If you want to set health or personal goals for 2024 but need help knowing where to start, you’re not alone. Many are in the same boat. If you’ve started but are struggling, you’re not alone.
We North Americans LOVE to make resolutions. But the “Quitter’s Day” title for the second Friday in January says it is all about our success with them.
I’m big on long-term health habits and the goal of longevity. Changing diet, fitness, and self-care habits takes dedication and effort. The silver lining? Once something becomes a habit, it gradually becomes more accessible to maintain.
Let’s make 2024 a year of self-compassion and progress. It’s okay if we don’t hit every goal perfectly every day. We will commit to changing our habits to reach our goals. This will happen within a realistic time. Small efforts can lead to significant changes, whether it’s health-related or as simple as making time for something like a 22Bet login.
Now, let’s get into some how-to guidelines. Planning is essential. Allow one to two weeks to complete the three steps below.
Table of Contents
Make a Health Goals List
List, in order of importance, the habits you want to build or break in the next six months.
Flag your top 1 to 3 habits. Then, consider the timeframe. Is it realistic to change many habits at once? Or do you need to tackle them one month at a time?
Big goals, like “healthy eating,” often need many habit changes. A gradual approach often leads to more sustainable long-term success (as outlined below).
Brainstorm Your Action & Critical Success Factors
Under each habit, consider all factors that support your goal and make it a permanent habit. If you want to lose weight, consider more than your diet. Sleep, stress, and exercise can help or hurt your success.
Create a Plan
Planning plays a crucial role in building or breaking habits. It’s not listing them but identifying the tools and how-to before diving in.
With a plan and support tools, you may succeed. This can lead to self-doubt, frustration, and giving up on your goals.
Sample Goal-Setting Plan
I will use ‘healthy eating’ as an example to walk through the three steps mentioned earlier. The same framework can be used for fitness, weight loss, and mental health goals. It also works for managing and reducing stress.
Name the Goal
I want a balanced diet that meets my daily physical and mental needs and supports my long-term health. Let’s outline some essential habits (or habit changes) that will help achieve this goal. Here are some key elements for a successful ‘healthy eating’ plan:
Habits to Create
- You should eat a balanced diet of macronutrients. It must include the right carbs, proteins, and healthy fats.
- Aim to drink at least ten glasses of water each day consistently.
- Increasing veggies & fruits
- Getting 40g+ fibre per day
- Eating on a regular schedule
- Planning & cooking more meals
- Practicing part control
Habits to Break
- Limiting refined sugar
- Reducing or eliminating alcohol
- Zero artificial sweeteners
- Avoiding processed & fast foods
- Reducing caffeine
- Reducing meat consumption
- Reducing salt
As you can see, ‘healthy eating’ goals break down into several smaller, specific habits. This is why the typical New Year’s resolution to go all in from January 1st often falls apart.
Start with your top three. Which are the top three sub-goals/habits with the biggest positive impact? For instance, your top three priorities might be 1) no alcohol, 2) eat out less, and 3) balance carbs, proteins, and fats.
Determine Critical Success Factors
Learning. You must know some healthy food choices to succeed with this ‘healthy eating’ example.
Identifying. Consider other habits or situations that might harm your progress. These can include insufficient sleep, too much stress, and a job that involves a lot of dining out. A busy schedule and family life can also make it hard to stick to your plan. Cooking for kids or living with others can make sticking to your health plan harder.
Identify potential pitfalls and avoid them when creating your plan (next steps).
Create the Plan
A well-structured plan is often the foundation of any successfully achieved goal.
The first step in building that plan is choosing the right planning tools that work for you. Is it an online planner, journal, or app*?
To establish healthy eating habits, focus on three things—first, meal prep. Second, track your daily food and drink intake. Third, schedule time for grocery shopping. These elements are crucial for maintaining progress. Once you’ve created new habits, much of this work will become second nature and have a big long-term payoff.
Build Your Food List.
Create a list of foods you will stick to 80% to 90% of the time. For a balanced diet, categorize your meals into carbs, proteins, and healthy fats.
Determine Your Daily Needs.
It’s always wise to consult a nutrition expert before starting a new diet. They’ll help you find your needs for calories and macronutrients. Make sure to include proteins, healthy fats, and carbohydrates for a well-rounded diet. You can use several online apps and calculators if this isn’t an option.
Create a One-Week Menu Plan.
With these steps in place, you can begin creating your meal plans. This piece can get overwhelming, so start with one week and build on it. There are countless fantastic online tools available for menu planning, and they can easily be customized to suit your specific needs (e.g., plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, Pescatarian, etc.).