Tips for Setting Health Goals in the New Year

As the calendar changes over from one year to the next, it’s good to take time to reflect on your health. Many people set health goals during January, including New Year’s resolutions to get in shape, lose weight, eat better, or address medical care needs that have been neglected.

The family medicine providers at Living Water Clinic congratulate you on setting health and wellness goals for the new year! Our goal is to support you, and the primary care team at our locations in Porterville, Lindsay, Visalia, and Woodlake, California, know what it takes to succeed with New Year’s resolutions.

Here are some of our top tips on setting achievable health goals that you can follow through on in the months to come. How can this next year be better for your health? Let’s explore the path ahead together.

Tip 1: Take time to assess your health

Often, your busy life doesn’t leave you much time to think about your health and wellness needs. That’s one way the “pause” around New Year’s can work for you. Take this time to reflect on your care needs, getting in touch with your body.

Examine your lifestyle, and be honest with yourself about areas of your health that need improvement. Once you’ve identified the areas of your health or wellness that you want to focus on, it’s time to start setting specific health goals.

Tip 2: Set realistic health-related goals

New Year’s resolutions centered around health are sometimes unrealistic. Resolving to lose enough weight to fit into your wedding dress again could result in giving up when you just can’t get there. However, even moderate weight loss of 5%-10% of your body weight benefits your health.

Don’t give up on health benefits just because a smaller goal isn’t flashy enough. Smaller goals — such as committing to exercising five days a week versus signing up to run a marathon — let you feel good about your achievements, and they still improve your health and wellness.

It may also make sense to stack your goals so you can check off a first goal and then go right on to a more challenging one. Breaking bigger goals down in this way gives you a much greater chance of success because you won’t be fighting feelings of disappointment or being overwhelmed.

Tip 3: Seek professional support

When it comes to health goals, don’t struggle with your resolutions alone. Reach out to the primary care team at Living Water Clinic and learn more about how we can support you with your goals.

We offer weight loss management and support, care and treatment for patients with diabetes, and nutritional counseling. You also can benefit from our flexible use of telemedicine services, connecting you with your doctor remotely from locations that are convenient for you.

To discuss your new health goals for the coming year with our team of family medicine doctors, contact Living Water Clinic online or over the phone today and schedule a consultation. We hope and pray that this New Year brings you endless blessings and joy!