Lawrence Memorial Hospital offers SMART suggestions to help make 2016 healthier and happier.

It is almost New Year’s resolution time for many. Many people are anxious at the beginning of a new year to drastically transform their lifestyles. They may want to lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more, quit smoking and better manage stress.

It is always important to put a well-thought-out plan in place before making any desired lifestyle changes. Quitting smoking without planning how to deal with difficult situations, such as encountering a stressful event or being around others who smoke, may lead to relapse.

Lawrence Memorial Hospital is a major sponsor of WellCommons.

Studies show that about three-quarters of those who make resolutions, especially for lifestyle changes, are only actually able to maintain their goal for a few weeks. Another reason for failure, besides not putting a plan in place, is that the goals set are often too broad or complex, or there are too many of them.

When making any lifestyle changes, try starting with just one or two easily achievable goals and make them SMART. The success rate for long-lasting change is much higher.

What is a SMART goal? SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-based. Here is some information about each aspect of this.

Specific. Make sure the goal addresses who is involved, what needs to be accomplished, where the action will take place, when is it going to happen, what conditions are needed for success and why you want to accomplish this goal. For example, “I will exercise more” is a very broad goal, whereas “I will walk on the school track four times a week for 30 minutes after work” is much more specific and directive for you.

Measurable. Make goals that you can easily measure and monitor your progress. Measurable goals provide answers as to how much, how many and how you will know when the goal is close or has been accomplished. Use the website supertracker.usda.gov, a phone app, a fitness tracking device or even a calendar to help with this.

Attainable. A lifestyle change goal should be something you can realistically achieve. Don’t set the bar too high and commit to eating five servings of vegetables daily when you previously have not been eating any. When you are just starting to focus on eating healthier, a goal like this may be unachievable and lead to failure over the long term. Make your goals small and doable so that you have success. Losing 50 pounds may be your ultimate long-term goal, but can seem out of reach initially. Break that down into smaller increments, such as “I will lose 10 pounds by the end of February.” When you reach that goal, celebrate your success and reset your goal again.

Realistic. A realistic goal is one based on your current situation. How much time do you have to devote to it? Do you have everything you need to accomplish it? Is it flexible enough to allow for changes in your routine? Don’t commit to exercising an hour daily if you only have 20 minutes available. When you are already at a very stressful point in your life, it may not be the best time to try to permanently quit smoking, because for many, smoking is a stress management technique Wait until you have developed and can rely on an alternate stress management tool, such as regular exercise or meditation; then move forward.

Time-based. Goals should have starting and ending points with enough time in between to accomplish them. If you want to successfully lose that 10 pounds, know that this usually takes several weeks. Be patient but persistent. Also know that sidesteps can inevitably happen. Do not give up. Instead, take some time to examine what went wrong and fix it. Then reset your goal and get back on track.

Lawrence Memorial Hospital has many wellness education classes in January 2016 to assist you with meeting any New Year’s lifestyle goals. These include educational sessions on healthy eating, stress management, smoking cessation and fitness. Go to lmh.org for more information or to enroll or call LMH Connect Care at 785-505-5800.

Plan to join us at the new LMH Performance and Wellness Center at Sports Pavilion Lawrence on Friday, Jan. 8, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. for the first of our monthly Wellness Second Friday drop-in discussions. The topic for this session will be “SMART Goal Setting for Achieving Lasting Lifestyle Changes.” No registration is needed and this program is free.

— Aynsley Anderson Sosinski, MA, RN, is Community Education Coordinator at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, which is a major sponsor of WellCommons. She is a Mayo Clinic Certified Wellness Coach. She can be reached at aynsley.anderson@lmh.org.