Ditch New Years Resolutions for SMART Goals.

The New Year is upon us! So now is the time to refocus on your Health and Lifestyle and think about how to eat smart after the Festive Season of overindulging. Research has shown that 2 in 3 people fail their New Years Resolutions - so make sure to set your goals realistically with S.M.A.R.T Goals.

SPECIFIC

If you want to lose weight by eating a balanced diet the

specific goal may be to eat extra fruit and vegetables, exercise

for 30 minutes every day or reduce the amount of times you

eat take away. Think about when you want to achieve the goal

by and how can you do it.

MEASUREABLE

Set a numerical target. Decide how much weight loss you want

to achieve e.g. 6kg. This should be measurable on a weighing

scales. If you’re increasing your fruit and vegetables to 5

portions, do a mental tally or write down the number of

portions you eat each day. If you’re aiming to exercise for 30

minutes a day you could have a daily exercise sheet and a

timer to monitor your success.

ACHIEVABLE

Weight loss of 5-10% body weight has been shown to be

achievable for most people, or a loss of 0.5-1kg per week.

Therefore, if you are 76kg, an achievable weight loss goal is

5-10% of that e.g. 3.8-7.6kg weight loss.

REALISTIC

Weight loss is realistic if you aim for 0.5-1kg per week over a

period of 3 months. For example, it’s not realistic to say you

will never eat dessert again, but it is realistic to say you will

only eat dessert once a week. You could also set a goal of

running 5km in 40 minutes by week 12.

TIMELY

Set a deadline or period of time in which you must achieve

your goal. This means you are more likely to be motivated to

get there. For example ‘I want to lose weight in 3 months’.