Make your goals achievable and keep your momentum with these 11 tips.

People everywhere, including people with diabetes (PWD), set goals each new year, such as learning a new language, committing to a consistent exercise routine, creating healthier meals, and more. However, health improvement shouldn't wait until the start of a new year. The sooner you recognize a need for healthier habits, the sooner you want to make the necessary changes.

In addition, according to a Forbes survey, 91% of people quit their New Year's Resolutions within the first three months of the new year. Without the right plan and support, many PWD stop health improvement activities. Many factors can deter PWD from achieving their desired goals. In this article, I discuss ways you can keep the momentum going regardless of when you choose to make healthier changes.

Here are 11 ways to help you plan and focus on health improvement activities.

1. Take time to reassess your “why”. Ensure that your why is personal. If you set goals based on someone else, what happens when that person is no longer there? When the why is no longer relevant, we often revert to our previous behaviors or worse. You are enough for positive health changes.
2. Keep notifications around your house to help you stay focused. I usually encourage PWD to write their healthy activities on a notecard and stick them on the mirrors, refrigerators, and even in their car. Preferably, you want reminders to be in places often visited throughout the day.
3. Visualize. Daily, visualize what your life would look like during and after achieving the desired outcome.
4. Affirmations. Keep a list of affirmations available and say them every day to ward off negativity.
5. Set reminders of activities on your phone. So many things can happen in a way, and the most focused people can still forget things. Don't beat yourself up if you need an occasional reminder.
6. Download an app that will help you optimize your health. Consider researching Way of Life, My Fitness Pal, and other apps to help you stay on top of your fitness goals.
7. Remember to have fun. While working on one aspect of our health, sometimes, we neglect other areas of our lives. When we overtax our bodies and become ill, we sometimes lose momentum. It's important to achieve balance in activities and rest.
8. Monitor your blood sugar. Check your blood sugar regularly and understand your levels. The key word is prevention. Treat high and low blood sugars immediately to help keep your body balanced.
9. Get routine exams to help prevent anything hindering you from achieving your goals.
10. Set smaller goals. Break your health improvement habits into mini improvements throughout the year and include "check-in" days to note your progress and if you need to intervene or enlist the support of family, friends, or your healthcare provider.
11. Express gratitude for your achievements throughout the day, weeks, and the year. As my mother often says, gratitude brings more blessings. The more confident you feel in achieving the health you want, the more likely you will keep doing the activities.

Thanks for reading, and I wish you much success in achieving optimal health this year and beyond!