Livability | Healthy wellbeing goals

Ashley Williams

26/01/23

Healthy wellbeing goals

At this time of year there is a tendency to want to improve our health, tied in with a wealth of information circulating about health goals that we should be aspiring to achieve. However, having too many health goals can leave us feeling emotionally exhausted. Today’s Everyday Wellbeing explores this further.

Why do our health goals fail?

So why does health, something that is supposed to make us feel and look better, drain us emotionally? Dr James Newman, senior lecturer in psychology at Sheffield Hallam University explains: ‘When we set goals according to what we see others do on social media, for example, we might not possess the skills to maintain the behaviour needed to achieve them. If you think about it, we are flooded with information – which is exhausting in itself – and when you start pushing yourself to do things that aren’t fuelled by your internal motivation, it unconsciously sets standards impossible to keep up with.’

‘Not everyone has the same opportunity or environment to achieve health goals,’ adds Newman. ‘Do you have the time, skills or money for healthy meal prep? The finance for a gym membership? Children to take care of? It is essential to have some perspective, choosing goals according to what is realistic for your lifestyle instead of letting trends set them for you.’

Perfectionism inevitably leads to emotional exhaustion

It’s Monday and you’re feeling really motivated. But by the time Wednesday comes around, life gets in the way; come 4pm, you’ve given up. This all-or-nothing approach is another way to drain your emotional battery.

‘We always start with the best intentions, but because we are so extreme with our health goals, we quickly get overwhelmed. When we can’t stick to a goal straight away, we internalise it as a failure and become demotivated,’ says Katie Sarah Forbes – a life and mindset coach.

‘Whether it is committing to a daily gym workout when you start from zero, or making a dramatic dietary intervention, it’s inevitable that you’re going to fall short because this mindset is very black-and-white – an all-or-nothing approach. But the truth is, there’s a grey territory in the middle that is a lot more realistic.’

Forbes continues: ‘We need to realise that instant, overnight gratification isn’t realistic. Any type of health goal will require time, patience, and consistency.’

Perhaps what is emotionally draining is trying to adapt our lifestyle to fit with our health goals, when really we should be making them work around our daily stress fluctuation.

Ways to set energising and achievable health goals

Define your why – sit with yourself, be honest, and ask yourself ‘why’ five times. This will help you dig deep into the value and motivation attached to a goal. Remember that your definition of success can still be success, even if it looks different from what others might view as success.

Make it smart

This popular productivity method can also be applied to your health goals. Smart stands for:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Timely

Ditch the pressure and be flexible

Pressure often equals emotional exhaustion. Health goals can be challenging, but if you want to succeed in real, sustainable change, they also have to be manageable. If you know that your schedule is packed this week, don’t be afraid to adjust your goals accordingly. And if you slip up, don’t allow it to ruin the rest of the week.

Keep your health and wellbeing goals simple

The Who Organisation, promote 10 simple lifestyle goals for healthy living:

Get adequate rest daily

People with the best health and longevity get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep daily
Taking time for daily relaxation and recreation can also be helpful to the body and mind

Get regular physical activity

Aim for 30-60 minutes of physical activity on most, preferably all days of the week
Include strengthening exercise 2+ times per week to maintain a healthy lean body weight.

Eat more plant-based foods

Aim for at least 5 (up to 9 is recommended) servings of fruits and vegetables daily
Limit fatty meats and high-cholesterol foods
Peas, beans, nuts, and soy foods are good sources of plant protein

Eat more wholegrain breads and cereals

Aim for at least 3 servings of whole grains daily (including brown rice and oatmeal)
Limit highly refined foods such as white bread, pastry, white rice, and sugary cereals

Choose healthy fats

Choose unhydrogenated vegetable oils and trans fat-free margarine in place of animal and solid fats such as butter, hard stick margarine, and shortening
Eat at least 1 serving of nuts daily (1 oz of nuts or 2 tablespoons of peanut or almond butter)
Eat foods high in n-3 fatty acids daily such as flax meal, walnuts, soy, or canola and soy oils

Achieve/maintain a healthy weight

A BMI less than 25 is ideal. A BMI of 30 or above indicates obesity and high risk
A waist girth of less than 37 inches for men and less than 32 inches for women is ideal
A waist girth of more than 40 inches indicates high risk for men and more than 35 inches is high risk for women

Be free of dependence on tobacco, illicit drugs or alcohol

85,000 people die prematurely every year due to alcohol overuse
Over 400,000 people die prematurely every year from smoking
Drug use can lead to dependencies that can destroy physical, mental, and spiritual health

Maintain a cheerful, hopeful outlook on life

Choose to see the bright side of life. Be happy. Laugh a lot. Pass on joy and hope to those you work and live with daily
Get help if you feel sad and depressed for extended periods of time

Spend quality time wth family or friends daily

Supportive relationships build strong hearts and happy minds. Practice a spirit of friendship, love, and acceptance
Share a daily kindness with someone you live or work with.

Take time daily for spiritual renewal

Plan a quiet time each day to read, pray, meditate, and seek spiritual renewal. A heart primed with gratitude, forgiveness, and service helps you soar over life’s difficulties and challenges

So whatever your health and wellbeing goals are this January, make sure you take fully into account your current lifestyle and energy levels. Work out what are the small things you could do to make the most difference. Don’t overload yourself with unrealistic goals, nor have aspirations to change too many things at once. When it comes to changing our health and wellbeing habits, the tortoise will often win over the hare.

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Written by Emma Browning, our pastoral and wellbeing lead at Livability Millie College. Emma has supported people to improve their wellbeing for over 20 years. Emma says: “Wellbeing is something woven through Livability’s work and I’ll be sharing some wellbeing themes and approaches in these blogs. My hope is that you enjoy reading them and they build a strong foundation for your wellbeing”