goals to make it stick

Making it Stick: Keeping up with your New Year’s GoalsFrankie Painter & Margaret Sheridan

SMART goals – set yourself up to succeed!

Write down one goal you have made this year that relates to nutrition, exercise or a lifestyle habit

OR…

if you haven’t made a goal this year, write down one you’ve made in the past that you did NOT succeed in meeting

Reduce the amount of added sugar in my diet

• Specific – instead of “I want to be healthier” say “I want to lose 20 lbs by the end of August”

• Reduce the amount of added sugar in my diet by not eating dessert each day

• Measurable – how do those pants fit?; chart

• Attainable – “to take brisk walks around my neighborhood 3 days per week”

• Reduce the amount of added sugar in my diet by eating dessert only 4 days/wk

• Realistic/relevant –don’t train for a marathon if you’ve never run a 5k

• Timely – have specific deadlines; short term & long term

• Short term – by the end of Feb, eating dessert only 4 days/wk

• Long term – by the end of May, eating dessert only twice per week

How do I make the change?• Make changes that become a part of your life – not

ones that last only long enough to reach your goal•Diets don’t work for this reason

• Choose one small thing to change – work on it until it becomes a habit then choose something else

• Find support – family, spouse, co-workers, friends

I feel a change happening…• Reward yourself when you reach your goal!

• Explore new options until you find something you like (group classes instead of exercising alone)

• Do a scaled down version of the real thing so you do something instead of nothing (allow yourself to walk instead of run)

NutritionNO! YES!

Think of your sandwich as a salad between 2 pieces of bread

Exercise• 30 minutes too much? – exercise in 3 ten-minute segments• Move more!• Don’t put away your gear – visual cues are a wake-up call• Invest in more workout clothes – having the right clothes removes

the hurdle and reinforces your identity as an exerciser. • Log your workouts online or use a journal– accountability

Facebook, DailyMile, Spark People• Involve your causes• Make friends with class regulars – social fix + physical activity• Create an exercise contest – Biggest Loser; office wars!

Office Strategies• Stand up to take phone calls• Swap your chair for a stability ball• Have walk and talk meetings• Stairs!• Use the restroom farthest away and drink lots of water so

you’ll have to walk there more often• Send your documents to a printer on another floor or on the

other side of the office• Create a screen saver that reminds you to stand up and stretch• Pace!

Women’s Health MagazineWomen who sit for more than 6 hours a day have a roughly 40% higher risk of dying from any cause, regardless of their fitness level, versus those who sit for fewer than 3 hours.

2011 study found that every hour of TV you watch after age 25 shaves 22 minutes off your life span.

An effective program is one to which the client adheres.

Questions?