Why is health so hard?
You know the basic practices of health: don’t smoke, limit alcohol, eat mostly whole foods, exercise regularly and get enough sleep.
Even though studies show the benefit to following these low-risk lifestyle behaviors could increase life expectancy by up to 14 years, as a whole, our American population doesn’t do the above things well. Only about 6% of Americans practice all the above basic, healthy habits on a regular basis.
Even though there is a basic clear motivator of feeling good and an unseen motivator of knowing that our cells and organs would benefit from changing health habits, many people just can’t seem to stick with a plan for making the change.
Part of the inability to stick to new changes lies in not knowing how to change. Though it seems that it should be easy to simply decide and act on it, change is a process with multiple stages. Making a lifestyle change for health requires a well laid out plan. For instance, you can’t go from being someone who never exercises to running a marathon without some steps in between.
A very popular methodology used in the health and fitness industry is found in the acronym SMART.
This method aims to help an individual establish and obtain their goals by making them:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-bound
If you’re ready to set SMART goals around your healthy, considering hiring a nutrition and health coach to help your through the process. With a coach, you get one-on-one support to make sustainable changes through learning consistency and other strategies. The SMART methodology will empower you to accomplish your goals.