Let’s Talk About Health Goals

What are your 2023 health goals?  Yes, I am specifically avoiding the term resolution.  (Send me an email declaring your health goals at 50MV@vital-life-chiropractic.com – see more info at the end of the post.)

Goals?  Goals are attainable, actionable, inspiring even, and lead to meaningful milestones in your life.

Resolutions?  They are often pie-in-the-sky, massive changes around something about which you feel bad or not good enough for right now, just as you are.  That is stinking thinking.  No wonder it’s hard to pursue resolutions!  Many times you feel defeated before you even get started and are constantly reminding yourself of lack.

I hope you see the distinction I am making here between health goals and new year resolutions.

What are your health goals for 2023?

A goal is something you can get excited about and feel inspired to address!  You can make an actionable plan for your goal(s) and you enjoy the process.  I’m sure you’ve heard that goals should be SMART.

SMART is an acronym standing for the following:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Realistic, and
• Timely

Specific means that a health goal is clearing defined, not just a nebulous statement with no clarity.
-Not Specific – I want to be healthier
– Specific – Three days per week, I want to use the weight machines at the gym

Measurable means that you can define your starting point and measure your progress towards your health goal.
-Not measurable – I want to walk more
-Measurable – I currently walk 4 blocks a day.  In 4 weeks, I want to walk 8 blocks
-Not measurable – I want to walk faster
-Measurable – I currently walk 4 blocks in 10 minutes.  I want to walk 4 blocks in 8 minutes

Achievable means that the health goal you set is actually something you can accomplish with reasonable effort.  This is why so many people feel discouraged with their resolutions.  They pick something so big that they never really had a chance in achieving it.
-Not achievable – I want to run a marathon next week (and I haven’t even walked a mile yet)
-Achievable – I want to increase my jogging from 1 mile to 4 miles by the end of July

Realistic means that your health goal is within reach and meaningful to you.  Even if a goal is achievable, it may not be realistic.  Let’s use the same example that we just discussed.
-Not realistic – I want to run a marathon next week (and I haven’t even walked a mile yet)
-Realistic – I am currently jogging 1 mile.  I want to jog 4 miles by the end of July

This is where having a purposeful or meaning goal is important.  If you hate jogging and will never make the time to run 4 miles (approximately 40 minutes to an hour) because it’s simply not that important to you, then it actually isn’t a realistic goal.  So, you decide what is important and purposeful for your health goal so that you can come up with something that is totally realistic for you.

Timely means that you define an amount of time to reach your goal that is likely to propel you into action quickly, keep you on track, and is a reasonable length to allow you to hit your health goal.
-Not timely – I want to lose 5 pounds by the end of the week
-Timely – I want to lose 5 pounds by the end of January

So, now that you’ve had this quick reminder on setting SMART goals, let me know what your health goals are for 2023.  Send me an email at 50MV@vital-life-chiropractic.com or complete the form below.  If I can assist you in any way, I will reply to your email with some useful resources.

Dr. Kalaba is a chiropractor in Tucson, AZ, practicing gentle chiropractic care and providing health tips to help you live the best rest of your life.