How to Make and Achieve Your Goals in 2023

Many people set New Year’s resolutions. Making a goal is the easy part, but sticking to the plan and achieving that goal can be difficult. To kick off the new year, Cameron’s wellness coordinator, Ryan Sheets, and registered dietitian nutritionist, Hailey Meert, are sharing their top tips to help you achieve your health goals in 2023.

Setting Goals

When thinking about setting a goal, remember everyone is different. Don’t set your goals to meet someone else’s expectations. Find your own reasons to be excited and invested in your journey. Ryan encourages patients and staff to follow the SMART method, which stands for:

Specific – Make goals specific enough to be effective.

Measurable – Define how you will see progress and reevaluate when needed.

Attainable – Your goal should be realistic.

Relevant – Align your goals with long-term objectives.

Time-based – Set a reasonable date to keep you motivated.

Do you want to be stronger, faster, or healthier? Use SMART goals to set yourself up for success. Not only will you feel better physically when accomplishing your goals, but it improves your mental health by boosting confidence.

Goals can be challenging to keep. Seeking accountability partners in close friends or groups oriented around the same goals can help you stay motivated. Rewarding yourself along the way for making progress is also an effective tactic for maintaining motivation. Try rewarding yourself with an item that aligns with your overall goals, such as buying a new water bottle or pair of shoes.

Achieving Goals

Adopting a step-by-step approach is often helpful for people just beginning the process. Break down goals into smaller steps such as daily or weekly behaviors, where you can identify early progress. Consistently achieving smaller goals will help you reach your resolution.

If you are unsure of how to achieve the goals you have set, consider seeking help from a health coach, personal trainer, or doctor.

If you are struggling to meet a goal, take a closer look at what you have done to achieve it up to this point. Adapting routines to achieve your goal is sometimes needed. Life gets busy and can slow down progress, so think about ways to recover and get back on track. If you hit a setback, don’t be hard on yourself. Making meaningful improvements to your health is a journey, not a race.

Common Goals

A common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, which is best accomplished through a combination of healthy eating and consistent exercise.

If you are just starting your fitness journey, Ryan encourages you to find an activity you enjoy. This approach improves your odds of long-term success and can make the goal more attainable. Try researching activities online or checking out different fitness classes offered near you. Also, little changes to your routine can go a long way. Find ways to incorporate extra steps in your day like taking the stairs or parking farther away when running errands.

While exercise is critical, maintaining a healthy diet is also essential to weight loss. Hailey suggests making two or three small changes to improve your diet. This helps you work toward realistic, measurable goals rather than striving for something that could become overwhelming. Examples include eating vegetables every day, decreasing your consumption of sugary beverages, and trying to eat more whole grains. Also, focus on consuming heart-healthy (unsaturated) fats rather than saturated and trans fats.

Once changes become regular habits, look for other small but meaningful changes you can make to your routine. This incremental approach helps to establish healthy eating patterns that last a lifetime instead of cycling through different diets.

At Cameron, we are passionate about helping our patients achieve their goals. If you are interested in meeting with a professional to help you on your journey, visit cameronmch.com/services/dietitan-services/ to learn more about our extensive services in weight management, dieting, and wellness.