3 Simple Rules for Creating Health Goals That Work

If you've ever set a health goal, felt motivated for a few days, and then watched that motivation disappear, this episode is for you.

The problem isn't that you're lazy or lacking willpower. More often, it's that the goal itself was set up in a way that makes consistency difficult.

In today's short episode, I'm sharing a simple 3-part formula for goal setting that will dramatically increase your chances of following through with your goals and building momentum in your health journey.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Why smaller goals often lead to bigger results
• How to make your goals specific so you always know what success looks like
• How to create goals that are easier to stick with, even when motivation fades

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WORK WITH ME:

• Seismic Shift: Group Health Coaching (code POWERFUL for 10% off)
• 1:1 Coaching

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💌 Connect With Laura:

1. Website: Health Coach for Teachers & Busy, Working Women
2. Instagram: LAURA B. | Teacher turned Health Coach | Podcaster🎙️ (@laura.b.healthy) • Instagram photos and videos
3. TikTok: Laura B. | Health Coach (@laura.b.healthy) | TikTok

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Topics covered in this episode: goal setting, healthy habits, health goals, motivation, health journey, weight loss goals, healthy eating goals, exercise goals, goal setting formula

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey, hey, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the Isn't She Powerful Podcast. This is a healthy huddle episode where I give you quick ideas for fast action. In this episode, I want to talk to you about goal setting. I talk a lot about goal setting with my clients and on this podcast, and the reason for that is because it is very easy for us to set goals that make it impossible for us to actually reach them. What we like to do is say, oh my gosh, I do not like the way that I look. I'm gonna start eating healthier. Or oh my gosh, I can't even walk up a flight of stairs without losing my breath. I've got to start going to the gym. I'm starting that on Monday. Those are really wonderful ambitions, but the thing about them is that they are not goals. They are not anything that is specific enough for you to lay your head down at the end of the week and say, Did I do this? Did I actually start eating healthier? Did I actually go to the gym? Maybe I went once. Maybe I ate one more vegetable than I normally eat. But was that really what you were talking about? Did you just want to do it one time or did you want to have something that was more consistent than that? So, what I'm gonna talk to you about today is three things that I want you to include in your goal setting. Whenever you set this intention that you're gonna start doing something, set it in this specific way. These three things need to be included in it. And if you do that, you are not only more likely to achieve your goal, you are also more likely to feel good about yourself while doing it because you're going to know without a doubt that you are actually on the track to achieving that goal. It's gonna make you feel really good and really motivated because you are going to be able to objectively say whether you are doing this goal or not. So, with that being said, let's get into this episode. Welcome to the Isn't She Powerful Podcast. I'm your host, Laura B, health coach, educator, and founder of the Be Healthy Lifestyle.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

I'm here to bring you all of the health education and motivation so that you can sign off each week feeling equipped and empowered to tackle all of your health goals. Come along with me as I teach you the basics of healthy living so that you can have everyone in your life say, Isn't she powerful?

SPEAKER_01 2:40

Alright, so each of these things are gonna start with an S to help you just remember it's gonna be just three short words that start with an S so that when you're goal setting, you can ask yourself, was it blank, blank, and blank? The first one of those S's is small. I want you to set goals that feel silly. I want it to be something that is so small that you're like, of course I'm gonna achieve that goal. Especially in the beginning. If you are just getting started on this journey, or maybe you've been on the journey and you're starting to lose the motivation, you're starting to lose some steam, you're starting to backslide a little bit, then you need to set really small goals. Things like I'm going to go on a 10-minute walk after dinner. 10 minutes, you've got 10 minutes. Okay, so I want you to set goals that are that tiny of a thing that way it's really like no-brainer that you are gonna stick with it. The next S is specific. I want it to be a very, very specific thing that you are going to achieve. This is the most important one because if you don't make them specific, you are never able to actually objectively say whether you are meeting that goal or not. And if you can't objectively say if you're meeting your goal, you are going to lose motivation so quickly. You need to be able to say, yeah, I'm doing it. And if I'm not doing it, then I can figure out why I'm not doing it and I can adjust my plans so that I can start doing that thing. Let me give you an example. Let's say that your very specific goal is I'm going to eat half a plate of vegetables at dinner every night this week. That way, every night when dinner time rolls around, you can clearly say, okay, I know I'm gonna put half of my plate of vegetables. And if I'm not doing that, I can ask myself, why am I not making half of my plate of vegetables? Maybe it's because I wasn't planned ahead enough, so I didn't buy enough vegetables. Maybe it's because I accidentally overcooked them and they're crispy and I can't eat them. So you can objectively say yes or no, I'm doing it. And if I'm not doing it, I can adjust my plans so that I can start achieving that goal going forward. Let's say you didn't get enough groceries at the store this week to be able to eat half of a plate of vegetables, then you can say, okay, I'm gonna run by the store on the way home from work tomorrow. I'm gonna grab a few more things of vegetables, I'll come home and cook those, and I'll make sure that tomorrow I am achieving this goal. You can easily say yes or no. You need to be able to do that. It needs to be clear cut what is the goal. Saying I'm going to eat healthier means nothing. There are a million ways to eat healthier. It could be adding more fiber, more protein, more color, more healthy fats. There are so many ways that you can start eating healthier, eating at home more, using the grill or the air fryer instead of frying things, proper portion sizes, like that could mean anything. So you need to make it very specific. What do you mean when you say you're gonna start eating healthier? Or what do you mean when you say you're gonna start going to the gym or you're gonna start drinking more water? How much more water? What type of water? When are you gonna drink it? Like be very specific about your goals so that you know whether you're actually achieving them. And the last S is shiny. Make them shiny and fun and something you actually want to do. Because if you absolutely hate vegetables of all kinds, and that's where you start, you say, I'm gonna start eating more vegetables. You are going to give up on that goal so quickly. Start somewhere else. Start with something that it doesn't feel like torture for you to complete that activity. For me, it was lifting weights. I felt like I really wanted to, that's where I wanted to start my exercise journey. It wasn't running. I was a runner in high school and I was not running. I'm still not gonna be a runner. I will never be a runner again in my life. That was a crazy thing for me to have done. But for some people, running is a vibe, and so that's their shiny goal. They want to get back to being a runner and get back into a routine with their running. That feels new and exciting and shiny to them. You want something that is going to motivate you. In the beginning, you need that. You need something that feels exciting. So, whatever way that you can entice yourself to bring some excitement into this health and wellness journey, that's what it's gotta be here. So, your three things that you are going to start working on whenever it comes to your goal setting, keep them small, specific, and shiny. And if you make your goals small, something that you can easily achieve in the beginning, you can add on to it over time. This isn't the entire basis of my seismic shift program. Our goals in the program, I give you weekly goals every single week of the program. And when you start off, they are so tiny and then they add on to each other over time. I guide you through this process. Keep them small and you will actually achieve them. And then keep them specific and you'll know objectively yes or no if you are achieving it. And make them shiny, and you are going to be so much more likely to sticking to doing them. So small, specific, and shiny. I hope you enjoyed this healthy huddle episode. I would love to hear what your small, specific, and shiny goals are. You can go down into the show notes. The very top thing that you are going to see is a link that says send us a text. You can send me a little message that says, Hey Laura, this is what my small, specific, and shiny goal is. Thanks so much for listening, guys. Thanks so much for being here. I cannot wait to see you again in another episode. Thank you so much. I can't wait to see you again next week. And always remember the more you know, the more you grow.