How to Set Wellness Goals (With Examples)
“Get healthier” is a wish, not a goal. Good wellness goals are specific, small enough to start this week, and come with a plan for when and how you’ll do them. Here’s a simple four-step method, with examples for sleep, movement, food, water, stress and connection.
Key takeaways
- Setting a goal on its own is rarely enough. You also need a plan for when, where and how.
- Make goals SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed.
- Aim for something to do, not something to avoid.
- Plan one week at a time, and plan ahead for what might get in the way.
What is a wellness goal?
A wellness goal is a specific change you want to make to look after your body or mind. It might be about sleep, movement, food, water, stress, relationships or rest. Good wellness goals focus on everyday actions you control, such as “walk for 20 minutes after dinner,” rather than outcomes you don’t fully control.
Why most goals don’t work
Most people know what they’d like to change. The hard part is doing it. Researchers call this the intention-behavior gap. In a review for the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, Ryan Bailey notes that setting a goal for health behavior change “is seldom sufficient for behavior change to actually occur” (Bailey, 2019).
Goals tend to fail when they are:
- Vague: “eat better” or “be more active.”
- Too big: going from no exercise to running every day.
- About stopping: “no more snacking.”
- Unplanned: with no idea of when, where or how.
The four steps below fix each of these.
Not sure where to start? Answer 8 quick questions about sleep, water, movement, food and more. The free Wellness Scorecard shows which area could use a little attention first.
Take the Wellness Scorecard →How to set wellness goals in 4 steps
1. Pick one area
Choose one area of your life to focus on first, such as sleep or movement. Trying to change everything at once is a common reason for giving up. Once the first goal feels easy, add another.
2. Make it SMART
SMART goals give you a clear way to know whether you’ve done it:
| Letter | Means | Ask yourself |
|---|---|---|
| S | Specific | What exactly will I do? |
| M | Measurable | How will I know I did it? |
| A | Achievable | Can I really do this with my current time and energy? |
| R | Realistic | Does it fit my life as it is now? |
| T | Timed | When, and for how long? |
Bailey gives the example of a goal of 30 minutes of aerobic activity, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks. That matches the CDC’s suggestion of 150 minutes of moderate activity a week for adults.
Two more tips:
- Aim for something to do. Bailey notes that “approach” goals (what you’ll do) are linked to more positive feelings than “avoidance” goals (what you won’t do). Change “stop snacking in the evening” to “have a cup of herbal tea after dinner.”
- Make it a stretch, but not a strain. Challenging goals tend to work better than very easy ones, as long as you’re committed to them. But repeated failure is discouraging, so if in doubt, start smaller.
3. Write a one-week action plan
An action plan turns your goal into concrete steps: what, when, where and how. Bailey suggests keeping action plans short (about one week) so you get quick feedback, and reviewing them weekly.
Goal: Walk 30 minutes, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks.
This week’s plan: Monday to Friday, straight after lunch, I’ll walk the loop around the park near work. I’ll keep trainers under my desk.
The confidence check: rate how confident you are, from 1 to 10, that you’ll stick to your plan this week. If it’s below 7, make the plan easier. Bailey’s review recommends this simple check.
It also helps to link your plan to something you already do, like “straight after lunch.” This is the idea behind habit stacking.
4. Plan for obstacles
Think about what might get in the way, and decide now what you’ll do instead. Bailey notes that combining action plans with these “coping plans” works better than action plans alone.
- If it’s raining, I’ll walk laps of the office building or do a 15-minute indoor workout.
- If I have a lunch meeting, I’ll walk after work instead.
- If I’m tired, I’ll do just 10 minutes.
Plan every area in one place. $12 The Complete Wellness Planner includes a 90-day goal and habit plan, weekly reviews, plus printable planners for meals, sleep, water, walking and self-care.
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Wellness goal examples
Here’s how to turn vague wishes into SMART goals:
| Area | Vague wish | SMART goal |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep | Sleep more | Be in bed by 10:30 p.m. on weeknights for the next 4 weeks, aiming for at least 7 hours’ sleep. |
| Movement | Exercise more | Walk briskly for 30 minutes after lunch, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks. |
| Strength | Get stronger | Do a 15-minute bodyweight routine on Tuesday and Saturday mornings for 6 weeks. |
| Food | Eat healthier | Include a vegetable with dinner every day this month. |
| Water | Drink more water | Drink a glass of water with each meal every day for 2 weeks. |
| Screens | Spend less time on my phone | Charge my phone outside the bedroom every night for 3 weeks. |
| Stress | Be less stressed | Do 5 minutes of slow breathing before starting work, every weekday for 3 weeks. |
| Connection | See friends more | Call or meet one friend each week for the next 2 months. |
| Self-care | Look after myself | Do one 15-minute self-care activity every day for 30 days. |
Adults need at least 7 hours of sleep a night, according to the CDC. For more ideas, see our list of 50 healthy habits, or try our 30-day self-care challenge.
Review every week
Spend five to ten minutes at the end of each week asking:
- Did I follow my plan? How many days out of the planned number?
- What got in the way? Can I plan around it next week?
- Is the goal too easy or too hard? Adjust it up or down.
- What’s next week’s plan? Write it down, and do the confidence check again.
Our weekly wellness check-in walks you through a simple review, and the Habit Tracker shows how many days you stuck to your plan.
Common questions
What are some examples of wellness goals?
Examples include being in bed by 10:30 p.m. on weeknights, walking for 30 minutes after lunch five days a week, eating a vegetable with dinner every day, drinking a glass of water with each meal, and calling one friend each week.
What is a SMART wellness goal?
A SMART goal is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed. For example, “walk briskly for 30 minutes after lunch, five days a week, for four weeks” is SMART; “exercise more” is not.
How many wellness goals should I have at once?
Start with one, or two at most. Once the first goal feels easy and automatic, add another. Trying to change too much at once is a common reason people give up.
What should I do if I keep missing my goal?
Make it smaller. Rate your confidence from 1 to 10; if it’s below 7, choose an easier plan. You can always build up once you’re succeeding regularly.
Sources
- Bailey (2019): Goal setting and action planning for health behavior change. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 13(6), 615–618
- CDC: Adult Activity, An Overview
- CDC: 1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep
Related tools and guides
This guide is for general education and is not medical advice. See our Health Disclaimer and Editorial Policy.