How should goals be set since setting goals is one of the seven health skills?

Answer 1

Health goals, like all goals, should be set up in ways that ensure success. Goals should be:

1. small
2. incremental
3. reasonable
4. manageable
5. achievable

For examples, non-health:

1. A child got a D on a test. His parents react by grounding him and forcing him to study from the time he arrives home, until he goes to bed! But a more reasonable plan would be to help the child set up a plan for studying. Review today's material for 20 minutes. Answer the end of chapter questions, 20 minutes. Practice words and spelling, 20 minutes. Homework 20 minutes. Breaks every hour. A small reward for completing the tasks, such as 30 minutes of a favorite TV show. Begin the next set of studies.
2. A girl wants to win the 100 meter dash. She has only run shorter dashes. Rather than setting a 100 meter goal, she begins with a 20 meter goal, then 30, then 40, etc. When she can run without huffing for breath, she adds one meter to her goal.

Health goals:

1. A woman, age 50, has smoked since she was 11 years old. What began as one cigarette turned into 4 packs a day. She dearly wants to quit-- but failed when she tried "cold turkey". She decides to "Quit by the clock"-- she can have 1 cigarette every 10 minutes for the first 5 days. Then, she switches and makes it 20 minutes between smokes. In increments, she increases the time between lighting up.
2. A 300-pound teenage boy wants to weigh 190-200 pounds. But he wants this "in a month". That is not reasonable! His mother suggests cutting out 1 meal from fast food sources once a week for 3 weeks, then cutting out 2 of those meals every week. She also buys more fruit and vegetables. His mom begins a gym membership for herself; her son can attend for half price. In the evening, he walks to his friend's house rather than having dad drive him. Within 6 months, he has lost 45 pounds.
3. A teenage girl feels depressed. She hates being outside where people can see she's overweight. She wants to quit school but her mother forbids it. The girl decides to make changes and lose weight, but how? She and her mother decide to take walks in the evening when most families are inside. Mom buys a treadmill they can use in the basement. The girl decides to enter a summer camp to help overweight kids--where she will also get more exercise.
4. Many people think that people with Diabetes cannot eat sweets. That is not true! But they should build a food plan that includes sugary foods and carbs into a better diet. A man who used to eat 4 donuts a day chooses to eat only 1 every Sunday, but none during the week. A woman switches from white bread to wheat, but at her son's house on Sunday's she enjoys a slice of white bread with dinner.