Goal Setting for 2024: 10 Tips
Often as we enter a new year, we go through a cycle of setting goals, sticking to a plan for a few months then letting the motivation fade away.
Not this year! This blog is meant to be an inspiration to end that cycle and let 2024 be the year of sustainable goals.
Goal setting is important for everyone, but especially crucial for individuals seeking improved health. Whether you are living with diabetes, looking to prevent blood sugar fluctuations or simply aiming for a health-conscious lifestyle, setting goals is necessary.
As a registered dietitian, I will walk you through the tips I share with clients to help you begin the journey to set realistic and health focused goals.
Let’s get started!
Simplify Blood Sugar Management
I didn’t realize it at the time, but as a teacher planting a backyard garden with my third-grade elementary school class in Carpinteria, California, it wasn’t just the sweet red peppers and rainbow carrots my students enjoyed.
It was also sowing the seeds for my life path that would lead me to the field of nutrition.
After becoming a Registered Dietitian, I worked at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, where I screened patient nutritional and health status to develop individualized plans to maximize their health.
One of the most rewarding parts of this position was working with the community and those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. However, I noticed a fundamental flaw in the way initial patient sessions and follow-ups were conducted.
I had to ask myself - can we truly educate someone about the intricacies of diet and nuances of self-care in just 30 minutes? I felt a sense of urgency and a calling to help individuals gain control over their health once and for all and founded Whole Health with Meg.
I now have the opportunity to empower adults to break the pattern of unsuccessful attempts in managing blood sugars by taking an anti-inflammatory centered approach. All of my programs are centered around helping you learn that optimal sleep, stress, exercise and diet lay the foundation.
Choose the Right Program for You
The other component when working with me is learning how to set sustainable goals. This is key to simplifying blood sugar management and building the life you want and deserve!
Setting Goals for this Year
Goal setting provides a structured framework to manage and improve overall well-being. Living with a medical diagnosis or desire to prevent health complications does require proactive efforts.
Here are some key reasons why goal setting for health is important:
Blood Glucose Management: Goals related to daily glucose monitoring, medication adherence and lifestyle changes can contribute to stable blood sugar levels and improved lab values.
Prevention of Complications: Setting health goals can focus on nutrition, but also other lifestyle modifications such as regular movement, sleep habits and stress management. These are all essential in preventing and managing complications like cardiovascular disease, kidney problems or a diabetes diagnosis.
Empowerment: Goal setting empowers you to take an active role in managing your health. It also provides more control over certain aspects of your condition allowing you to make decisions that are best for your lifestyle.
Enhanced Communication: Clearly defined goals help you to facilitate effective communication with your health care team or nutrition professional. You can express your successes and challenges so the team can better understand how to provide targeted guidance and support.
Long-Term Well-Being: Chronic conditions like diabetes require long-term management. Setting and achieving health goals contributes to improvements in your well-being in the long-term to reduce the risk of complications. Ultimately, promoting a higher quality of life.
How To Set Goals: 10 Tips
I am giving you insight into the top 10 tips that I share with my clients that help to drive effective and achievable goals.
Tip 1: Build Awareness
The first step to take whether you have recently been diagnosed with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes or another medical diagnosis is becoming aware. Awareness allows us to rewire our brain and start creating healthy habits that are sustainable.
Building awareness is not a quick fix, but it can ultimately lead you towards a happier and healthier life. With a heightened focus, you can start to establish a plan that incorporates all the components of health without overwhelm or frustration.
Tip 2: Reflect on Current Habits
Reflecting on current habits is crucial because it involves taking a thoughtful and honest approach to understand your daily routines, behaviors and lifestyle choices.
Self-reflection allows you to identify both positive and detrimental habits that may impact overall well-being. It enables you to pinpoint areas for improvement and make informed decisions about the changes you want to implement.
Tip 3: Build a Solid Foundation
Building a solid foundation is a pivotal step in the goal setting journey. The four pillars that I encourage all my clients to consider are nutrition, movement, sleep and stress management.
These pillars of health when combined can create a strong platform for any health focused goal. Thus, you can greatly increase your likelihood for success.
Tip 4: Emphasize Sustainable Lifestyle Changes
Rather than pursuing quick fixes or temporary solutions, emphasize sustainability. This will allow you to adopt lasting habits that are realistic, manageable and compatible with your lifestyle.
Whether it is incorporating daily movement, adding a source of fiber at breakfast or finding an effective stress management technique, prioritize sustainability. This will help increase the chance of achieving and maintaining positive outcomes.
Tip 5: Set SMART Goals
Setting SMART goals is a specific framework that stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely. It provides clarity around what needs to be accomplished.
For example, instead of setting a goal of “I will exercise”, the goal could be “I will walk daily for 10-minutes after breakfast and lunch”. This goal was developed using the SMART criteria. Research continuously shows the benefit of using these guidelines to craft clear goals.
Tip 6: Stay Flexible
Flexibility is often a step that is forgotten in the goal setting journey. It is important to recognize that life is dynamic and adaptability in the face of changing circumstances is necessary.
Whether you are faced with unexpected challenges, opportunities or shifts in priorities, a flexible approach allows for modifications without compromising your overall commitment to the goal.
Being flexible enables you to navigate setbacks without discouragement and encourages a positive, resilient mindset.
Tip 7: Celebrate Successes
Get ready to celebrate! There will be many achievements on your journey, both big and small. Acknowledging these achievements reinforces positive behavior and helps to sustain momentum.
Celebrate with friends, family or your healthcare team to further foster a positive mindset.
Tip 8: Prioritize Goals
As you continue to build an awareness and understand your current habits, there can be a long list of goals that you want to achieve. It is going to be important to rank goals based on urgency and priority.
This will help avoid overwhelm and ensure that your energy and attention are directed toward the most critical goals to improve your health.
Tip 9: Track Progress
Aim to regularly monitor and assess the outcomes of health-related goals to identify what is working and where adjustments may be needed. Tracking also serves as a source of motivation and empowerment.
Progress tracking can be completed through journaling, apps, email communication or other tracking methods.
Tip 10: Seek Support
Lastly, seek support from healthcare professionals, friends and family as you navigate your health journey. Your support system can be extremely important during difficult times, but also be there to celebrate every success!
This is why I offer my community on Instagram so like-minded individuals can connect on their journeys. Together, we can support one another each step of the way!
Health Goals Examples
Understanding that everyone is going to have goals that are specific to their health, I wanted to share a few goals that my clients have set for themselves going into 2024.
Let these be inspiration to start your goal setting journey!
Exercise for at least 30 minutes, 3 times a week by walking after meals.
Incorporate strength training exercises into my fitness routine, 2 times per week.
Prioritize hydration by drinking water throughout the day, aiming for at least 3 cups of water before noon.
Add a vegetable to my dinner plate each evening.
Establish a consistent sleep schedule with a target of 7 hours per night.
Add a 10-minute meditation session to my day before going to bed.
How To Achieve Your Goals
Now that you have access to the top 10 tips I recommend as a dietitian for those setting health-focused goals, you can work to achieve any goal. By staying committed, focused and resilient, you can turn any aspiration into a reality!
Whether you’re navigating prediabetes, type 2 diabetes or interested in preventative health, use this blog as a guide to effectively set goals for this year and beyond!
If you need additional support, book a quick (and free!) Clarity Call. Together we will build and strengthen a solid foundation to eliminate and reduce frustration around goal setting!
