How to review your health goals with journaling

Tuesday, April 5, 2022


How do you know if you are doing well as you work on your health goals? Weekly reviews are the answer. A few years ago, I developed the habit of weekly reviewing my goals. I went through this exercise as a group on WW (formerly Weight Watchers). 

The WW approach was helpful but I wanted to get more out of the experience so I started to write down my own health goal review. 

I kept that habit going for a while. I’d weigh-in, then I’d write a few things that helped me the past week followed by things that I needed to improve. 

Recently, I decided to do this exercise before weighing in. It took a little courage but I went on and started writing. 

Curiously, my list was longer than usual. It was good for the heart, to write all of those things down. 

Zig Ziglar said, "Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will." I learned exactly why at that moment. 

There was no judgment or condemnation. My mind was focused on all the positive actions I took to reach my goal. 

My heart rejoiced and the scale was no longer a reason to be afraid or concerned. It was simply a tool to collect data. 

As a result, the scale lost its invisible powers over me. I also gained control of my narrative. I am so excited about this strategy, I’m going to start using it in different areas of my life! 

How can I expect to see my goals accomplished if I don’t infuse positivity into my weekly review?

Here is how I literally put pen to paper:

1. Choose a pen and a piece of paper. It can be a journal, it can be a sticky note. The important thing is to start.
2. Write down a list of positive actions you accomplished the previous week. Your list may include items such as "I had 64 ounces of water most days. I exercised 4 days last week. I paused before grabbing that donut. I was proud of myself for resting 1 extra hour per night." 

The goal is to keep writing until you run out of positive actions. What if you had a difficult week? Find the positive! How so? Your list may look like this:
• I attended a virtual meeting with WW
• I tracked one meal per day
• I developed the resilience to start over after I exceeded my points for the day
• I learned that I don't like the feeling of eating after dinner

Finding the positive will fuel your health journey as you reach your goal. When you find the positive, you are learning from your life. If you learn, you really didn't lose. 

I want to encourage you to review your health goals through this journaling exercise. I'm gaining so much extra joy as I write down positive actions. I heard that what gets celebrated gets repeated. This simple exercise might be a way to put cement those healthy habits we are choosing to build. 

Remember you can do this. You can reach your goal. Let positivity guide you.