Ah, the festive season! A time when red, green, silver and white decorations fill the streets, when Christmas trees and light decorations go up, when the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping keep retailers busy, when schools close for the holidays, and work shuts down and road traffic becomes less nightmarish. I love this time of year!
It’s a time spent with family and loved ones, a time of celebrations and the rolling in of the New Year, and it’s generally synonymous with reflecting on the year just gone (Is it just me, or did 2015 absolutely fly by?) and thinking about the New Year ahead.
It’s the perfect opportunity to start fresh and set new goals, along with setting a realistic action plan to achieve these goals. Whether they be to be more active or to eat better, goals need to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) and have a realistic, achievable action plan otherwise it’s likely that pursuing these goals will only last till the end of January.
Here are some of my top tips to help you set healthy realistic nutrition goals and to help you achieve these goals.
- Set specific and realistic goals and put a time frame on them. Think about what it is you actually want to achieve, by when, and how realistic it is. Setting overly broad or general goals that are unrealistic will only set you up for failure and without a time frame, let’s face it, it’ll always get put off till tomorrow.
- Break larger goals down in to smaller goals. Breaking larger goals down in to smaller goals that can be achieved weekly or monthly will help you to stay motivated and will keep you on track. For example, mini goals could be to have a serve of fruit at afternoon as a snack rather than a chocolate bar or to add an extra serving of vegetables at dinner each week or to drink two extra glasses of water each day or to eat out one day less each week.
- Action plan! In addition to setting your nutrition goals, think about how you are going to achieve them. This might include setting one day aside each week to meal plan and meal prep so that you are ready for the week ahead. It might mean setting aside one evening each week to do a food shop and to shop with a list. It might mean learning one new recipe each week to start increasing your knowledge around the kitchen and your cooking skills.
- Be accountable! Seek help and advice from friends, family, and tell them about your goals and what you’re hoping to achieve or make an appointment with an Accredited Dietitian. Being accountable to, and sharing your goals with others will increase the chances of you sticking to your plan and achieving your goals. And an Accredited Dietitian can help to keep you on track by providing regular advice and guidance along the way.
The New Year and a fresh start is the prefect time to achieve your nutrition body composition, physical activity and lifestyle goals. Start thinking about what you’d like to achieve now and let’s make 2016 the best year yet!
For anyone wanting help and advice with setting nutrition and body composition goals and then advice on how best to achieve these goals, contact me for an appointment today on 0439335491 or margaret@fuelrightnutrition.com.au or contact Port Melbourne Physiotherapy and Pilates directly.
~Margaret Mielczarek
APD, AN, AccSD