How SMART Are Your Wellness Goals?

Plus a recipe for Sugar and Gluten Free Chocolate Pumpkin Macaroons!

Wellness goals are what helps you to get from the present state to your ideal wellness state. Goals rarely fail because of a lack of commitment or enthusiasm. They die for lack of a compelling vision with a plan designed to achieve it. With a vision, you imagine an outcome that you then make come to life through the goals you set. A goal that is not tied to some kind of vision will often just “float out there” with a vague sense of importance. To create a clear picture of your ideal self do an exercise described below and think about the following questions (these apply only to the body, which is an important piece of wellness but not the only one!):

Describe an ideal version of your physical body. What does it look like? How does it feel to be inside it? How does it move? What do you feel when you see this body in a mirror? How do you keep this body healthy? What do you feed this body and how does it eat? What is your energy level like? What do you love about this new version of yourself? How much physical contact do you make with others? How would it feel to go through your day in this new body? What activities would you like to try in the new body?

Once you know where you would like to move, it’s time to create smart goals.

We are not all made the same, so of course no one diet is going to work for everyone! Throughout my wellness coaching I am learning to guide people (you and myself) through the confusion to find the food and lifestyle choices that would best support our unique bodies.

One of the most important steps of wellness coaching is setting goals in a way that is empowering and exciting. These goals should be based on where you want to be in the future, on your best ideal self that you are thriving to become.

SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Timely. Studies have shown that people who use SMART goals are more likely to succeed in their quest for better health, ideal weight, and a sense of joy and fulfillment in daily life. By crafting SMART goals, you will obtain clear, concise feedback regarding your progress. Here are some examples of turning a genral goal in a SMART goal:

General goal: Be healthy and get into a better shape.

Turning the goals SMART:

  • Specific—Saying that you want to be healthy is great, but not very specific. Instead decide what exactly you would like to do. For example: stop eating junk food or do yoga and run regularly to get into a better shape. The more specific the better!
  • Measurable—Let’s say you want to stop eating junk food, so you can make “5 days out of 7 with no junk food as your goal”. If you goal was to do yoga and run on a regular basis to get into a better shape, then a measurable goal would sound like this: “I will do yoga 3 times a week and run 3 times a week with 1 day of rest”.
  • Action-Oriented — The goals should be based on behaviors that result in change. Our goal of doing yoga and running 3 times a week each fits well. However, the 2nd goal where we are planning to stay away from junk food 5 days out of 7 is not actionable. It does not specify what you are going to eat! So to make it actionable, it would be better to state it this way: I will eat unprocessed whole meals with grains, vegetables, and healthy proteins 5 days a week.
  • Realistic—Many people fail to reach their goals because they set their standards too high. A healthy challenge is motivating, unrealistic goals are de-motivating. Don’t set yourself up for a failure! Setting a goal of 5 days a week of whole meals is more realistic than aiming for 7 from the very start. Same goes for the exercise. You don’t want to aim 2 hours workouts 7 days a week unless you are trying to tire your body out.
  • Time-bound —Having a deadline will move you ahead more rapidly, so set some up for each goal. Include both short and long-term goals. Reevaluate your goals on a weekly basis to assess what has worked or what interventions you need to help yourself along. Remember, it takes three to six months for new habits to become permanent and to begin to see noticeable changes.

Final SMART goals: I will eat wholesome fresh meals with vegetables, grains, and healthy proteins 5 days out of 7 for 3 weeks before re-evaluating my goal. I will do yoga and run 3 times a week (each) for 3 weeks and then re-evaluate my fitness goals.

And when you complete a specific, action step within the realistic time frame you have allotted, celebrate with some Chocolate Pumpkin Macaroons, Below is the recipe that I promised to share:

Chocolate Pumpkin Macaroons

  • 2 cups coconut flakes (soaked in coconut milk) or raw coconut meat
  • 1 cup baked pumpkin or pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup  cacao powder
  • 3/4 cup coconut butter or raw nutella ( i used raw mint nutella)
    raisins
  • 1 tsp stevia or 3 tbsp coconut crystals or any other sweetener
  • 3 tbs ground flax seeds
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • vanilla
  • cinnamon

Blend everything together. With wet hands make small round balls. Enjoy and store the rest in the freezer!

Sign up on the top right to receive recipes, tips, and fun ideas straight to your inbox. Next we will talk about the best ways to create the most actionable strategies to achieve your wellness goals.

Be Well!

Nadya

Related articles
pumpkin-chia-pudding Pumpkin Chia Pudding Warm Quinoa Salad with Edamame