How to Effectively Work Towards Your Health Goals
Gain Insight into Your Health
First things first. To find out what your body needs, it's important to gain insight into your current health status. You may experience unexplained or vague symptoms, such as low energy, frequent bloating, or not feeling well mentally. Or perhaps you're very fit but simply want more insight or to prevent any deficiencies. With the help of our specialised health coaches or a lab test, you can gain insight and decide concretely what you want to work on in the coming period.
Choose a Health Goal to Focus On
Now, you can, possibly in consultation with one of our health coaches, set achievable and concrete goals. Write down for yourself a maximum of two to three points that you will work on in the coming months. Be specific and ensure they are measurable goals so you can track your progress. A goal like "being healthier" is too general and difficult to measure. Instead, you could focus on supporting your gut health so you can fit into your favourite trousers again, or challenge yourself by setting a goal to run 5 km continuously.
When choosing your goal(s), consider the amount of effort required to achieve them. For example, choose one goal that requires more effort (such as running 5 km) and a goal that is closer to your current state. This could include working on a better sleep routine or bringing a healthy, homemade, gut-friendly lunch to work every day. This way, you keep it manageable for yourself, stay motivated, and it becomes easier to achieve your goals.
Want to know more? Read more about choosing a health goal here.
Choose an Achievable Lifestyle Change
Determine, possibly in consultation with one of our health coaches, which steps you will concretely take to achieve your health goals. This is often a combination of lifestyle adjustments and supplement advice. On our health goal page, you will find all the matching products for each health goal. For personal advice, we refer you to the chat function on our website or visit one of our stores where our health coaches are ready to assist you.
Measure Your Progress and Stay on Track
In the coming months, your new habits will gradually become ingrained. It is important to make your goals measurable. You can do this in several ways:
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Measure the levels of various nutrients, hormones, and other substances in your blood or saliva with a lab test. The insights you gain from the results can be used as a baseline measurement before you start. You can optionally do a second measurement after 3 or 6 months to see how things stand. Need help or advice following a test result? Our health coaches in our stores or online are happy to assist you.
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Track your sleep quality, physical activity, stress level, and other factors with a smartwatch, for example. This is a watch that collects data about your body, activity level, and sleep. However, don't be blindly guided by the numbers. If you've slept well but your smartwatch says otherwise, trust your feelings.
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Are you working towards a healthy weight? Don't get too fixated on the number on the scale; as you exercise more, you will also build more muscle tissue. This can give a distorted view on the scale. You may want to have your body fat percentage measured; most gyms can help you with this. And of course, consider how you feel in your body or whether certain clothes fit better again.
The ultimate goal is to feel good in your skin. Measuring is knowing, but don't lose sight of yourself. Keep checking how you feel and whether these new, healthy lifestyle habits contribute positively to this.
Persevere, Even When You're Less Motivated
To truly make your health goal a part of your daily routine, consistency is crucial. This means finding the motivation to continue even on days when you don't feel like it. Consider creating a support group by sharing your goals with family and friends, or find a workout partner to train with. You could also keep a journal to track your progress and note successes, big and small. Reward yourself appropriately when you reach milestones, such as booking a relaxing massage, buying a new outfit, or planning a weekend getaway with your partner.
Evaluate and Adjust Where Necessary
Evaluating the progress of your health goals in between is important to determine if you're on the right track. Assess your progress and, where necessary, adjust your goals to keep them challenging enough. Perhaps you notice you're making progress faster than expected and can raise your goals. Or maybe you need more time and want to extend deadlines. It could also be that you obtain new data along the way, revealing that your initial understanding was incorrect. For example, your weight gain might not be due to insufficient exercise but due to a hormonal imbalance or too much stress. These adjustments in the process are normal and ensure your goals remain relevant and achievable. Need help? Our health coaches are ready to assist you, in our stores and via the chat function on our website!
