Want to smash your health goals this year?
It’s a new year which means new perspectives and time to set some new goals for the year ahead. It’s also a time to reflect on your 2020 goals, which goals did you reach, and which were you not able to fulfill? If you are unhappy with your progress in 2020 or just want to set great health goals for 2021, we will introduce a useful tool when it comes to setting your 2021 resolution. ‘SMART’ is a useful acronym for goal setting. It ensures your goals are:
S- Specific
M- Measurable
A- Achievable
R- Realistic
T- Timely
When we apply this to health goals, we can easily make and ensure the goals are achievable whilst making a meaningful difference to your health and day-to-day life.
S - Set a goal that is specific. If you are wanting to address back pain, work out what it is that aggravates this pain, how this affects your daily activities and what areas you are most concerned about. This information will help your chiropractor tenfold. Some other questions to consider are: what level of improvement are you wanting, and what are you willing to do to make sure this happens? Likely the most important question of them all!
M - Set goals that can be measured. Chat with us about how to measure your treatment success. Some questions to consider in this stage are: what should positive steps in recovery look like and for how often will I need appointments in order to reach my specific goals?
A - Set goals that are achievable. For back pain, reducing or eliminating pain is a process that requires attention through sticking to a regular treatment and rehabilitation cycle. You may need to shift your priorities if you feel as though your busy lifestyle does not allow time to devote to your health. Make an agreement with yourself that you will devote X amount of time to rehabilitation each week. This can include time to see us for treatment and any extra activities recommended by us during your consultation. This may also include massage therapy and exercises for you to do at home. If your goals are not realistic or achievable, they will not be sustainable in the long run. Consistency is imperative in rehabilitation!
R - Create realistic goals and expectations for your recovery. Unfortunately, recovery is not often a process that can happen overnight. This can be frustrating and stressful as sometimes, as patients, we don’t consider longer recovery timelines. For example, you might be experiencing headaches, which you wish to go away by tomorrow; however, there may be underlying issues that need to be corrected for the headaches to reduce in severity and duration. This is when a medical professional comes in. Your GP or chiropractor will be able to help you work out what a realistic goal would be, depending on your individual case.
T - Create goals that are time-bound. Create a time schedule and stick to it. Having regular appointment times, for example, 2pm on Thursdays, may help you remember your appointments and will create a regular routine for your body, which may, in turn help your body respond to the treatment better. It’s also important to consider time when considering your busy schedule and specific back problem. For instance, it’s all well and good to say, “I want no back pain ASAP” but it is more realistic to create a specific date of “I want no back pain by the 1st of May!” This gives you a ticking clock, which then motivates you to get the ball rolling and keep it rolling until you reach your endpoint.
So, let’s tackle that pain and start the year off right with SMART goals for the future! This framework can be applied to any other goals you may have – so run them through the SMART test and see how they go! No matter what your goal is in 2021, let us help you get there. Book an appointment today and take the first step to a year of goal kicking goodness!