27 Dec Setting Nutrition Goals
The beginning of a New Year means it’s often time for resolutions. These almost always include a health related change, such as ‘eating healthier’ or ‘losing weight’. However, all too often these drastic lifestyle modifications only last weeks, maybe even days.
So, how can we set better nutrition goals?
Changes can be made at any time
You don’t have to wait until Monday or January 1st to set your nutrition goals. They can be set and initiated at any time that best suits you, which gives you the greatest chance of success!
This also means that if you hit a speedbump on Friday, you don’t have to write off the rest of the week to ‘start again’ on Monday. You can pick back up later that day or the following morning.
SMART goals are talked about so much for a reason
When writing your goals, ensure to use these elements as a guide:
Specific
- Vague goals, such as ‘eating healthier’ usually end in frustration. Use figures and details
- E.g. ‘I plan to eat 5 serves of vegetables per day” compared to ‘I plan to eat more vegetables’
Measurable
- How will you monitor progress or know when your goal has been achieved?
- E.g. bring lunch to work 4 out of 5 days of the week
Achievable
- Ensure you have the tools, information and resources needed to accomplish your goal
- E.g. if you plan to consume nuts as a snack at work instead of biscuits, bring nuts in a container to work
Realistic
- Select a goal that is possible to be achieved by taking into account your time frame and circumstances
- E.g. If you love chocolate, saying you’ll never eat it again is not realistic. Instead, limiting it to the weekends will likely be more attainable
Timely
- Giving yourself a timeframe allows you to have something to work towards and know when to check in
Failing to plan is planning to fail
Take the time to prepare how you will execute your goals beyond simply creating them and writing them down. For example, if your goal is to prepare lunches for work, you’ll need to factor in time to plan out what will be cooked. When will you shop for ingredients? When will you prepare the food? Do you have Tupperware?
Also, consider how you will deal with obstacles that crop up along the way before waiting for them to occur.
If you would like personalised assistance with your nutrition goals, our Accredited Glen Iris Dietitian Alex is here to help. You can book online HERE.
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