Most of us always have a health goal or two in mind. Whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, clear up your skin, or something entirely different, it’s completely human to always be working toward something.

You might not always meet your goals as quickly as you want to, and that can be frustrating. Beating yourself up gets you nowhere, so let’s take that off the table first.

By showing yourself love no matter what’s going on in your life, you can move forward and make positive change much more easily. Beating yourself up takes a lot of energy that you could be using toward reaching your goals.

After you flex your self-love muscles and master that skill, there are practical steps you can take to make sure you actually meet your health goals.

Here are my best recommendations to make your vision board a reality:

1. Get to the source of whatever is blocking you from your goals. Is your job or relationship stressful, causing you to overeat and skip exercise because you’re too exhausted? Do you need to shift your mindset? Those are just a couple examples. I invite you to explore what’s holding you back on a holistic level and remove the blockers.

2. Paint an “after” picture. Envision how your life will be after you reach your goals. Get specific and imagine how you’ll feel and look, how your work and relationships might change, and how reaching your goals will affect every other area of your life. Get connected to the positive end result and you’ll be more likely to stick with your plan.

3. Write down your goals and keep them in a visible place. Whether you tape them to your bedroom mirror or stick them on your door so you always see them on your way out, put them in the place you’ll personally see them most often. They’ll remind you of the vision you have for yourself, increasing the chances you’ll take the daily action steps needed to reach your goals.

4. Share your goals with friends and family. Cheer each other on and hold each other accountable. Share your painted picture from the previous step and get on board with each other. If you want to go to the gym more often, have a friend call you two or three times a week to check in with you, or work out together.

5. Reward yourself often. If your intention is to lose weight and you lose a few pounds, pamper yourself with a massage or hot bath.

The best way to meet your health goals is to take consistent small steps. Big changes need to be sustainable. By integrating new behaviors slowly, you’ll truly be living your vision instead of just thinking about it or forcing yourself to follow a diet for two weeks.

Your healthy actions will become second nature and a big part of who you are. Allow yourself to climb the ladder one rung at a time.

What are your current health goals? How do you approach sticking to goals, and what’s been working or not working?

Share with me in the comments below! I can’t wait to hear from you.