4 Tips to Achieve Your New Year’s Health Goals Quickly

Happy New Year! Now that the holiday season has ended, many Americans will turn their attention to resolutions, trying to make this year their healthiest yet. New Year's resolutions are a time-honored tradition that dates back 4,000 years to ancient Babylonia. Today, more than 30 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, often concentrating on health goals such as losing weight, eating healthier, exercising more and quitting smoking.

Unfortunately, by February, 64 percent of people have already given up on their resolution, and only nine percent will have maintained their resolution(s) by the end of the year. Resolutions can be challenging for several reasons. For most people, one of the biggest hurdles is setting goals that are too big and take too long to accomplish. But with the right approach and support, you can be part of that successful nine percent. Here are four tips to help you.  

Tip 1: Get an Update on Your Current Health Status

You can't set a goal to improve your health unless you know your current health status. Visit your doctor for an annual exam, which should be comprehensive and include advanced screenings and tests beyond standard blood work, blood pressure screening and EKG. One example is the MDVIP Wellness Program, which can help provide a clear picture of your health and highlight areas that need improvement to help prevent serious health issues. After your exam, you and your doctor should discuss your test results in detail and develop an individualized action plan that includes next steps, how progress will be measured, and a timeframe for follow-up.  

Tip 2: Set Realistic, Achievable Goals

Once you have identified areas of your health that could use some extra commitment to improve, talk to your doctor about adopting these areas as resolutions. It’s important to partner with your doctor. Some goals may need their input. For instance, if your goal is to quit smoking, your doctor can prescribe nicotine replacement therapy and suggest a cessation program.

They also know your strengths, weaknesses and health history, and understand which health goals need to be broken down into smaller, more achievable goals. For instance, setting a goal of losing 25 pounds over three months is an unreasonable and potentially unhealthy goal. Instead, your doctor may suggest that you aim for 12 pounds, and that your real goals should be to walk 30 minutes, 3 times per week, cut back on sugary snacks and skip second servings at dinner.  

Goals should be approach-oriented, emphasizing that positive actions result in positive outcomes. For example, "I'm going to work out because I want to be strong" or "I'm eating more vegetables because they’ll help keep me healthy." These goals embrace what you want to achieve. This opposes avoidance-oriented goals, which focus on preventing negative outcomes. For example, "I'm going to work out because I don't want heart disease" or "I'm limiting my sugar intake because I don't want to gain weight." While the intentions are good, these goals tend to produce less satisfaction and can even lead to negative feelings about your progress and lower self-esteem.

Tip 3: Build a Support System

Studies show people with a support system are more successful at achieving and maintaining their resolutions than people who do not. Social support helps you stay accountable to your goals, provides positive feedback and can function as a sounding board. This is why it’s important to build a support system and engage with them regularly to discuss your progress. Your support system can include anyone you think can help you, like a spouse, a friend, a sibling, workout buddies, online communities, a coach or trainer, or your primary care physician.  

Tip 4: Break Down Each Goal into Smaller Steps, Develop an Action Plan

Lastly, map out every step of your goal(s), including how and when to accomplish each step. It doesn’t matter if your goal is going to bed earlier or reducing your alcohol consumption; every goal consists of a series of steps. For example, if you’re trying to quit smoking, you’ll need to pick a quit date and then select dates to talk to your doctor about nicotine replacement therapy, register for a smoking cessation program, stop buying cigarettes and discard unused cigarettes and paraphernalia like ashtrays and lighters. Another example is weight loss. If your primary care physician approves this goal, you’ll need to plan when to visit a dietician and/or a fitness trainer, gather items such as gym clothes, sneakers, a water bottle and healthy recipes, and establish a date to begin your weight loss efforts.        

Working with smaller goals can help keep you motivated and on track, so that you achieve your resolutions quicker and maintain them. Begin your partnership in health today by scheduling a comprehensive wellness exam with your primary care physician.