- We are now about 6 weeks give or take from New Year’s Day. Of all the folks who made New Year resolutions, only about 40% are still committed to the desired change. And the further we go into 2014, the lower that number becomes.
Last year, Adam wrote about SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timed). Often, when we are unable to maintain a behavior change for an extended time, it is because the chosen change was unrealistic to begin with.
Goal setting is an important strategy in the process of behavior change, and for success to happen the goal has to be individualized. Another model for setting very specific goals is the WHAT system recommended by the authors of Inspiring and Supporting Behavior Change: a Food and Nutrition Professional’s Counseling Guide.
- W stands for what the person will do, when he/she will do it, and where he/she will do it.
- H is for how much or how many, and how often.
- A stands for achievable and believable.
- T represents the time frame for accomplishing the goal.
Regardless of the goal selected, self-monitoring is a necessary activity. Free online tools like SuperTracker (www.SuperTracker.usda.gov) can assist you in tracking diet, weight and activity goals. In addition, new smart phone apps come available almost daily. Ultimately, the best system or app is the one that works for you and you consistently use.
Post by Nadine
ChefAdamRD
nadineandadamblog
