How to Set Health Goals You’ll Actually Stick To

There’s something about the turning of a year that naturally invites reflection…. that stirs up the possibility of change.

But as I’ve learned (albeit the hard way), there’s an art to setting intentions or goals:

Why Traditional Goal Setting Often Fails

Lifestyle behaviours - things like food choices, movement, sleep and stress management - are some of the hardest habits to change, even when motivation is high. They become even harder when goals are vague, unrealistic, or disconnected from why we want them in the first place.

According to behavioural research, a goal is any desired outcome that wouldn’t otherwise happen without you doing something. In other words: goals require action - and sustained action requires clarity, structure and compassion.

Without that, motivation alone rarely lasts.

Common Health Goal Mistakes We All Make

When health goals don’t stick, it’s rarely due to lack of willpower. More often, it’s because of one (or more) of these:

• Trying to change too many habits at once

• Setting rigid, all-or-nothing rules

• Choosing goals based on “shoulds” rather than desire

• Focusing only on how to do the goal, without reconnecting to why

• Making goals so ambitious they feel overwhelming

One of the simplest - and most effective - solutions is using high–low range goals.

For example, it’s far easier to commit to moving your body three to five times a week than promising yourself you’ll exercise every single day. Flexibility reduces resistance, and consistency follows.

What Makes a Health Goal Worth Committing To

A health goal that actually supports change usually:

• Has some resistance - but not so much you avoid starting

• Requires small, repeatable actions

• Expands what you believe is possible for you

• Is a want goal, not a “should” goal

• Has a clear personal why

• Allows room for real life

This is where goal setting stops feeling like self-punishment and starts becoming self-trust in action.

How to Set Realistic, Health Goals

If you’re not sure where to start, the steps below are intentionally gentle but effective.

Step 1: Brain Dump First

Take a notebook or blank page and write down anything you’d like to experience or improve in your health, energy, wellbeing or daily life over the next 3, 6, 9 or 12 months.

Step 2: Choose Just Three

From that list, choose no more than three goals you genuinely want. Leave the rest.

Step 3: Make Them Clear and Specific

For example:

My goal is to move my body three to five times a week within an hour of waking - through walking, strength training or yoga - and or - to eat a savoury, protein-rich breakfast at least four days a week to support my energy and hormones.

Step 4: Add a Realistic Timeframe

Choose a future date that feels achievable with consistent effort - not perfection.

Step 5: Decide on a Reward

Pick something that reinforces the habit, such as:

• A yoga or Pilates retreat

• A nourishing weekend away

• A cookbook that supports the habits you’re building

Why the Outcome Isn’t the Only Measure of Success

Here’s the part we don’t talk about enough.

Even when you do everything “right,” you won’t always hit a goal exactly as planned.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is this: Working towards a goal is as much about who you become along the way as it is about achieving the goal itself.

The awareness you build.
The habits you practise.
The relationship you develop with yourself.

Those changes matter - often more than the outcome.

Want Help Clarifying Your Health Goals?

If you’d like support turning intention into action, I’ve created a Complete Goal Setting + Achieving Toolkit designed specifically for health-related goals - including movement, food, stress, sleep and wellbeing.

Inside, you’ll find:

• A step-by-step goal-setting framework

• Science-backed strategies for follow-through

• Planners, trackers and habit tools that support consistency without pressure

👉 Download the Complete Goal Setting + Achieving Toolkit here

And if one of your goals this year is to improve your hormone, metabolic or emotional health, you’re very welcome to explore my current offers or book a free call to see what support might look like for you.

However you choose to approach the year ahead, my hope is this: that your goals feel like an invitation - not a punishment - and that they support the life and health you actually want to live.