Simple Nutrition Insights

Achieve Your 2025 Goals with Simple, Strategic Planning

• Leonila • Season 2 • Episode 2

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Ever set a New Year’s resolution only to watch it crumble by February? Join me as I share my personal journey from podcast hesitation to triumph, launching season two of the Simple Nutrition Insights podcast with over 75 episodes reaching listeners worldwide. This episode promises to equip you with the skills to set goals that truly stick. We'll confront the pitfalls of vague aspirations and overambitious targets, offering a fresh outlook on how to succeed in nutrition, fitness, and overall well-being.

Discover the secrets of effective goal setting with the SMART framework—turning your dreams into actionable plans. Relatable stories, like my own misstep of trying to boost social media engagement without a solid plan, illuminate the need for specificity and achievability in goal setting. We’ll explore the power of breaking goals into manageable steps, building accountability, and celebrating small wins to maintain motivation. Whether you aim to enhance your health or lifestyle, these insights will guide you on a sustainable path to success. Share your journey with our community as we support each other towards achieving meaningful goals.


Goal Setting for Success: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving Your Wellness Goals

Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to this podcast and share with a friend. If you would like to know more about my services, please message at fueledbyleo@gmail.com

My YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0SqBP44jMNYSzlcJjOKJdg

Speaker 1:

Hey, hey, welcome back to another episode in the Simple Nutrition Insights podcast. Actually, I am recording this episode as the very first episode for 2025, which is also season two. I am so excited that I have been able to do this podcast, for it's going to be a year in mid-January. A little bit of background here. Just quick storytelling here. I had been so overwhelmed and so hesitant about doing a podcast. I think it was just I was just overthinking things and I was thinking how am I going to do it, like all the logistics about it. And I have a fellow dietitian shout out to Kim Terapelli, who started her podcast right, and so we were invited as a panel to talk to students in town and so she was telling me that she started her podcast and I asked her a bunch of questions. I want to say that that was November, december, and I asked her a bunch of questions. I want to say that that was November, december. And so then in January I said you know what? I'm just going to do some research and just go for it. So ever since then, you know it's going to be a year in January, mid-january, and so it has been an amazing journey.

Speaker 1:

If you didn't know this about me I am an introvert. I also don't really talk. I get really nervous talking in public or just public speaking. But I have been doing so much work around that and just making sure that I'm practicing and getting better at it and I think doing a podcast has really helped me to be more comfortable, to get out of my comfort zone, to really explore that area, and I have been so thankful to being able to do a podcast at least once a week, twice a week sometimes, and to be able to bring in guests. So, yeah, it's been amazing. I think I've released over 75 episodes over the year. So thank you so much to my listeners, thank you so much to whoever is coming week after week to listen to my podcast. I really appreciate it. You have no idea Just looking at the statistics on the podcast and how much it has grown, and just people that have listened, not only in Fresno, where I'm at, but around the world. It's just so amazing to see people from Croatia and New Zealand and England. It's just so amazing. So shout out to everybody that has been following me and listening to you Listen with season two.

Speaker 1:

Right, I welcome you with open arms, with my open heart and I wanted to start with a topic right. That usually comes, you know, when I get clients and they talk about that right like resolutions, and it's the new year, the new me. So, as a registered dietitian, right and founder of Fueled by Leo Inc, which is where I help people like you create sustainable, stress-free nutrition plans, I am really thrilled to kick off this new season with a topic that sets the foundations for success in every area of our life, and that is goal setting. Now you might ask you know why goal setting right? Because that is essentially the pillar, the basics of everything that we're going to accomplish this year, not only nutrition related, not only fitness or wellness related. Literally, everything that you want to accomplish for this year has to start with goal setting right. You have to be able to have a roadmap to help you and steer you in the right direction, versus like, oh, I'll do this and I'll do that and let's see what happens. And it's just so chaotic and our brains don't function in a chaotic environment. My thing that they do that usually structure an organization is what gives us that success. So we're going to start with goal setting Now, whether it is to improve your nutrition or build a consistent fitness routine, or just feeling better overall. Your goals are the roadmap to your success, but setting realistic goals is where most people stumble. So in today's episode, we'll explore why traditional goal setting doesn't always work and how you can create meaningful goals that align with your values and lifestyle.

Speaker 1:

But before I dive in, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes this season. And if you love what you hear, leave a review, as it helps more people to find the show and I love the reviews right. So please leave a review, share this podcast. Don't forget to subscribe. Turn your notifications. This season, I really want to bring in more guests to talk about different topics, so if you have a specific topic that you want me to talk about, please send me a text or send me a message, and I'll be more than happy to find a guest for that specific topic.

Speaker 1:

Okay, have you ever set a new year's resolution like I am going to lose 20 pounds? Or I am going to exercise every day, not only to give up after a few weeks? Now, you're not alone, right? You might think, oh my gosh, I'm like I'm a failure. Or like I can't seem to get this done. You might think, oh my gosh, I'm a failure or I can't seem to get this done, but actually this showed that 80% of resolutions fell by February. So you might go into the new year even before thinking about these bigger goals and having this resolution and new me, new year, new me. But the research is there that about 80% of those resolutions are going to fail by February. So if that is your case, right, or if you've been there, let's talk about, maybe, the reasons why that is.

Speaker 1:

I love this, you know, when I have clients that feel so defeated or that are so frustrated, and then we really sit down and say you know what? Oftentimes we think that this might be our fault, but in reality it's probably the situations, our environment, right. Maybe they're not conducive to what we really want to do, and it's not your fault, right? We just have to make a few changes or adjust a few things and really find the challenges, and that's where we have the most success. Let's talk about common pitfalls, goals that are too vague or overly ambitious, for example, like I want to eat healthier, but we don't even know what that means, right? We don't even know what eating healthy means. So how are we going to be able to accomplish that right? Or focusing only on outcomes instead of the behaviors. For example, I want to lose weight versus I'll prepare my meals every Sunday, which is what's going to help us to lose weight, right? So, as you hear these things right, I want you to rephrase. I want you to reframe those big or really ambitious goals and break them down into like actionable steps right that you can take, that, yeah, they are going to lead you to the bigger goal, but you have to be able to do them in a smarter way.

Speaker 1:

Sometimes that lack of a clear plan or accountability right, can also be a common pitfall. Let me tell you here another little story. Even as a dietitian right, I've set goals that don't stick. For example, once I try to say, oh, I'm going to post on social media twice a day, every single day. Right, for the next, I don't know, I didn't even put it the next two months, but I didn't really have a plan right. I didn't have a roadmap or actionable steps as to how I was going to do that. So, to say the least, by the end of the first week I was like, oh my gosh, this is insane. Like I'm really struggling to even post once a day, so it really felt that burned out, right? So I think you know, even again, even as a professional, I struggle with this at times, too, when my goals are really vague or so ambitious Like, yeah, I have the desire to do it right, I have the goal to do it, but I don't have the steps right, like I haven't really created a plan to get it done.

Speaker 1:

So let's talk about how we can change that. Right, smarter way to set our goals and I've talked about this framework in the past, but of course, I want to reintroduce it as it's the new year and that is SMART framework right? So, to set yourself up for success, try using the SMART framework S-S-M-A-R-T, which stands for Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and Time-bound. That's how you want to create every single goal that you have. Right, Make it SMART, use the SMART framework, because it's really going to help you to be successful. So let's break it down and give you some examples here.

Speaker 1:

Specific, instead of saying I want to eat healthier. Try, I'll include a vegetable with lunch and dinner. Right, you are eating healthier, but you're very specific about it, right? Like, how am I going to make these meals healthier? You're specifying that you are going to add a vegetable with lunch and dinner very specific. Now if you want to be even more specific, you can say I am going to eat broccoli for lunch and cauliflower for dinner, right, Something like that. You already know what you want to do. It's very specific and laid out and there is no room for like what if or like what am I going to? Right, like you already know, it's there. You go to the store, you grab those items, bam, and you're good to go.

Speaker 1:

Measurable, track progress. How many days do you eat two servings of vegetables? Right, and if you keep track of it, then it's another way to keep you accountable. You're measuring, okay. This week I ate my two vegetables one for lunch and one for dinner three times this week. Great, amazing, high five. My goal for next week is to do it four times a week. Right, perfect, measure it right, because that's how you're going to be able to see progress. The same thing when you are exercising, right. If you're exercising and you're, like, not keeping track of your progress, how do you know if you're getting stronger? Right, you might feel that you're getting stronger, but are you increasing your weight, right, or are you keep staying at the same weight for months and months and it's so easy. And you're like, okay, I'm so bored because, like, I'm not challenging myself but you don't know where you're at right Because you haven't been measuring your progress. So measure it as well.

Speaker 1:

A for achievable Start small. If you're new to cooking, cook for one homemade meal per week instead of seven, right. And I do have some clients that say you know, I hate cooking or I don't like cooking. And as we think about the reasons why, oftentimes it's because we don't know how to do something, right. And when we don't know how to do something, we're not going to like it. Right. It's like this is such a struggle for me. But if we start with something that is achie it right. It's like this is such a struggle for me. But if we start with something that is achievable, right. Okay, I know I want to cook, I want to do more homemade meals, but it's overwhelming at the moment that I cannot do seven days. But I can start with one meal, I can start with one day, right. So make it achievable for yourself versus, like you know, making it so difficult for yourself that, yeah, at the end of the month in February, you're like I can do that I mean, I quit weeks ago Are relevant. So align your goals with your values, right.

Speaker 1:

If you love family meals, focus on cooking together. I think this is such a beautiful one because, even though meals can be stressful right and I work with these, with my clients, a lot because oftentimes the meal prepping, the cooking, the cleaning, lands on one person only, either the mom or the dad, and it shouldn't be that way, right, because that person is going to get burned out, especially if they are working, especially if they have other things that they have to work on or things that they have to do. It gets very overwhelming. So, if eating together as a family right, something that you enjoy and it aligns with your beliefs, make it a family affair. Right. Sit down together and figure out the meals that you want to cook for the week. Right. Delegate some tasks, like you wash the vegetables, or when you come home, you come home before me, start making the meal right, or that the other person is going to wash the dishes. Whatever it is, make it relevant. Also, make it that it aligns with your goals right, and what you want to do, and with your beliefs, because number one, that is going to help you to continue to do that goal, but it's also helping the family. Think about it.

Speaker 1:

T for time bound. Set a deadline, like I'll do this consistently for one month and then reevaluate, right? So what is going to set behaviors? What's going to create new habits? It's consistent work, right. And that doesn't happen overnight. That doesn't happen in a matter of a few days. It happens in weeks, right, it can take four, six plus weeks to really get into this new routine, to get into this new habit and new behavior, and so if you're not consistent with it, it's going to take longer. It doesn't mean that you're not going to get there, but it's going to take longer. You know, sometimes when we have deadlines, it really helps us to put in the work and, as you're measuring your progress, it keeps reminding you of that goal. So set a time, right. If you're saying, okay, I am going to eat a vegetable for lunch and dinner, right, I am going to do this consistently for the next four weeks, right. And then, once I get there, I am going to reassess and, because I am also, you know, I am going to see how did I do right? And maybe, if I didn't do so well or it wasn't as consistent did I do right? And maybe, if I didn't do so well or it wasn't as consistent, then I'll work on the consistency right for the next month, making sure that I am eating those two vegetables a day right, consistently every single day for the next four weeks, and that's how you get it done right.

Speaker 1:

So again, to recap on the breakdown of the SMART framework you have to make it specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Whatever goal that you have right now going into the new year, I want you to break it down into the SMART framework. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter if it's not nutrition-related or fitness-related. Whatever goal it is that you have make it fit into the SMART framework and you're going to see success. This is research based. Okay, I'm going to give you here another quick story.

Speaker 1:

One of my clients wanted to exercise more right, but felt overwhelmed. Instead of committing to an hour long workout every single day, she started with 10 minute walks after dinner three times a week. That small habit snowballed into a regular fitness routine that she loves. So when we think about exercise, especially if it's for someone that either hasn't added it consistently or they're new to it, making it a huge goal is going to be an obstacle in the challenge. So start very small, right? Hey, if you think about this goal, right, like what makes it feel really, really doable that you can say I can absolutely do that today. That might be a walk, right? I'm just going to do a five minute walk right Around my office building or around my neighborhood, five minutes. I'm going to put a timer. After the timer is up, I'm going to come back.

Speaker 1:

I often suggest not going above that, because the idea is to make it so simple that you can say I can do this tomorrow again or I can do that in two days If you make it so difficult even though, yeah, the idea is to get maybe 60 minutes of exercise a day but we cannot just jump into it, right, if we know that this is new or if we don't want to do it. Start super simple and build onto that. Again, this is applicable to any single goal that you have. Okay, how can we align our goals with our why right? With our values?

Speaker 1:

You really have to find your true why right, why does this matter to me? And it's not just a superficial why that you can say when someone asks you that? Why do you want to walk, why do you want to exercise? And the first thing that comes to mind is know that your true, why you have to peel the layers right. Sometimes it's like asking yourself why, five times, until you get to the really, really the root cause, right as to why is it that you want to do that? So, for example, goals that stick are tied to your deeper purpose, right? So ask yourself, why is this goal important to me?

Speaker 1:

And having that reflection right, like I want you to, as you're listening to this podcast or you know, as you go back, if you're driving or you're busy, right, I don't want you to do this if you're not in a safe position, but I want you to grab a pen, and paper or even your phone right on your notes, or you can even just think about it. Right, I want you to ask yourself these next three questions what do you want to achieve, why is it important to you and how will you achieve this goal? Or how will achieving this goal improve your life? Again, when you're able to, I want you to think, but, more specifically, I want you to really write this down, because something about transferring what we're thinking, what we're listening to on paper makes it more tangible. So I want you to write down these next three questions and answer them what do you want to achieve? Number one why is it important to you? And number three how will achieving this goal improve my life? Again, you can use these three questions for any other goals that you want to do for this year.

Speaker 1:

So, for example, if your goal is to improve your nutrition, maybe your why is having more energy to play with your kids, or feeling confident in your skin when motivation dips, revisiting your why can keep you on track, because sometimes that's what's going to come down to right. When we're not motivated. When life happens, we really have to dig deeper and push ourselves right when we don't have the energy to do it, or like a million other things that are on our to-do list, our true why is what's going to help us get going right. That discipline is what's going to help us. Okay, so let's get into these actionable ways to get our goals accomplished right. So, tip number one start small Focus on one goal at a time.

Speaker 1:

So I want you to, now that you have this goal, I want you to think about the actionable steps that you have to take to accomplish this goal right. Again, focus on one goal at a time and try to change. Trying to change too much at once can lead to burnout, and I work on this with my clients all the time. Right? Oftentimes I hear them say, okay, yeah, my goal is to eat healthy. Okay, let's break this down right? If you were to say something that you can accomplish in the next day today, what is that right? And oftentimes I say, okay, adding more protein, how are we going to do that? I am going to make sure that I'm eating egg whites to my breakfast. Or I am going to add a protein shake in the morning when I'm running out of the door Great, we have specific things that we're working on. Those are your actionable steps. We can do that. Tip number three here. Tip number two I skipped that one Build accountability so you can tell a friend, join a group or even work with a dietitian like myself.

Speaker 1:

As an accountability component, that can make all the difference. Oftentimes I get clients that say you know what, I know what to do, I have the information, I have the knowledge. I basically just want someone that can hold me accountable. That's why I'm coming to see you. They usually tell me that and that's wonderful, right, I'm here to support you, I'm here to hold you accountable and I want to be able to cheer you on, but also to guide you on those times when you're like you know what I'm struggling really hard. Also, to guide you on those times when you're like you know what I'm struggling really hard. Hey, let's figure out a way to keep going or to maintain what we've done and once we feel better, once things settle down, let's pick up the pace after that, right? So, having an accountability partner or a way to create accountability can make a huge difference.

Speaker 1:

Sometimes we need that right, someone that can say, okay, hey, how are you doing with your goals? Right, what are the struggles? And sometimes, because sometimes this journey can be lonely, okay, tip number three track your progress, as we said, right, keep it super simple. A journal, a calendar, right, that you can check off. You can put a calendar, just a little quick template that you can download and put your goal on top, and then you can just cross off the days that you've done it. That's a way to keep you accountable and track your progress. Or a journal like today this is my goal and I did it. Or even a simple to-do list that you can do on a daily basis and just check things off. Sometimes I get clients that say I love checking things off my to-do list. I feel accomplished. Great, put it on your to-do list. That's a great way to track your progress, celebrate your wins. Oh my goodness.

Speaker 1:

Oftentimes I get clients that come to me and the first thing that they start telling me is the things that they haven't done or the failures. I'm a question to all my clients when we start our session, other than, hey, how's it going? How are you doing it's? Let's talk about the wins, right? What have been your wins these past few weeks or this last week? Because when we focus on the wins, we feel like we feel good about ourselves, right? That serotonin, that dopamine rush really helps us and that's what's going to help us with motivation. At times my clients might think that they're not, they don't have any wins. But as we keep talking, right, and we talk about the challenges and we go about our appointment, I always, always find a win or two and then we talk about that win or two.

Speaker 1:

Oftentimes, as humans, we focus on the things that we should be doing, the things that we shouldn't have done, and we forget the things that we are doing so well. So, even if it's just one, even if it's so, so small, I want you to celebrate that. So, celebrate every milestone, no matter how small it is. Progress is progress. Celebrate every milestone, no matter how small it is. Progress is progress. You're doing something and that matters. Okay, my friends, as a recap here for our very first episode of 2025, season two Today, we talked about why traditional goal setting doesn't always work, how to set smart goals and the importance of aligning your goals with your why.

Speaker 1:

Remember that progress is about consistency, not perfection. If you always aim for perfection, we're never going to do anything Coming from a personality, someone that is like, okay, I need to do X, y, z and I have to make sure that it is the way that I wanted to do it. You have to just do it right. It's not going to be perfect. We're human beings, we're not perfect. So work on the consistency, forget about the perfection. So, this week, as you go, as you start your new year, I challenge you to set one smart goal and write it down. Write down your why. Share it with me on Instagram, if you like nutrition underscore with underscore Leonila, or email me at fieldbileo at gmailcom. Text it to me at 559-512-0404, or share it with someone else. You can post it on social media. Just write it on a sticky note and put it somewhere on your desk or somewhere where you see it all the time as a way to keep you accountable.

Speaker 1:

Next week, we'll dive into building healthy habits that stick the practical tips you can implement right away. Don't miss it. Remember to turn on your notifications. Follow me, so that way you stay. You get the episode right away Again. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review or share it with a friend who could use some inspiration for their goals. Your support helps us grow and reach more people. Thank you so much for tuning in to Simple Nutrition Insights. Thank you so much for tuning in to simple nutrition insights. Until next time, stay consistent and take it one step at a time. Happy new year. I know you're gonna do amazing. You are amazing, so I want you to remember that. Keep going strong and if you feel that you need more support, please don't hesitate to send me a text, send me an an email, join me on social media. I'm here to support you. All right, my friend, take care, happy 2025. Bye-bye for now.