"Hi everyone, this is Dr. Stephanie Camaglia Reznik, a board certified internist and one of the medical directors for Virtual Primary Care (opens in new tab) here at Oscar.
In today's segment, I'd like to talk a bit about health goals. New Year's is right around the corner and you might be thinking about health resolutions, so that you can be healthy in the new year.
This is definitely a good idea, but it's also important that you set goals that are achievable, or else you're just going to be setting yourself up for disappointment.
When we discuss setting health goals in the primary care world, we often use the SMART mnemonic and I thought it'd be helpful to share with you so you can pick an achievable, measurable and helpful goal.
So first, the 'S' in SMART. You want to set a specific goal.
If your goal is too broad, it makes it hard to do any steps to make it achievable, you won't know where to start. Instead of saying, "I want to be fit," perhaps say, "I want to do strength training exercises three times a week."
The 'M' in SMART stands for measurable.
If you pick something that you can actually measure and say, yes, you've met it or no, you haven't, that makes it easier to determine if you met the goal. It means that the goal is achievable and this can be more motivating than something that's a little bit more gray and hard to determine if you met the goal or not.
The 'A' in SMART stands for achievable.
If you set goals that are too hard, you're going to become demoralized and potentially give up. It's better to start with smaller, more achievable goals, so then you can get more confident and take on even more goals after that.
The 'R' in SMART stands for relevant.
You want the goal to be relevant to you, to your values and what you're hoping to achieve. This is somewhat common sense, but it's an important part of the mnemonic because if it's not relevant to something you value, it's going to be harder to stay motivated and achieve the goal.
Finally, 'T' stands for time bound.
Give yourself a deadline for meeting the goal. It's okay if you don't meet it, you can then reassess why you didn't meet it and set up a new goal instead. But if you leave it open-ended with no deadline, it's a lot easier to get off course and not meet the goal.
Additional support from Oscar
Of course, we always recommend that you discuss any health-related goals with your primary care clinician as they knew you and your health best.
Oscar strives to be your partner in health in the long-term. And I hope you found this information helpful as you consider what will be your New Year's resolution."
This content does not constitute medical advice and is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, including diagnosis or treatment. Contact your physician with any questions you may have regarding COVID-19 or your personal health. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, dial 911 for immediate assistance.
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