SMART goals and healthy eating habits

Struggling to Build Healthy Eating Habits? It Might Be How You Set Goals.

If you’ve ever been frustrated trying to build healthy eating habits, the problem might not be a lack of willpower. Sometimes, failure comes from not knowing how to set effective goals. Read on to learn how the “SMART” goal-setting technique can help you make healthy eating a reality.

Introduction to the SMART Technique

SMART is an acronym. “SMART” stands for “Specific”, “Measurable”, “Achievable”, “Relevant”, and “Time-Sensitive.” In the rest of this article, we will see how to apply these to nutrition goals.

“Specific”

The first aspect of an effective goal is that it is specific. Specific goals are goals that are well-defined. For example, suppose you wanted to eat more fruits and vegetables. The goal “eat more fruits and vegetables everyday” is too general. “Eat five 1/2 cup servings of fruits and vegetables everyday” is specific enough to work.

“Measurable”

An effective goal is one which is measurable, so that you know when it has been achieved. Usually, goals that are appropriately specific are also measurable. The afore-mentioned goal concerning the fruits and vegetables is both specific and measurable.

“Achievable”

Often this is the hardest aspect of goal-setting. Often people who are determined to change their diets set unreasonable goals, and then become discouraged when they fail. Usually, realistic goals are goals that change your usual behavior in small steps.

Removing all sugar from your diet may not be realistic if you’re used to eating large desserts every night. Eating only one 1/2 cup serving of ice cream or a reduced fat frozen novelty instead of a banana split is a more achievable goal.

“Relevant”

Relevant goals are goals which you actually want to achieve. This may seem obvious, but people often embark on major life changes, from losing weight to having a baby, for the wrong reasons (Zack), such as to compete with friends or in response to pressure from family members.

Make sure your goals are your own, and that you want to build healthy eating habits for your own health and happiness, not be “better” than someone or to “get him/her off your back.”

“Time-Sensitive”

The last aspect of SMART goals is that they be time-sensitive. This means they have a beginning and ending date. Sometimes, open-ended goals can seem too overwhelming, because they seem to be things you have to do “for the rest of your life.”

A good time-line is a month. There’s a reason that software companies give you 30 days to try their products: that’s how long it takes to establish a habit (Pavlina, 2005), Once that month has passed, you can always re-establish the goal for the next month (if it worked) or refine it (if it didn’t).

Want more information about SMART goals? Check out this BrightHub article on SMART goals and project management.

References:

Pavlina, S. (2005, 14 April). 30 Days to Success. Personal Development for Smart People. Retrieved 4 June, 2010 from https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/04/30-days-to-success/

Zack, L. (n.d). 5 Wrong Reasons to Have a Baby. MSN. Retrieved 4 June, 2010 from https://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/article.aspx?cp-documentid=8518916