Do you recall grabbing a handful of M&M\u2019s from the office candy dish while chatting with a co-worker? No? You also probably weren\u2019t paying much attention as you worked your way through a few bowls of peanuts at last week\u2019s happy hour either.<\/p>\n
Most of us don\u2019t realize that we go through most of our day on autopilot, not particularly mindful of our behaviors. Yet awareness through goal tracking is the first step toward wiser decision-making. It provides new information we can act on.<\/p>\n
The late poet Maya Angelou once said, \u201cWhen you know better, you do better.\u201d And though she was referring to the self-awareness needed to learn from our mistakes, the same holds true for any behavior we\u2019re looking to change.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the reason experts recommend creating a budget to rein in spending. Or keeping a food diary when we\u2019re trying to eat healthier. Or using a fitness tracker if we\u2019re looking to get more active.<\/p>\n
In short, self-knowledge is power. Unless we know what we\u2019re doing, we can\u2019t do it better (or not do it at all).<\/p>\n
Studies show that when you write down what, when, and how much you eat, you\u2019re more apt to watch what you eat \u2014 and eat less. The act of logging your food intake is actually more important than how precise you are or the method you use<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking to shed a few pounds, research shows you\u2019ll lose more weight (both in the short and long term) if you\u2019re a diligent note-taker.\u00a0You will also make better food choices.<\/p>\n Same goes for exercising. When people know their steps are being tracked, they become more active. Just the fact that you\u2019re tracking your activity will make you want to walk more<\/a>.<\/p>\n One reason is that you get that immediate feedback, which is a huge incentive. Another is that tracking activity and food becomes a kind of sport \u2014 a competition with yourself.<\/p>\n Each day you\u2019re breaking down a big win into small, manageable goals, trying to beat your personal best, so it\u2019s easy to see, and maintain, your progress.<\/p>\n Having daily goals to chase<\/a> makes exercise and mindful eating into a game. Go you!<\/p>\n Here\u2019s something you might not have thought about: tracking also makes it easier to forgive yourself when indulging from time to time.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve been recording your food intake, you\u2019ll see that even with a slip-up or 2, you\u2019re still on a good path. In the bigger picture, all is not lost.<\/p>\n And since you\u2019re keeping track, you can cut back on the rest of the day\u2019s\u2014or tomorrow\u2019s\u2014food intake, and keep yourself within your calorie limit.<\/p>\n A healthy lifestyle doesn\u2019t demand perfection; it just means making good choices most of the time. Goal tracking can definitely help!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Do you recall grabbing a handful of M&M\u2019s from the office candy dish while chatting with a co-worker? No? You also probably weren\u2019t paying much attention as you worked your way through a few bowls of peanuts at last week\u2019s happy hour either. Most of us don\u2019t realize that we go through most of our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":4654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,9],"tags":[481,290,408,35],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/goal-tracking-featured.jpg","acf":{"post_type":"post","post_subtitle":"If you want to change some of your unhealthy habits, you first have to know what they are.","post_hero_image":{"ID":4653,"id":4653,"title":"goal-tracking-hero","filename":"goal-tracking-hero.jpg","filesize":39042,"url":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/goal-tracking-hero.jpg","link":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/goal-tracking-your-secret-weapon\/goal-tracking-hero\/","alt":"A pen and journal sit on a fancy white table between a set of silverware and a cup of coffee.","author":"49","description":"A pen and journal sit on a fancy white table between a set of silverware and a cup of coffee.","caption":"Want to make healthier decisions in your day-to-day life? Try tracking your goals and progress.","name":"goal-tracking-hero","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":4248,"date":"2018-01-09 17:04:45","modified":"2018-01-09 17:17:57","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":960,"height":400,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/goal-tracking-hero.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":63,"medium":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/goal-tracking-hero.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":125,"medium_large":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/goal-tracking-hero.jpg","medium_large-width":640,"medium_large-height":267,"large":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/goal-tracking-hero.jpg","large-width":640,"large-height":267,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/goal-tracking-hero.jpg","1536x1536-width":960,"1536x1536-height":400,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/goal-tracking-hero.jpg","2048x2048-width":960,"2048x2048-height":400}},"mobile_content":{"mobile_story_label":"Featured","mobile_post_title":"Goal tracking: Your secret weapon","mobile_carousel_image":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/goal-tracking-mobile.jpg","mobile_hero_image":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/goal-tracking-featured-1.jpg","mobile_content_body":" Most of us don\u2019t realize that we go through most of our day on autopilot, not particularly mindful of our behaviors. Yet awareness through goal tracking is the first step toward wiser decision-making because it provides new information we can act on.<\/p>\n The late poet Maya Angelou once said, \u201cWhen you know<\/a> better, you do better.\u201d And though she was referring to the self-awareness needed to learn from our mistakes, the same holds true for any behavior we\u2019re looking to change.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the reason why experts recommend creating a budget to rein in spending. Or keeping a food diary when we\u2019re trying to eat healthier. Or using a fitness tracker if we\u2019re looking to get more active.<\/p>\n In short, self-knowledge is power. Unless we know what we\u2019re doing, we can\u2019t do it better (or not do it at all).<\/p>\n Studies show that when you write down what, when, and how much you eat, you\u2019re more apt to watch what you eat \u2014 and eat less. The act of logging your food intake is actually more important than how precise you Not only will you make better food choices, if you\u2019re looking to shed a few pounds, research shows you\u2019ll lose more weight (both in the short and long term) if you\u2019re a diligent note-taker.<\/p>\n Same goes for exercising. When people know their steps are being tracked, they become more active. Just the fact that you\u2019re tracking your activity will make you want to walk more.<\/p>\n One reason is that you get that immediate feedback, which is a huge incentive. Another is that tracking activity and food becomes a kind of sport \u2014 a competition with yourself.<\/p>\n Each day you\u2019re breaking down a big win into small, manageable goals, trying to beat your personal best, so it\u2019s easy to see, and maintain, your progress.<\/p>\nGoal tracking helps you keep the big picture in mind<\/h2>\n
Keeping a food diary can help you eat healthier<\/h2>\n
Feedback from tracking steps makes getting active more fun<\/h2>\n
\nare or the method<\/a> you use.<\/p>\n