Six strategies to help you reach your goals 6 March 2023 Are you among the 70% of Australians who use the start of the year to set some goals? With 2023 well underway, it is a great time to reassess your New Year goals and resolutions and think about what you really want to achieve. Whether your goal was to quit smoking, improve your dietary habits, lose weight, or become more physically active, things don’t always go to plan. Sometimes we get distracted and lose focus, and this impacts on our commitment to sticking to the strategies which step us towards those goals. It’s also important to plan for relapses, so you know what to do when the energy and excitement of reaching your goal wears off. A study by Oscarsson and colleagues (2020) found that people with approach-oriented goals were significantly more successful than those with avoidance-oriented goals (58.9% vs. 47.1%). That is, the people striving to reach or maintain a desired outcome were more likely to reach their goals than those who were focused on avoiding or eliminating an undesired outcome. For example, “I will exercise to stay strong and fit” (approach-oriented) versus “I will exercise to avoid heart disease” (avoidance-oriented). 1 Set SMART goals Is your goal specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time framed? If your goal is vague, you won’t know if you have reached it. For example, if your goal is “to lose weight”, try redefining your it to “I want to lose 5kg in the next six months”, then work out some strategies to help you achieve this. Make sure you write your goal down and keep it where you see it regularly. 2 Think ahead What obstacles or barriers might pop up over the coming weeks and months? Be thoughtful about what you want to achieve but realistic about potential hurdles. Preparation is key to success so it’s always helpful to plan ahead and make changes as appropriate. 3 Ask for support Recruit your friends and family to help support you towards reaching your goal. This might include someone at home assisting you with meal preparation or joining you as your workout or walking buddy. This helps with accountability and can increase motivation for making and sustaining lifestyle changes. 4 Try documenting your progress Write it down! If you’re striving to lose weight, write down what you ate, document how much exercise you do, and weigh in each month to track your progress. It’s a great visual to see all the hard work that you’ve done! Not only that, but it will provide some insight into what’s working and what is not. 5 Focus on one goal at a time You might be working towards achieving several health goals but perhaps you need to focus on the most important goal first? This could be the goal that will have the greatest impact on your health and wellbeing, and that will likely have a positive impact on other areas of your life. 6 Embrace the process Making lifestyle changes is not easy, because it’s different and it’s a change to your routine or habit. Embracing change means you want to try new things, be adventurous, or improve yourself. If you miss a day of walking or eat something you were trying to avoid, don’t beat yourself up, just start again tomorrow. By Hayley Nicholson, Exercise Physiologist and Credentialled Diabetes Educator
Media releases 4 December 2024 Diabetes Australia announces $40 million for research Diabetes Australia has announced it will invest $40 million in diabetes research over the next 10 years. In light of... Continue Reading
Blog 3 December 2024 Most-read articles of 2024 As 2024 comes to a close, it’s interesting to pause and reflect on what has resonated deeply with our community... Continue Reading
Blog 3 December 2024 Medical device recall: Accu-Chek Spirit 3.15 ml cartridge system There is a potential for insulin leakage with the Accu-Chek Spirit 3.15 ml cartridge system due to a manufacturing problem. Continue Reading