The ABC's of holistic health goal setting

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You set goals at work to see results and experience success. Does this sound familiar? You’ve had a busy week at work and your supervisor messages “How is _____going?” Your first response, after sifting through the calendar, checklists, and task manager reports, is “checking on the status now”. Well, why did it get missed in the mountain of to-do’s? You didn’t have a checklist or set a goal. If it isn’t tracked, it doesn’t make the cut of focused attention.

Setting health goals is just as essential in achieving overall wellness. Whether you are looking to lose weight, increase your energy levels, or improve your mental health, setting realistic and achievable goals can help you stay on track and motivated.

Here are Totalfit’s ABC’s for setting effective health goals:

Always plan

Always plan - your workouts/meals/etc (like scheduling appointments).

Each goal you’ve accomplished had two key elements - a goal or dream and a plan to get there. Plan today, or tonight for tomorrow’s success…or failure. Set out: clean workout clothes, a water bottle, sneakers, any equipment you’ll need. If you travel to the gym, have your bag pre-packed, maybe even buy a closet stacker and prep all the workout clothing you’ll need for the week so you can just grab and go. 

Meals are just as important to your success, well, maybe more so. We all know how busy the week gets and then we get caught off guard and end up eating whatever we find, most likely at a fast food or convenience restaurant. 

Totalfit Meal Prep Tips:

• Meal planning is a great way to save time and money. Plan meals for the entire week at one time, create a shopping list, then prepare and package meals in advance. 
• Batch Cooking: Batch cooking involves preparing large quantities of food at once and freezing them for later use. This is a great way to save time and ensure that you always have healthy meals on hand. Freeze in individual heat-and-go containers.
• One-Pan Meals: One-pan meals are quick and easy to prepare. They involve cooking all the ingredients in one pan, reducing the time and effort required for meal preparation.
• Salad Jars: Salad jars are a fun and easy way to prepare healthy meals. They involve layering ingredients in a jar, making them easy to transport and eat on the go. You can even branch out with hummus and veggies, pasta, fruit, or rice salads

Be looking for the victory

Failure is NOT encouraging. Victory IS! Change your mindset to search for victories in every area. 

As humans, failure is something that we all experience at some point in our lives. It’s disheartening, demotivating, and even depressing. However, failure does NOT define us. Instead of dwelling on failures, we must shift our focus to victories. By changing our mindset and searching for victories in every area of our lives, we can become more encouraged and motivated to continue pursuing our goals.

Victories come in many forms. They're as simple as completing a benchmark workout with better results or as monumental as landing our dream job. It is important to recognize and celebrate these victories, no matter how small they may seem. This builds our confidence and self-esteem, which ultimately leads to more victories.

When we constantly search for victories, we become more optimistic and hopeful. We start to believe that anything is possible and that we have the ability to achieve our dreams. This positive mindset can have a profound impact on our lives, as it encourages us to keep pushing forward even in the face of adversity.

Celebrate your accomplishments along the way, no matter how small they may seem. This will keep you motivated and focused on your overall health goals.

Carefully track - Keep a journal

Journaling develops healthy patterns and naturally creates mental space for growth. In essence it is practicing mindfulness. Record: workouts, progress, challenges or missed opportunities, emotions you’re experiencing, gratitudes and goals met. By taking the time to write down your thoughts and experiences, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your goals.

I know you’re wondering, but journaling about fitness and wellness helps? Yes! By tracking your workouts, for example, you can see all of your progress in a snapshot and identify areas you may want to improve. You’ll also note any challenges or obstacles you’ve faced, and brainstorm ways to overcome them in the future. In Totalfit, we use the Journal of Success to for this purpose. Scan this code to find more about this tool. 

Beyond physical fitness, keeping a journal of your thoughts and emotions can help you develop greater self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and increase your mental fitness leading to better holistic health. By reflecting on your feelings and experiences, you can identify patterns and triggers that may be holding you back, then work to develop healthier coping mechanisms.

Additionally, journaling can be a tool for goal-setting and motivation. 

1. Write down your goals and intentions-make them more real and tangible
2. Hold yourself accountable for achieving them-check progress and roadblocks
3. Use your journal to remind yourself of why you started on your fitness journey and to celebrate successes along the way

Did you know? 

• Studies show that if you set a goal for yourself, you have a 40% chance of success. 
• If you write it down, it increases to 50% success. 
• If you set the goal, write it down and share it with someone, it is about 60% success. 
• But if you do all of those and ask someone to hold you accountable, the rate of success reaches 70%. 

It is never too late to be who you might have been!

Setting health goals is an important step towards achieving overall wellness. Follow these ABC’s to see positive changes toward optimal health and feel better about yourself in the long run. Be patient and persistent while celebrating your successes along the way!