Setting Goals

When thinking about setting goals in life, you typically take a look first at what you would like to accomplish in the distant future. Then you look at what you need to do now to reach your ultimate goal. We create the building blocks, or short-term goals, that you can stack together to realize a long-term goal. I recommend doing the same when setting goals for your health.

Take a look at where you are in regard to health status, and then think about where you would ultimately like to be. For example, Kathy, whom we will discuss in chapter 6, is an overweight person who has recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. She is not on a diet or exercise program. Her ultimate goal is to lose weight, become an active person who competes in charity runs, and avoid having to take medication to control her glucose. Obviously, without training for the charity run, she will likely not succeed in the race. So her short-term goal (building block) will be to start an exercise program slowly and safely. As a result of learning how to improve her eating habits, she will start to lose weight. Then when Kathy's fitness level improves she will begin to train for her race. Her goal of not taking medication will be in line with increasing her insulin sensitivity through exercise. She has to realize what her long-term goals are and then set up a plan or a series of short-term goals to achieve these ultimate goals.