Type 2 diabetes and healthy living: start setting realistic goals
Every time you like to take on a challenge for a result, you are setting yourself a goal. Goals can be ambitious or simple: if you stray too far in one direction, you risk wasting time. Too simple, and you may not care enough about the result and feel uninspired. Too ambitious, and you risk attempting something too challenging and finding more frustration than inspiration.
Aim for a balance. Set realistic goals that aren’t too easy but are within your reach. If you’re setting health goals, this is particularly important…
1. Set realistic weight loss goals. Let’s start with weight loss, as it is a topic of much debate and interest. Weight loss requires a more realistic approach than perhaps anything else. It’s one thing to say you’ll lose 30 pounds by the end of the year, it’s another to be able to keep going. It’s much better to tell yourself that you’ll take it a week or a month at a time, and then you’ll rack up small but significant amounts of progress.
A pound a week adds up quickly, and even if it’s a little low, it’s progress in the right direction. Don’t be too optimistic about what you can achieve in the long run. For now, worry about what you can accomplish in the coming weeks and months, and don’t run before you can walk.
2. Realistic nutritional goals. Nutrition falls under the same umbrella because without eating right you are unlikely to make any progress in weight loss. However, it’s best not to aim to drastically reduce your caloric intake, or make the same type of drastic changes to your diet. Start with small steps. Small changes in your diet will go a long way.
3. Feasible exercise strategies. Exercise is essential. If you’ve been sedentary and recently received a wake-up call like a type 2 diabetes diagnosis, you may have decided to change for good. This time will be different, you tell yourself: it’s a good start.
However, be careful about being overzealous. Don’t be too ambitious at first. If you are exercising to achieve…
- weightloss,
- lower blood sugar levels, or
- improving your cardiovascular health,
moderation is key. Going from zero workouts to five or more per week is too much and a difficult goal to maintain.
Instead, come up with possible exercise strategies. Try to exercise three times a week. Do this until it becomes an established routine in your life and you don’t need to think twice. If your nutrition is adequate, you will progress. You’ll also be more likely to enjoy your workout at the gym, the walks you take, and the fitness classes you attend.
Setting realistic goals is ultimately part of establishing a realistic plan for your health. Set health goals that you will achieve and accumulate these successes.