The Importance of Setting Health Goals

For many of you, it’s the time of year where you have to set goals for your performance reviews at work. Some of you also might set goals when it comes to managing your household (i.e. rid yourself of all debt, build your dream home by 2020, etc.) But how many of you set health goals?The older I get, I realize how beneficial it would have been had I set health goals when I was younger. Setting five, 10, 15 and 20-year goals can make things easier for you, when it comes to your healthcare, as you age. When we are 25 years old, not many of us think of what life will be like when we are 75. But, it make sense financially at 25 to buy a life insurance policy and long-term care insurance. So, at 25, one of your healthcare goals might be to buy long-term care insurance by the time you are 30.By the time we are 30, we can certainly notice changes with our bodies. You might not be able to eat the same types of foods you ate in your 20s; you also might not be as active as you were in your 20s. One idea for a health goal as your enter 30s is that you make the decision to eat well and exercise. You don’t have to train for a marathon, you can set a goal to walk a mile or two every day. If you stick to that goal, you are going to thank yourself once you turn 40!Whether you are in your 30s or 40s, you should set goals that focus on your vital signs. Focus on keeping your blood pressure low and keeping track of your resting and aerobic heart rate. Get yearly check ups that set benchmarks for you.Setting goals when it comes to your health has also been known to have an impact on attitude. A survey from the National Council on Aging found that 53 percent of older adults who set health goals were twice as likely to believe that their quality of life would improve.As we set these goals at different times in our lives, we are more conscious of our health and observant of how health issues change as we age.