At the start of the year many people feel the need to have a ‘New Year’s Resolution’ which generally relates to drinking less, losing weight, giving up smoking, spending less money or perhaps spending more time with family and friends. This is all great but generally a few months into the New Year the novelty wears off and the ‘resolutions’ get forgotten.
We are already just a few weeks into the second half of 2016 so now is a great time to think about setting yourself new health goals. I personally think it’s better to set health goals at this time of the year rather than the beginning because at the start of the Summer you are thinking more about holidays, getting your bikini’s/swim shorts on and getting outdoors. I think that Health Goals will be far more achievable at this time of the year than any other because there is a motivation different to any other.
My Personal Health Goals
I actually started out pretty well in March/April time with my running and cycling until I sprained my ankle. Last week I went out again for my first gentle jog and felt really out of sorts but hopefully it won’t take me long to get back into it again. I am really unhappy with the way my body looks and feels right now so I want to get toned up and be as healthy as I can possibly be so that I’m a good role model to my children. I am trying to make a conscious effort to drink more water too but this is a little hit and miss at the moment. Give me time, I shall try!!
Ways to get your health goals on track
Living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be boring, especially if you make the effort to do it with friends or loved ones. Hubby and I are both working hard together and to motivate each other to try harder. Now when we contemplate reaching for a bar of chocolate or a glass of wine, we will ask each other if we really need it. The answer isn’t always no but you can’t deny yourself everything, can you?!
Quit Smoking
A number of my friends have made the conscious effort to quit smoking over the past year and with some outstanding results. When I asked them what made the turning point for them, about 80% said that vaping really helped them to quit smoking by gradually reducing the amount of Nicotine in the vape e-liquids like Vapemate until they had managed to get to 0mg of Nicotine. The added bonus, of course, has been that switching to Vaping has also helped them to lose weight unlike when they have previously attempted to quit smoking. They found that when Vaping they chose sweeter tasting e-liquids which would prevent them from snacking. I can’t comment personally as I have never smoked myself but it’s got to be worth a try if you are looking to quit.
Join a Gym
If you shop around you will find gym memberships to suit most budgets and the fact that you have signed up to pay a monthly fee will encourage you to get to the gym and make the most of the money you have paid. Again, I truly believe that exercising with a friend or partner is the way to go so that you can motivate each other. This is also a great way of making new friends which in turn provides you with greater support and motivation.
Eat Healthily
Everywhere you turn these days there are apps, books and celebrities showing you how to eat more healthily. Over the years I have bought countless cookbooks because I liked the pretty pictures of food but when it came down to it I barely cooked half of the recipes. That was until I found Lean in 15 and Deliciously Ella and now I have all of their cookbooks. We meal plan from them each week and are eater a much cleaner and healthier diet but more importantly, we are eating food because we enjoy it, not because we need to eat a meal. I have tried more new foods since buying these books than I ever have in the last 20+ years since I began cooking.
What goals have others set?
I was intrigued to find out whether other bloggers had any Health Goals and was impressed by what some had to say;
Midge at The Peachicks Bakery has set herself a great goal accompanied by her 8-year-old – didn’t I tell you to have a partner in crime?
I am going for 44miles this year over the 12weeks and my 8 year old is going for the 22miles! http://thepeachicksbakery.co.uk/aspire-channel-swim-2016-sign-now/
There’s nothing like a post-baby body to get you motivated to get healthy again. Motherhood is amazing and we wouldn’t change our babies for the world but it does feel good to get back to a body we want to show off again (or at least one we don’t want to hide away). Hannah at Budding Smiles says;
I’m 11 weeks post partum bow and am accepting that my body has changed far more this time around, so my main goal is to be able to run 5 then 10k by the end of the year and to feel happy with my new body once it’s healthy again. www.buddingsmiles.co.uk
It seems Hannah isn’t alone as Donna will tell you . . .
My youngest is 6 months old and I’ve still got 2 stone to lose. Someone took a photo of me and my girls at the park the other day that made me want to cry so I’m going to shed this baby weight once and for all! #positivepantson ???????? https://tiredmummyrants.wordpress.com/
Third-time Mummy Sarah has one thing on her mind at the moment and she isn’t getting much of it but that’s about to change;
Sleep is an important thing to me, so I’m setting myself the goal to get to bed at a decent hour at least three times a week. http://www.boorooandtiggertoo.com/
Sometimes our Health Goals can be thwarted medically but Jo isn’t going to let that stand in her way;
I’m’ hoping that getting my gallbladder out and actually finding out what I’m allergic to will help me loose the weight, as what ever else I do I’m not loosing any! https://firsttimevalleymam.com/
. . . and neither is Lorraine;
I want to tone up but I have arthritis so am restricted, I started hula hooping it has so many benefits for someone like me including improving joint mobility and posture.
Not content with one health goal, Joanna has set her sights on TWO! I really enjoyed reading her first post about drinking water as it’s something that I am trying to do more of myself;
I have a daily health goal of drinking 2.5 litres of water http://opposablethumbsblog.com/…/my-year-of-drinking… . . . and another daily health goal of 12K steps per day, 100K steps per week http://opposablethumbsblog.com/…/my-fitbit-birthday…
Over to you . . .
So what about you? Have you set any health goals for the remainder of 2016 or perhaps you have been one of the good ones and stuck to the goals you set at the beginning of the year?
I eat fairly healthily, but in summer it’s much easier to eat salads than in winter.
Yes we often struggle in the winter but since we started following Lean In 15 and Deliciously Ella we have eaten much better throughout the year.
I’m terrible at organised exercise but we do walk to school and back each day so I need to be doing something regularly during the school holidays.
I must admit I’m a little worried about what I’m going to do for exercise over the Summer holidays, looks like I shall have to rope the kids into a few exercise DVDs with me 🙂
I hate setting goals because inevitable I don’t reach them – but this is a very important topic and perhaps I should! Thanks for the inspiration.
I think the key is setting yourself small manageable goals make it easier to achieve. Good luck!!
I joined a Gym…went for about a month and now my money has just gone to waste! However healthy eating has helped me lose some weight.
Oh no, why did you stop going? Healthy eating is definitely the way to get started, keep up the good work x
Not got any goals as yet, but thanks for inspiring me to think of some xx
I think it’s good to have a goal, something to aim for 😉 x
I started this year by joining the gym and am not only still going regularly, but have also lost 2.5 stone and am a lot fitter than I was. By the end of the year I’d like to have lost another 2 stone maybe.
Wow that is amazing, well done you for sticking at it. I really hope you achieve your ultimate goal xx
At the beginning of December last year I set myself the goal of getting fit and healthy. I have just lost 4 stone and walk over 10KM everyday and am starting to get back into running too! I feel wonderful x
I have been watching your progression on SM and you have been doing a brilliant job. How on earth do you manage to walk 10km every day?? It’s such a good feeling when you get your body back again isn’t it, I hope to feel like that again in the not-too-distant future x
your goals are my goals but i seem to keep failing them unfortunately 🙁 Good luck to you!
Mine were thwarted again this week when my youngest son sprayed furniture polish on our kitchen floor and I made a fabulous impersonation of Bambi before smashing down on my knee 🙁
Ooh, ooh! I’ve just made a massive life change – no, instead of going to bed between 1.30 and 3am (!!) I make sure to go to sleep between 9.30 and 11.30pm and get up 5.30/6am to get some work done before the kids wake up. Such a small tweak, really, but it’s made a huge difference to my day, and how well I feel. I don’t seem to be getting ill as often either: coincidence? I think not! xx
That’s great, I know so many people who get up early and work before the children wake. I’m afraid I’m not a morning person and even if I was, our kids wake at the slightest noise so would be before my side before the computer had warmed up 😉 keep up the good work, really pleased to hear you are feeling healthier xx
No goals for me as such as I find if I set a target and break it, it gets to me x
It’s not for everyone xx
Good luck with your own health goals, mine are to take more time for myself for my exercise etc! Sometimes when I get busy I don’t always get to the gym or for a run so I want to change this!
Snap! It’s so easy to neglect ourselves and our needs isn’t it but I am starting to understand that I need to take better care of me so that I can be the best version of me for my family. Good luck x
I’m determined to continue to eat more healthily for the rest of the year x
I’m amazed by how well that we have got on since switching to ‘clean eating’. On the odd occasion we have been tempted to go back to our previous ways, we have ended up feeling worse for it (in more ways than guilt I mean). Good luck x
Good luck getting back in to running. I am sure you will be doing lots of miles again soon. I just want to not have any serious health issues this year. Although I have got a bike!
I have seen your bike, I love it! I think my running may be slightly halted with the Summer hols but I hope to find other ways of exercising whilst the children are off school x
Thank you for sharing this article. It is a great reminder that our health should take priority as it can be so easy to set others goals besides health. Without good health we can basically do nothing.
That’s exactly right. I had a really bad cold a couple of weeks ago and couldn’t function, once I shook off the cold I felt like I was walking on air and became so much more productive. It made me realise I need to take better care of myself x
Great post! I have so many goals but I have been really bad this year and put weight on! I have a gym membership, but do not go. I eat healthy but also love my sugar!! and I don’t drink enough water. I need to get back into a good routing but I think it will have to wait till after summer now, 🙂 I could just eat all those fruit and smoothies 🙂
We do have times where it all goes wrong. I’m worried about how I will keep on top of it exercise over the Summer but I’m hoping that I can enlist the children’s help 🙂
I want to start swimming when Sebby starts nursery in September
I’m hoping to do more exercise when JB starts at his new nursery in Sept too 🙂
My goal is to introduce more exercise inot my daily routine and I’ve been managing it. I started with half push ups and have now introduced squats and crunches and can see an improvement
That’s brilliant well done, it really is a case of starting out with baby steps and very quickly you can do more 🙂