How to really achieve your health goals

Improving your health is often easier said than done. Self-regulation strategies offer valuable tools for achieving health goals despite the challenges of everyday life.

There is a broad variety of interventions and measures available for promoting physical and mental health. They range from more exercise during daily working life and mindfulness exercises through to learning how to say no. We are familiar with most of the benefits of these measures, many of which are backed by scientific evidence. But hand on heart: how many healthy habits have we actually made a lasting part of our daily routine? It’s not that easy. Simply being aware of the benefits is often not enough for us to change our behaviour. It’s not long until routine and our deeply ingrained habits resurface. But it doesn’t have to be like that. There are self-regulation strategies suitable for everyday use, which can help you achieve your goals. Self-regulation is a broad concept of which there are various definitions in literature and which covers different approaches and methods. Below are some methods, which fit particularly well within a daily routine.

Use your imagination

“If you have a positive mindset, you can do anything”. This motivational sentiment only goes so far. In fact, studies have shown that exclusively positive fantasising about a desired future can actually hinder goal achievement (Oettingen & Wadden, 1991; Oettingen & Mayer, 2002). This is because overenthusiastic thoughts of success give rise to the feeling of already being successful. This in turn reduces the motivation to take positive action (Kappes & Oettingen, 2011). The mental contrasting method (Oettingen 1996, 2012, 2015) offers an alternative by combining the visualisation of goal achievement with a realistic take on the obstacles involved. This approach acknowledges that the desired future has not yet been attained and enables an assessment of whether it is realistic. Believing you can overcome obstacles strengthens motivation and improves your chances of achieving your goal (Krott et al., 2019). The effectiveness of this self-regulation method has been substantiated by, among others, the study by Johannessen et al. (2012) involving students who wanted a healthier diet. Those participants who mentally contrasted their wish were more successful in achieving their goal than those who simply fantasised about how good it would be.

Application in three steps:

1. Identify wish: which health goal do you actually want to achieve? 
   Example – focus more on the positives by being more grateful.
2. Envision the future: actively imagine how it would be if this goal were to be achieved.
   Example – you focus more on the positive things and start the day by expressing your gratitude.
3. Identify barriers: think about which obstacles could stand in your way. Be realistic about them.
   Example – there often isn’t enough time in the day and the television or media consumption is a more attractive option in the evening.

Make specific action plans

Implementation intentions (Krott et al., 2019) can help you focus more on overcoming the obstacles identified through mental contrasting. Several studies show that implementation intentions lead to a higher success rate in goal achievement (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006). The combination of implementation intentions with mental contrasting is abbreviated as “MCII” (Krott et al., 2019).

Application in two steps

1. Define the “when”: in which situation can I implement my desired behaviour? When must I surmount an obstacle?
   Example – If the challenge is that there’s no time in the evening or the new habit gets forgotten during the day, it can be consciously shifted to the morning: “When I have my morning coffee, then…”
2. Define the “then”: what exactly would you like to do at the time in question?
   Example – “…then I will take two minutes to write down three things I’m thankful for.”

Smart goal definition

Studies such as the one by Locke & Latham (2013) recommend defining specific goals to increase the likelihood of their actually being achieved. The probability of success lessens when goals are unclear. Although there is nothing new about these findings, it is not easy to implement them in everyday life. The SMART goals of Drucker (1977) help to optimise the definition of individual goals in a simple way. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

Practical example

• Specific: while having my morning coffee, I write down three things I’m grateful for.
• Measurable: take two minutes every day.
• Achievable: two minutes a day is realistic within my daily routine.
• Relevant: being grateful helps to focus on the positive.
• Time-bound: start tomorrow and review after four weeks (add date here).

Defined SMART goal: from tomorrow, I will take two minutes when having my coffee every morning to note down three things I’m thankful for. After four weeks (add date here) I will review whether I have implemented my goal.

Consciously set out your goals

The study by Matthews (2015) showed that 43 percent of participants who verbally defined their goals went on to achieve them. This figure rose to 76 percent for those who wrote down their goal as well as saying it. Writing down a goal can strengthen commitment, especially if it is read on a regular basis or consciously acknowledged (Matthews, 2015).

Possible applications: you could, for example, write the goal down on a Post-it note and put it in a place where you would like to be regularly reminded of the goal. Alternatively, you could put a reminder in your calendar.

Creating the right conditions as an organisation

As well as the individual, companies also bear considerable responsibility for the physical and mental health of their employees. Workplace health management (WHM)can help create the framework conditions to enable and support health-promoting behaviour during the working day. The WHM team at XpertCenter Ltd. helps companies to create health-promoting framework conditions. Click here for more information about our services. We look forward to hearing from you.

References

Drucker, P. F. (1977). People and Performance: The Best of Peter Drucker on Management. Harper’s College Press.

Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A metaanalysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119.

Johannessen, K. B., Oettingen, G., & Mayer, D. (2012). Mental contrasting of a dieting wish improves self-reported health behaviour. Psychology & Health, 27, 43–58.

Kappes, H. B., & Oettingen, G. (2011). Positive fantasies about idealized futures sap energy. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47, 719–729.

Krott, N. R., Marheinecke, R., & Oettingen, G. (2019). Mentale Kontrastierung und WOOP fördern Einsicht und Veränderung (Mental contrasting and MCII promote insight and change). In S. Rietmann & P. Deing (eds.), Psychologie der Selbststeuerung (The psychology of self-guidance), 187-212. Springer Fachmedien.

Locke, E., & Latham, G. (2013). New developments in goal setting and task performance. Routledge.

Matthews, G. (2007). The impact of commitment, accountability, and written goals on goal achievement. Dominican University of California.

Oettingen, G. (1996). Die Psychologie des Zukunftsdenkens: Erwartungen und Phantasien (The psychology of progressive thinking: expectations and fantasies). Hogrefe

Oettingen, G. (2012). Future thought and behaviour change. European Review of Social Psychology, 23, 1–63.

Oettingen, G. (2015). Die Psychologie des Gelingens (The psychology of success). Pattloch.

Oettingen, G., & Wadden, T. A. (1991). Expectation, fantasy, and weight loss: Is the impact of positive thinking always positive? Cognitive Therapy and Research, 15, 167–175.

Oettingen, G., & Mayer, D. (2002). The motivating function of thinking about the future: Expectations versus fantasies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 1198–1212.