Written by Dietitians at Diabetes Control for Life
Goal setting is another Diabetes Control for Life Program tool — a benchmark you can use to measure your progress.
This article is about goal-setting:
Ask yourself, what do you want to get out of the Diabetes Control for Life Program? What is your ultimate goal? If your goal is to lose 14 kilograms, that’s a long-term goal. If your goal is to run a 5K race, that is also a long-term goal. Realistically, you won’t reach these goals for several months. So don’t focus on those goals. Set more modest, short-term goals that will help keep you moving and motivated. You’ll have a stockpile of smaller successes to spur you on to the ultimate success — getting control of your diabetes.
Some experts advise setting what they call SMART goals. Here’s what SMART stands for:
S: Specific
M: Measurable
A: Achievable
R: Realistic
T: Time-bound
Here’s what it means to set SMART goals:
Set Specific, concrete goals to spell out what you aim to do.
Not specific: “I’m going to start exercising more.”
Specific: “I will walk up the two flights of stairs to my apartment instead of using the elevator.”
Set goals you can Measure so you’ll know when you’ve accomplished them.
Not measurable: “I’m going to get on my treadmill more often rather than just using it to dry my pantyhose.”
Measurable: “I will exercise on my treadmill three days for 30 minutes at 5 kilometers an hour.”
Set goals that are Achievable and Realistic so you won’t be disappointed in your progress. Set yourself up to succeed, not to fail.
Not achievable or realistic: “I’m going to lose 18 kilograms in 12 weeks.”
Achievable and realistic: “My goal is to lose an average of a half kilogram a week for the next four weeks.”
Set goals that are Time-bound so that you know when they should be accomplished.
Not time-bound: “I will get involved in activities that don’t focus on food.”
Time-bound: “This week, I will attend the opening of the new museum art collection rather than eat the appetizers at Wednesday night happy hour like I usually do.”
You can see that by setting SMART short-term goals, you will have a string of successes that will motivate you to stay with your blueprint — to persist.
Another recommendation: Set goals in each area that affects control of your diabetes. These include nutrition, weight management, exercise, and lifestyle habits. For instance, find a new social activity this week that doesn’t involve eating. Or walk four days a week instead of three. You have more control over these goals than you do how much weight you lose. But every time you reach one of these short-term milestones, you’re a step closer to reaching your goals for diabetes control.
Set two SMART goals for next week, a lifestyle goal and a physical activity goal:
Lifestyle Goal
Physical Activity Goal
At the end of the week, come back to this chapter and indicate whether you met the goals. If you didn’t, try again. Remember to set realistic goals. Set yourself up to succeed.
| Did I meet my | yes | no |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lifestyle goal? | ||
| 2. Activity goal? |
