Tips for New Years Goals: From the BodyMatters Team

Do you want 2018 to be different from 2017? How fantastic would it be if 2018 is a life changing year for you, for all the right reasons. If you are thinking about establishing some goals, some tips from our BodyMatters team are below:

Amy Newsom suggests: 

1. Every New Years I challenge my group of friends to the 5&5 Game – five things they are proud of or that they achieved in the past year, and five things they would like to do or focus on in the new year. I think that recognising progress / change / achievements you’ve already made (particularly if you tend towards perfectionistic thinking) is just as important as setting new goals.
2. Aim for progress in small steps, rather than big goals.
3. Ignore all the pressure to set number-based goals – especially if it relates to weight loss! Go back to your values and think about what is really important to you in living a fulfilled life; these should be the things you set goals around.
4. Be realistic – it is much easier to set goals while you’re sitting in a deck chair on a public holiday than to actually achieve them while you’re working or juggling your everyday life – don’t set yourself up for disappointment!

Georgie Lavan recommends:

1. Make SMART goals – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-based.

Emma Sheens advises:

1. Avoid ‘quantity’ or number based goals.
2. Create goals with others to make them more enjoyable, for example, planning a holiday with friends to that place you’ve been dying to visit or saving up for tickets to that concert you’ve been wanting to go to.
3. Ask a trusted friend whether the goals you’re setting are realistic, achievable and healthy for you.
4. Avoid using rules in the process of achieving your goals. Rules are made to be broken and therefore aren’t usually helpful when trying to achieve a goal.
5. Always set a self-care goal!! One that’s achievable on a day-to-day basis and relatively inexpensive so to make it sustainable. For example, having a cup of tea each morning to ease you into the day…or moisturising before bed…or putting on perfume/cologne each morning before work…

Shweta Israni proposes:

1. If you are setting a goal, make sure its something you really want for yourself and not just because you think you should be doing it.
2. Be realistic – have a plan in place to achieve your goal, think about how you might make it work.
3. Take small steps – big changes take time.
4. Reward yourself for every step you achieve toward your end goal.
5. Talk to someone you trust to give you support and encouragement to help you reach your goal.

 Maddie McCormack advocates:

1. Instead of forming resolutions that are based on your perceived shortcomings (particularly around appearance), focus instead on resolutions that are based on the values you want to prioritise more in your life.
2. Avoid setting yourself up for failure by managing your expectations.
3. Ensure goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely).
4. Plan rewards for when you achieve your goals.
5. Enlist the use of a support person to ensure that your New Years goals are being made by your “healthy self”and not the “eating disorder self””.

Kylie Mosley commends:

1. Follow the principles of SMART goals (be Specific about what you are trying to achieve, be able to Measure progress, make sure goals are Achievable and Realistic, and they can be completed within a Timely and realistic timeframe).
2. Break larger goals down into smaller components using the SMART principles. If your goal is to get fit, you need to be clear about what this means (e.g., cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibility etc), what level you are aiming for, and how you plan to get there.
3. Understand what will make it easier and harder to obtain your goals (in other words, what will help and hinder you in the pursuit of your goal). Harness the things that help and work out ways around the barriers to your success. Support from others (friends, family, and professionals) in particular can help you to obtain your goals and hopefully have fun along the way!
4. Start small. We often set ambitious New Year goals but find that we have trouble seeing them through – this is usually because we have tried to initiate multiple complex changes at once that are difficult to sustain. Pick one small thing related to your goal and start there. Get some momentum and then make another small change, then another, and so on.
5. Think positively. As the saying goes, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right”.

Image source: Pixabay