Setting up new health goals can feel exciting at the start. Our motivation is high, we are feeling optimistic and looking forward to seeing outcomes. However, once we get going, it usually becomes apparent that change doesn’t happen as fast as we would like.
This can turn exciting goals into what feels a bit more like a challenging mountain climb. It can make simple-sounding health goals such as “lose weight” and “eat healthier” feel overwhelming.
Part of the problem with having broad goals like that, is that, it is hard to know where and how to start. Successful goal setting comes from breaking these bigger goals into small, specific and incremental changes over time that feel achievable. Over time, you can chip away at that bigger goal while gradually increasing your confidence along the way.
What are the drawbacks of having big goals?
The main issue with big goals is that they are often all about the outcome rather than the actions or habits required to get there. For example, when people set a weight loss goal, it is usually focused on the end weight or amount to lose. However, this doesn’t help you know what to do each day to get there.
Big goals can also feel overwhelming at times – especially if you have a setback or come up against an obstacle. This can make it easy to lose your confidence (and motivation quickly follows). This can lead to what we call an “all-or-nothing” mindset. So, unless you are getting it right 100% of the time (which is so unrealistic!!), then it feels like there is no point in doing anything at all (which will get you 0% closer to your goal).
What actually creates change: habits
Your habits are the bridge between what you want and what you do. Once established, habits help you to work towards your goal with less effort and mental load. This means you need less willpower to keep momentum going. Willpower feels plentiful at the start when your actions feel novel and you are feeling optimistic about the outcomes. However, willpower is a limited resource that starts to runs low when the boredom of routine sets in. This is where your consistent (even small) actions that have become habits are able to keep you moving toward your goals.
How to break a big goal into small habits
If we take a goal such as losing weight and break it down into small habits that will help you get there, it might look like:
- Eat breakfast before starting work
- Include a palm-sized portion of meat and at least 2 different vegetables at lunch
- Take 2 pieces of fruit to lunch for snacks
- Go for a short walk at lunch every day
- Plan meals and meal prep and shop on the weekends
Each of these is their own small habits that can be worked on together or maybe even just one at a time. Each one you complete each day is a step closer toward your goal. If you miss a step or a day, it doesn’t mean you start at the beginning, but it might mean you need to maintain or have more time practising the habits before continuing to make progress again.
Habit stacking instead of starting from scratch
Starting a brand new habit in your routine can be difficult to get started. Whereas a well-established routine will feel like a well-trodden path through a forest, a new habit can feel like you are cutting a new path through the jungle every day.
Habit stacking is the process of attaching a new habit to a well-established habit to make it easier to get going. For example:
- While making the kids’ school lunches, make some toast for breakfast.
- While cooking dinner, cut up some vegetables for tomorrow’s lunch
- After dinner, go for a 10-minute walk with the dog
- Arrive home from work and then put sneakers on and go for a 10min walk
- When sitting down for a meal, take 3 slow breaths to slow down your eating.
- Portion leftovers into containers before serving dinner
How to use meal replacement drinks with habit building
Meal replacements (such as Tony Ferguson) can be helpful when trying to establish new habits. Things don’t always go to plan but consistently repeating a habit helps it stick. Having a backup plan in the form of a meal replacement when you forget to bring your lunch or run out of time to prepare a meal can help you keep momentum.
Why small habits lead to weight loss
Although habits aren’t always about cutting calories, they can contribute to the overall quality of your diet, reduce hunger and increase your daily step count. Each habit on its own may not be enough to lead to weight loss, however, together they can be life changing.
Breaking goals into small, manageable habits make them more realistic and achievable. This, in turn, increases our confidence and gives us increasing motivation as each day goes by. To get started, think of just 3 to 5 small but meaningful changes that you could start putting in place today. Think about what other well-established habits you could stack them with. Then focus on actioning them as consistently as possible. The more consistent you are, the quicker the habits will become automatic.
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