Searching for Adequate Goals

A test or a measurement itself does not make you healthy. The measurement results are like a map that shows where you stand in terms of well-being. Lifestyle Assessment results are presented as a report that illustrates the participant’s well-being in everyday life and a feedback session provided by a wellness specialist. The results themselves do not have a curing effect, it is the responsibility of the individual to implement the proper actions in order to live a healthier lifestyle.

The Lifestyle Assessment report is like a window to your body’s physiology and the factors affecting it. The most crucial matter is how the information is utilized. An orienteer might hold the most precise map and a compass, but still get nowhere.

My orienteering skills are very limited: Usually I’m just focusing on choosing the backs I will follow. I still think orienteering and Lifestyle Assessment have a lot in common. In order to be able to choose the right direction and define the goals you must know and accept where you stand now. In addition, it is important to recognize the factors that brought you there. After understanding your current state it is time to start thinking which direction to head. Goals are individual, short or long term objectives. According to the Firstbeat database, Finnish employees’ most common goals are exercising more, eating regularly during working hours and getting enough sleep.

It’s the Inner Motivation That Counts

A professional Lifestyle Assessment specialist creates the basis for setting the goals successfully. The main purpose of the Lifestyle Assessment feedback session is not to present the hottest trends on exercise and nutrition but to help the individual to find the best objectives for themselves. Inner motivation and enthusiasm are the strongest when the goals are truly personal. The most important task for the Lifestyle Assessment specialist is to support the customer in setting the goals and choosing the challenges. The specialist must be capable of observing the customer’s complete situation in life and taking into account for example the individual’s health as well as environmental threats and opportunities.

Success and achieved goals create a positive circle that enables setting new, more demanding objectives. An example of this would a Lifestyle Assessment participant who during the follow-up measurement felt really tired and had poor recovery levels. His only goal was to sleep an hour more every night. Obviously sleeping longer means one hour less active time during the busy day but on the other hand he gained a remarkable amount of energy. Due to the improved energy levels he also experienced increased productivity at work. The most significant change though was that he got interested in exercise and well-being again after a few years break. This also had many positive side effects.

Focus on the Individual

Using common sense is recommended in setting goals. Keeping it simple by starting with 2- 3 well defined and planned goals often leads to better results than a handful of undefined objectives that might end in disappointment. As suggested in Prochaska’s transtheoretical model of behavior change, we are in different phases as individuals and in terms of different goals: Even though you would not actually go running yet, the thought of starting to run is a step to the right direction.

Comforting is that the best Lifestyle Assessment specialist is a professional, who knows the industry as well as the solution and is capable of seeing the individual and their story behind the results and reports. When even one objective set during the feedback session turns into a habit, it is safe to state that the orienteer has found their checkpoint.

Sow a thought, and you reap an act;Sow an act, and you reap a habit;Sow a habit, and you reap a character;Sow a character, and you reap a destiny. Samuel Smiles (1812-1904)