3 Mistakes to Avoid When Setting Health Goals

Knowing what do to when it comes to setting health goals so they can be met more easily, is always going to be valuable of course.

Sometimes, knowing which mistakes to avoid is even more valuable, because you’ll save precious time and energy. As a career woman, I know your time and energy is worth saving, so avoiding mistakes is therefore a must.

So, I’d like to share 3 mistakes to avoid when setting health goals for this year (or anytime), in this “mini” blog post.

#1 Setting a Goal That Doesn’t Excite You

You MUST set a goal that excites you. If it doesn’t, your “motivation tank” will go empty very quickly.

Motivation helps to drive your actions toward a goal. If you don’t start out with enough, you’ll peter out before you reach your goal.

As you work toward your goal, motivation can wax and wane depending on challenges and successes. If there are many challenges, especially initially, you will find that your motivation decreases more than it increases.

This can mean running out of motivation quickly.

I like to think of motivation as one ingredient (of many) in “goal fuel.” If you have a really long distance to go, you’re going to need a full tank.

In order to have a full tank, you have to have a goal that really excites you. One that provides multiple benefits to you, instead of just one.

#2 Thinking Your Goal is Too Big

No goal is too big. No matter what your prior or current circumstances are.

Many people make the mistake of not setting the goal they really want, because they think it’s “too big” of a goal.

This is usually because they are taking into account past or current circumstances and letting those determine what their future will be.

If you keep thinking and doing what you did in the past, you won’t change your future.

So, you have to change your future by believing that you can reach that big goal. When you believe you can, you automatically change your thoughts and feelings, and then your actions change too.

When you change your actions, you get different results than before.

This is something that’s not commonly taught when it comes to changing eating habits, but it’s so important and necessary.

• Related: Why I’m Able to Stay Strong and Lean Despite Getting Older
• GET WEEKLY TIPS: Eating Habit and Weight Loss Tips

#3 Not Giving Yourself Enough Time to Reach Your Goal

No goal is too big, but you do have to give yourself enough time to reach your goal.

If you are feeling rushed toward your goal, you’ll be working toward that goal from a place of “I have to” rather than “I want to.”

For example, if you set a really big goal of losing 30 lbs., but in 1 month, then you’re placing a short deadline on a big project and placing unnecessary stress on yourself.

You feel rushed, and worse, disappointed and like a failure, if your progress isn’t what you wanted it to be.

That’s a sure way to take the fun out of it and decrease the likelihood you’ll reach your goal. Once those negative feelings start coming, it’s tricky to get them to leave.

Final Notes

Just as it is important to know how to set health goals, knowing the mistakes to avoid can save you a lot of time and frustration, which is something that as a career woman, you certainly don’t need.

So, start setting those goals, no matter how unrealistic they may seem. You have nothing to lose and potentially everything to gain.