Everyone knows you can’t just snap your fingers to change a habit or behaviour for the long term. For most people, changing a years-long habit can be quite a challenge. To make changes that stick, think about setting SMART goals!
The acronym SMART is your friend: it means that your goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based.
S – SPECIFIC. Describe exactly what you want to achieve. This will allow you to focus on a specific action, making reaching your goal far easier. For example, if you want to make changes to your diet, “eat leafy greens” is a more specific goal than “eat healthier.” Unlike the second statement, the first statement clearly describes what you will do.
M – MESURABLE. Decide on a quantity and frequency for your goal. If we take the previous example, you could say: “eat one serving of leafy greens at dinner.”
A – ATTAINABLE. Even if it’s a challenge, your goal should be attainable. Make sure your goal is in line with who you are, your tastes, your abilities, your know-how, the help and resources you will have at your disposal, etc. Continuing with the above example, eating a serving of kale every day would be a difficult goal to achieve if you hate the taste. However, “eat a serving of leafy greens at dinner” is a more realistic goal because there are many other vegetables you could eat: spinach, endive, cabbage, micro-greens, lettuce, etc.
R – RELEVANT. Your goal must matter to you. That way, you will be much more motivated and able to work toward achieving it. For example, you care about maintaining your cognitive health. You learn that eating leafy greens regularly helps to preserve cognitive function. That’s what makes your goal relevant to you.
T – TIME-BASED. Decide on target dates for your goal. For example, you want to achieve your goal in 3 weeks. The first week, you could eat one serving of leafy greens twice; the second week, 4 times; and the third week, every day.
Also be sure to have a good sense of your motivations and any obstacles. Motivations are the reasons why you want to change: “to feel better about myself,” “to lower my risk for certain diseases,” “to stay independent as long as possible,” etc. Feel free to write them down so you can review them regularly.
By being aware of any obstacles, you will be able to put in place effective strategies to better overcome them and reach your goal!
