Learning you have chronic kidney disease may bring some need to lifestyle changes. Setting goals for these changes help you make progress and form new, better habits for yourself. By setting SMART goals for 2018, you can be sure you achieve the changes you want to make and live a happier, healthier life, even with your CKD diagnosis!

What are SMART Goals?

SMART is an acronym for an effective method of developing goals for your personal or professional life. People in business use SMART goals to reach their objectives in the same way you would use them to make changes for your health.

Let’s take a look at what at the five characteristics of a SMART goal…

Specific – State exactly what you want to achieve. You can’t use vague statements like “exercise more.”

Measureable – Your progress and results have to be quantified in some way. You will know how you are doing toward achieving your goal if you can measure the actions you have taken.

Achievable – The goal must be one you can actually accomplish. SMART goals aren’t unattainable dreams, such as winning the lottery or losing 50 pounds in one month.

Relevant – Why is this goal so important to you? For CKD patients, you want to set goals that will have a positive impact on your health and daily life.

Time-bound – Give yourself a deadline to meet your goal. If you setting large goals for all of 2018, you can still break them down into smaller goals, with due dates for each to be achieved.

Setting SMART Goals to Stay Healthy with CKD

Some of the biggest goals you will have to attain with chronic kidney disease include managing your blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight, and sticking to your renal diet. With these ideas in mind, let’s take a look at what SMART goals would look like for a CKD patient.

Weight Loss

S – I want to lose 20 pounds.

M – I will weigh myself once a week and write down my weight in a weight loss journal.

A – I will work to lose 2 pounds each week.

R – I am losing weight to better manage my CKD and to feel better.

T – I will reach my goal of 20 pounds gone by March 1, 2018.

Eating Healthy

S – I will cook dinner at home at least 5 nights a week.

M – I will keep a food log of all the meals I eat.

A – I will cook my own meals 5 nights.

R – Cooking my own meals means I can follow my renal diet given to me by my doctor.

T – I will be cooking 5 nights per week by March 1, 2018.

By using the SMART goal method to make lifestyle changes for chronic kidney disease, you will find more success and positivity in being healthier. When your goals are carefully mapped out and created in a way that you can achieve them, you’ll be happier with the outcomes and not feel discouraged to continue them!