February 2020 Newsletter

Keeping Score: Tracking Your Health Goals

It seems that everyone has a fitness tracker these days, doesn’t it? Whether your goal is as simple as drinking more water or as difficult as trying to quit smoking, keeping track can help you achieve your health goals.1,2
You know what you want, now create your personal roadmap to get there. Creating and maintaining a “health scorecard” can help you get started on your journey to improved health – and give you the push you need when the going gets tough.

10 steps to create your personal scorecard

1. Define your goals. What do you want to achieve?
2. Develop your strategy. How are you going to get from A to Z?
3. Define your objectives. You are not going to stick to it if you don’t know why you are doing it. You know what you want to accomplish, but do you know why?
4. Create your map. How are you going to reach your goals? Be specific.
5. Measure your progress. How will you determine if you are moving towards your goal? Steps walked, hours slept, the amount of time you were active per week, the number of cigarettes smoked, your blood pressure, etc. – how will you measure progress?
6. Assign yourself tasks. When your boss gives you a job to do, you get it done, right? Make
   yourself your own boss.
7. Keep track. Create your own personal tracker in a spreadsheet.3 Ask friends for good apps that they have tried.1 Put that fitness tracker to use. It doesn’t have to be complicated, just use what works for you.
8. Evaluate your progress. It’s easy to lose sight of the progress you’re making, even feel like you’re not making any at all. Check your scorecard from time to time to see where you are and remind yourself where you started. Adjust your plan as necessary.
9. Make yourself accountable. Your goal was to be active four days this week, and you only
   managed two? You vowed to eat healthier but couldn’t resist that piece of cake? Own it. Keep yourself accountable and write it down.
10. Stick with it. You’re not going to get from A to Z overnight. You’re going to stumble, lose
    motivation from time to time, get frustrated. It’s okay. Just keep moving forward.

Keeping yourself aware – and accountable

Putting your goals in writing and then tracking your progress can significantly help you reach your objectives. That doesn’t mean the simply entering the information into your tracker guarantees success – you still need to put in the actual work – but data supports that it does help boost your motivation.3 Most importantly, it keeps you aware and serves as a reminder why you started this journey in the first place.
Reaching your health goals is a journey, and by defining, mapping and then tracking the steps along the way, you can chart your way to better health.

We’re here to help

Whatever your healthcare goal for 2020, your Health Mart pharmacist is here to help.
Nothing herein constitutes medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, or is a substitute for professional advice. You should always seek the advice of your physician or other medical professional if you have questions or concerns about a medical condition.

Sources

1. Time Magazine: Need Some Help Reaching Your Goals? Try These 5 Habit-Tracking Apps https://time.com/5621109/best-habit-tracking-apps/ Last accessed: December 13, 2019.
2. Runner’s World: Do Fitness Trackers Actually Improve Your Health?https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a28613768/fitness-tracker-benefits-study/ Last accessed: December 13, 2019.
3. Forbes: The Personal Balanced Scorecard: A Tool For Your Own End-Of-Year Review https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinawallace/2016/12/24/the-personal-balanced-scorecard/#339772ee5a65 Last accessed: December 13, 2019.