Happy New Year! The start of a new year is the perfect time to reflect on what we accomplished in the past and set our sights on what we want to achieve moving forward. As a physical therapist and host of Your Healing Team Podcast, I’ve seen firsthand how a simple and focused approach can make all the difference when it comes to achieving health goals. Here’s a framework I’ve used successfully with my clients, and I’m excited to share it with you.
Step 1: Define Your Health Goals
Start by brainstorming all the health goals you want to achieve in 2025. Write them down—get them all out on paper. Once you have your list, focus on identifying the one top goal you want to prioritize. Why just one? Because focusing on one primary goal makes it easier to stay consistent and evaluate your progress. Whether it’s normalizing your blood sugar, improving your bone density, training for a 5K, or healing a specific injury like tennis elbow, choose the goal that matters most to you.
Step 2: Break It Down into Components
Most health goals can be broken down into two main components:
Nutritional Changes: What dietary adjustments can help you achieve your goal? For example, if you’re working on normalizing blood sugar, you might focus on reducing added sugars and eating balanced meals.
Exercise or Movement: Identify a fitness routine or movement practice that aligns with your goal. For instance, if you’re training for a 5K, you’ll want to incorporate a running program. If you’re healing an injury, targeted rehab exercises will be key.
The beauty of this approach is that these components often overlap. Nutritional improvements and regular exercise will benefit almost any health goal, whether it’s running a race, lowering cholesterol, or increasing strength and mobility.
Step 3: Implement and Track Your Progress
Tracking your progress is crucial for staying motivated and measuring your success. Here are some tips:
Workbooks and Checklists: Create a daily or weekly checklist to track key activities like your workouts or nutritional habits. For example, if you’re participating in Dry January, check off each alcohol-free day.
Wearable Devices: Consider using fitness trackers or apps to monitor your activity levels, steps, or sleep patterns. Data can be incredibly helpful for refining your approach over time.
Visual Cues: Print out a training schedule or tracking sheet and post it on your fridge. Being able to see your progress at a glance can boost your accountability and motivation.
Real-Life Example: Setting Goals with a Community
In my Optimize Wellness Naturally Membership, we’re kicking off in January with two simple but effective challenges:
Dry January: A nutritional challenge that benefits everyone, whether you’re a regular drinker or someone who only indulges occasionally.
29-Minute Fitness Classes: These workouts are designed to boost metabolism and build fitness gradually. The goal is to complete three sessions each week throughout January.
These challenges provide structure and are easy to adapt to individual health goals. Members use workbooks and trackers to stay on course, and we’ll also explore wearable devices to deepen our insights over time.
Focus on Healing: A Special Note for Tennis Elbow
If your goal is to resolve tennis elbow in 2025, know that it’s absolutely possible. You’ll need to focus on nutritional strategies, targeted exercises, and tracking your progress. My book, Tennis Elbow Relief 2.0, is a great resource to help you along the way. Regularly measure improvements in pain, strength, and function to stay motivated and on track.
Ready to Get Started?
Whether you’re setting a goal to complete a race, improve your health metrics, or recover from an injury, the key is to focus, break your goal into actionable steps, and track your progress. With this approach, you can achieve amazing results in 2025.
If you’d like more guidance, join us in the Optimize Wellness Naturally Membership. It’s a supportive community designed to help you stay consistent and make lasting changes.
Here’s to a healthy, happy, and goal-crushing 2025! Let’s make it your best year yet.
Want to dive deeper? Listen to this episode of Your Healing Team Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch it on YouTube. Let’s take the first step together!
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