How to set goals for yourself

On this page we cover:

• What is a goal?
• Breaking up a big goal into smaller goals
• How do I pick a goal?
• Goal ideas
• Goal preparation
• Stumbling blocks
• Adapting goals
• Why can’t I make or stick to goals?
• Following through on goals — examples

Lots of us have good intentions when it comes to health, for example wanting to eat more healthily, lose weight or reduce stress.

But without a specific goal we understand that it can be easy to do nothing. Feeling overwhelmed can also lead to inaction.

If there was one thing you could do to improve your health, what comes to mind? And if it’s a big thing, what small steps could you break it down into?

Setting goals for yourself and changing habits can be a really hard thing to do, we know. But it is always worthwhile. Some people call it ‘behaviour change’. Small changes all add up and make a difference. And we’re here to help and support you.

“I remember there was an elderly gentleman who was probably in his late 70s/early 80s and for about 20 of those parkruns my goal was just to catch him up.” Forum member

What is a goal?

A goal is a target you’d like to reach – something specific. To make it more likely you will stick to it, it may help to think about:

• Why this goal is important to you? (motivation)
• When do you want to have reached your goal? (time limit)
• What are the things you are going to do to help you reach this goal? (preparation)

“The only thing that has ever helped me when setting goals is finding a real motivation. Something I want to do, rather than I should do." Forum member

Breaking up a big goal into smaller goals

If you’re aiming for a long-term big goal, break it into smaller goals. This will make it less overwhelming. You can then celebrate wins on the way. See our examples below:

• If your big goal is to lose a stone, (6 kgs) you could aim to lose one pound per week on average.
• If you wanted to do our One Million Step Challenge, before the event starts, you could set small weekly goals to build up your daily steps. See the tips on our walking page for ideas.
• If you wanted to do Dry January – a month where you commit to having no alcohol – you could build up to it by increasing how many days a week you aim to have alcohol free in the months beforehand.
• If you wanted to start running, you could do couch to 5K which has small goals built in.

How do I pick a goal?

To pick a goal, think about what really matters to you and what you would like to achieve. You may want to take a day or two to think about it.

If nothing comes to mind, look at the categories and goal ideas below. It could be that there is a category that speaks to you, such as a goal to improve sleep.

Or call our helpline on 0345 123 2399 for a chat to help you come up with a goal to suit your individual health needs. You might want to come up with a big goal and break it into smaller goals. Or start off with a small goal. See our ideas for smaller goals below.

Healthy eating goal ideas

• Cut out sugar from hot drinks.
• Try and add two tablespoons of veg to my dinner.
• Switch from white bread to brown.
• Aim to cook meals from scratch, rather than ready meals, for two days a week.
• Aim for four alcohol free days each week.

Goal ideas to help improve sleep

• Go to bed at 10pm at least three nights a week.
• Avoid screens (TV, computer, mobile phone) one hour before bed four nights a week.
• Spend 15 minutes before bed doing relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises or meditation – or follow an online one – every night.

Activity goal ideas

• Walk round the block after lunch on workdays.
• Set an alarm to stand up at regular time intervals if at home seated.
• Do one of our four-minute seated exercises (YouTube) workout twice a week.

Goal ideas to reduce stress

• Take my full lunch break.
• Volunteer two hours once a month for the community garden.
• Join the weekly beginner’s yoga class at the church hall for a term.
• Do a 10-minute tai-chi workout from YouTube one evening a week.

Smoking-related goals

Book and attend a session with a non-smoking advisor.

Preparation for your goal

Once you’ve set a goal, it’s important to prepare for it. Think about what you might need to do or any equipment or support you might need to help you achieve your goal.

If you plan to lose weight, for example, you’ll need to decide if you’re going to:

• use a meal plan
• join a weight loss club and follow their method
• swap unhealthy snacks for healthier snacks
• stick to three meals a day
• try a different way.

You may want to decide how often you’re going to weigh yourself. And who you can call on for support.

Stumbling blocks

It would be surprising if you set yourself a goal and everything went smoothly. Life has a habit of getting in the way.

“I was doing really well until an accident made exercise more difficult.” Forum member

Remember, there will be good days, not so good days and better days.

Not so good days

You didn’t have a good day. You didn’t stick to your goal and now you feel even worse. Even with the best intentions, we all have these days.

“Be kind to yourself and don't beat yourself up if you have a little 'blip'. Tomorrow is another day.” Forum member

Adapt your goals when needed

Try and fit goals into your life rather than around it.

Examples:

• It’s your best friend’s birthday but her big celebration is on the night you’ve been going to your new exercise class. On this occasion, you decide to miss the class. But you have time to do a 15-minute walk before you go out.
• Your goal was to go swimming twice a week. But you’re juggling too much. And it’s not working out. So, you’re now going once a week – it's a good start.

Why can’t I make or stick to goals?

Sometimes there may be obvious or underlying problems to why you’re unable to set or stick to goals.

It could be you’re picking goals that are unrealistic or within too short a time frame.

Or there may be underlying reasons for things you’re finding it difficult to change. For example, you may not be sleeping well because you’re worried about something, for example, debt, a redundancy programme at work or a sick child.

It could be diabetes related. You want to start running but you can’t because you have hypo anxiety or a new insulin you’ve been prescribed is causing side effects. Or you’re worried about diabetes complications.

In this case you may want to get support to help you address the problem. Calling our helpline on 0345 123 2399 is always an option or reaching out on our forum.

There may be some things you can’t control. So, try and focus your efforts on what you can change.

You’re doing all the right things already

Sometimes you may feel you’re doing everything you can do to keep yourself healthy and you don’t think you need to make goals. And this may be a cause for celebration. But sometimes it could be that you’ve made lots of health changes and you’re not sure what else you can change.

Or you’ve made changes but it’s not helping you reach a long-term goal such as lowering your average blood sugar levels (HbA1c). It's important to recognise and celebrate any positive changes you’ve made – even if you don’t achieve your initial goal.

Review your progress

It's important to review your goals and progress regularly to help keep you on track. Reviewing your progress can help you to build confidence and keep focused or motivated. It will also help you identify what worked well for you or anything you might want to adjust a little.

Reaching your goal

If you’ve reached your goal, don’t forget to congratulate yourself. You may even want to reward yourself, whatever that looks like.

“Setting mini rewards for each target reached, a small thing from online or a non food treat I really want gives my mind something to aim for." Forum member 

You might then review:

• what you have learnt that you can take forward into your next goal
• what worked well – or what didn’t work well
• if you’re going to continue with this goal or set a new one.

How can goals help with diabetes?

Setting and reaching health goals won’t help overnight, but longer term, they can:

• help you keep your blood sugar levels within a target range
• help prevent type 2 diabetes if you are diagnosed with prediabetes
• motivate you if you’ve been on a type 2 prevention course and are finding it difficult to stay on track without the support.

Examples of setting up and following a goal

You’ve set your goal and prepared for it. See below two examples of following a goal: