It’s tempting to want to set huge goals for yourself at the start of a new year, whether that be a dramatic body transformation or learning an entirely new skill or hobby. But 2020 was a difficult year for everyone. It was filled with stressors that likely affected your everyday routine and changed your physical and emotional habits — and that’s OK.

MRH Registered Dietitian Madysen Jourgensen

This year, we recommend opting for realistic, small changes that will benefit your health. Maybe that’s easing back into your old habits again or changing the way you view your overall health. The goals we set should ideally be hard enough they take some time and effort to achieve, but not so hard that they’re impossible to achieve.

Madysen Jourgensen, registered dietitian at Memorial Regional Health, recommends setting SMART — Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timebound — goals for yourself in 2021. For example, a SMART goal could be: “Each week for the next four weeks, I will walk at least 30 minutes per day, five out of seven days of the week.”

She said goals can (and should) be set throughout the year, even though people like to set goals at the beginning of the year because it makes them feel like they have a fresh start.

“When we set goals, we are more likely to hold ourselves accountable to specific tasks that will help us attain those goals, rather than when we think in general terms like ‘I should be better about doing this’ or ‘I need to work on this,’” she explained.

Here are some ways you can set attainable health and wellness goals for yourself in 2021.

Move more

Many Americans do not meet the minimum recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. Find a hobby or activity you enjoy that increases your heart rate. Build your endurance so that eventually, you are doing this activity for 30 minutes or more per day, at least five days a week.

In northwest Colorado, we are exposed to many fun outdoor opportunities to try such as downhill skiing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing and sledding in the winter and hiking, biking, walking and running in the summer. Jourgensen recommends finding several activities that you like to do to keep things interesting and prevent burnout.

“Physical activity benefits your body as soon as you begin to habitually engage in it,” Jourgensen said. “You may find that as you participate in your favorite activities more, the more often you’ll want to do those activities.”

If you are unsure of whether or not moderate-intensity physical activity is safe for you, check with your provider before beginning a program.

Prepare more meals at home vs. eating out

Many individuals spend most of their food budget on eating meals away from home at fast-food joints and restaurants. These meals tend to be higher in saturated fats, added sugars and sodium — all of which should be limited, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Much of the population also skips the daily recommended intake of fruits and vegetables, Jourgensen said.

Eating at home more often is one simple way you can improve your nutritional habits. You’ll likely consume fewer calories and learn how to cook and eat foods that make you feel good, rather than sluggish and bloated.

Jourgensen recommends making it a family affair by engaging your children, if they are old enough to help prepare meals. Find recipes that get everyone excited and be open to trying new meals.

Prepare a dish from each food group at mealtimes —fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean or plant-based protein — and focus on preparing a colorful plate.

Cut back on sugar-sweetened beverages

This year, instead of reaching for the sugary, sweetened beverages you crave, reach for a glass of water.

Beverages such as soda, sports drinks, lemonade, coffee drinks and sweet tea can be high in sugar content. Per the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, added sugars should account for less than 10 percent of daily calories, meaning a person on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet should consume less than 50 grams of sugar each day, Jourgensen explained.

To put these numbers into perspective, there are 65 grams in a 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola, which is about 16 teaspoons of sugar — about two times the recommended amount for adults.

“Many Americans do not consume enough water during the day and many ‘empty’ calories in our daily diets can be attributed to sugar-sweetened beverages,” Jourgensen said.

Focus on your “why”

Everyone’s “why” looks different. Think about why you are motivated to accomplish your goal and write it down. Maybe it’s for yourself or for a loved one, or you hope it’ll lead you to a happier, healthier life. Without establishing your “why,” it’ll be easier for your goal to slip away from you or to become uninspired.

Set bigger picture goals as well as smaller ones that will help you achieve your goal — for example, if you want to run a 5K one day, work your way up to running 1 mile first, then 1.5 miles, then 2 miles and so on. This method helps with motivation, Jourgensen said.

Feeling uninspired? You may need to revisit and revise your goals, which is totally OK. Acknowledge your setbacks if they arise and then get back on track the next day. Find a support system that will hold you accountable and cheer you on. And above all, make goal-setting something that is fun and enjoyable, rather than something that feels like a chore.