comes with sample menus, meal plans, recipes, and a private support group where our CFC coaches offer daily guidance.