By WIN Provider: Dr. Conner Overstrom, Chiropractor

As 2022 gradually comes to a close, many people will often want to make a change in the new year.

A lot of times this change comes in the way of a health change.  It could be that you want to lose weight, start an exercise routine, live a healthier lifestyle etc.

Often times we don’t know where to start to make this change. The change is too drastic making the goal hard to reach.

SMART goal setting is a tool that can be used to set specific and achievable goals.

SMART Goal Setting

  1. Specific: your goal should be clear and easy to understand
  2. Measurable: you want to be able to measure your goals, allowing you to track your progress. Adding numeral values can help with this. Ex. Walking 10km throughout the week
  3. Attainable: you want to make sure that your goals are realistic. Setting goals that are too high can result in low confidence and giving up on the goal. You also don’t want to set a goal that’s too easy, as this can result in low motivation. Choose a goal that requires hard work to reach, but something you’ll be able to accomplish.
  4. Relevant: set goals that mean something to you, and things that are important where you are at in your life right now. Think about “why am I setting the goal that I’m setting?”. Create a goal with motivation attached to it, “I want to walk 20km every week this month so that by summer so that I can walk 18 holes with my grandchild.”
  5. Time-Bound: include an end point for this goal. Knowing that there’s a deadline with help motivate you to get started. It also allows you to gauge your progress based on the “measurable” part of your goal.

Next time you want to make a change in your life whether it be fitness, nutrition, financial I encourage you to use the SMART goal setting tool.

Feel free to ask your WIN Health practitioner for their input as well, we can help you set goals and work towards those goals as part of your treatment plan.