Here in Birmingham, the weather has been downright nasty for the past month: rainy, muggy, and cloudy on a daily basis. This type of weather can sap motivation and make you want to stay inside as much as possible. However, bad weather is no excuse to stop moving!
August is often a transitional month, going from summer to fall and maybe back to school for some; why not also let it be a month to try some new physical activities that will switch up your routine? Try dancing to your favorite music, chair yoga, tai chi or an exercise video. You can also try something new in the kitchen! Take time to navigate our website or contact any of our information specialists with any questions about physical activity and nutrition that you may have.
At NCHPAD, we continually take time to evaluate our yearly work goals. Are we taking the best steps toward our goals? Do we need to make adjustments? Are the goals still good ones or do we need to change them and work toward other things? What about changing focus to something else for a few weeks to get re-energized? Asking these same questions can help you establish and achieve your own health, fitness, and nutrition goals.
How organized you are and how far ahead you plan will help determine what goals you want to achieve this month and/or by the end of the year. You can set several different goals relating to such activities as getting ready for school, getting more physical activity, eating more vegetables, reading a book each month or planning for the holidays.
Whether you are setting new goals for a month or longer, don’t forget to be S.M.A.R.T.
Specific: Be specific about your goal - very specific.
Measurable: Be able to keep a record as you work toward your goal.
Attainable: Identify the steps you must take to reach your goal; modify the steps and/or the goal as needed.
Realistic: Can you reach your goal?
Timely: Hold yourself accountable. Set up a realistic time schedule (one to four months) that you can keep until your goal is reached.
To get more information on setting SMART Goals and how to phrase your goals so you can accomplish them, check out the following NCHPAD articles.
http://www.ncpad.org/71/525/Motivation~Through~Goal~Setting
http://www.ncpad.org/828/4218/2010-07~Issue~~Goal~Setting
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