60 Health and Wellness Goals Examples For An Amazing 2023
What is a personal wellness goal?
Wellness goals are anything you would like to work towards that promotes your overall well-being. While we will get into specific examples below, this can include anything from better sleep to exercise to mindfulness.
How do you create a wellness goal?
Creating a goal is simple. Here are the three basic steps that we’ll outline in the article.
- Pick your area of improvement
- Use the basics of a smart goal to outline your plan
- Write out your goal
First, pick a health and wellness goal:
Here are 35 ideas for wellness goal areas. Keep reading for more specific examples of the most common wellness goals.
Physical Wellness Goals Ideas
- Sleep (Following a good night wind down routine can also be the goal)
- Regular exercise (or movement in general)
- Drinking water
- Taking vitamins
- Eating whole foods
- Cutting out junk food
- Cooking at home more
- Getting outside more often
- Stretching
- Scheduling and attending health checkups
Emotional & Mental Health
- Journaling
- Therapy
- Support groups
- Taking a break from social media
Social Health Goals Examples
- Regular coffee or time with friends
- Family traditions
- Time spent with your partner (date nights)
- Putting away technology for better quality time together
- Taking meaningful vacations and time off
- Volunteering
- Meeting new people and making friends
- Spending more time with those who inspire you (and less time with those who drain you)
Spiritual Wellbeing Goals
- Meditation
- Church
- Prayer
- Nature walks
- Practicing gratitude
- Reflecting on life, values, and goals
- Yoga
Intellectual Wellness Goals Examples
- Finding more fulfillment and purpose at work
- Getting out of your comfort zone
- Learning through courses or classes
- Reading more
- Practicing your favorite hobby
- Building your mindset through positive affirmations
Environmental Ideas
- Setting better boundaries between work and personal time
- Keeping your spaces uncluttered
- Asking for help from others when you need it.
- Setting up your environment to make your wellness goals easy.
- Following a good morning routine that helps you.
Personal Financial Wellness Goals Examples
- Gaining an understanding of your financial big picture.
- Keeping track of your spending
- Paying down or getting out of debt
- Getting on the same page with your partner
- Auditing all of your expenses
- Getting a will
- Building an emergency fund
- Saving more for retirement
Here’s HOW You Make The Goal:
- Specific: State what, when, and where.
- Measurable: How often? And how will you mark progress? A habit tracker can help here.
- Achievable: How will you achieve it? Make a plan. Decide what is realistic for the resources you have and if you need to do any further learning.
- Relevant: State WHY it’s so important to you.
- Timely: Set a deadline.
What is an example of a wellness SMART goal?
You will notice that all of the goals below are detailed. The more specific you can get, the better your chances of sticking to your goals.
3 Monthly Health and Wellness Goals Examples:
Reading a new book once a month
I will read one new book a month for the year. I will join a reading challenge with a friend, utilize the library, and keep a book on my nightstand. This will help me relax at night, as well as learn how to improve my life.
Keeping spaces decluttered every month
I will declutter one trash bag of items on the 15th of every month, then separate it into trash, donation, and sell boxes (already labeled). I will set a reminder on my phone to make it happen. Doing this will make me feel calmer and more focused. I will mark it on my calendar after completing it.
Setting up a monthly time to see friends
I will set up a time to see my friends on the 1st of every month. I will utilize an alarm on my phone to help remember, and then schedule this in the calendar immediately. This wellness goal will help me feel consistently connected and supported.
3 Examples of Short-term Holistic Wellness Goals
Practicing gratitude
I will write down 3 highlights of my day every night in bed by August 15th. Doing this will remind me of all the good within my moments, even on the bad days. I will keep my journal on my nightstand with a pen, and mark it in my habit tracker when I finish.
Nature walks
I will take 3 nature walks (on the trail by my house) a week by April 21st. I will accomplish this by taking an evening walk with my family on Tuesdays and a morning walk break at 10:00 am on Mondays and Thursdays. I will immediately record these on my fitness tracker after finishing. This goal will help me to feel calm, even during the craziest weeks.
Cooking at home
I will cook at home 4 times a week by October 31st. I will accomplish this by meal planning on Sundays at 6:00 pm, and getting out any meat needed to thaw for the week. Cooking at home will give me more energy to play with my kids at night (I won’t feel bloated and tired). I’ll put $5 in a jar each time I cook to track my progress and use it for vacation.
3 Long-term Examples of SMART Wellness Goals
Saving more for retirement
I will be able to retire at age 60 with X in savings. I will save $X a month by setting up an automatic transfer from my paycheck to a retirement account, cutting expenses to save an extra $100 every month, and picking up extra hours at work on Thursdays. This will allow me to travel and explore in my later years.
(Note: the number will be different for everyone depending on your lifestyle, age, cost of living, and income)
Morning routine
I will get up 20 minutes earlier every month, until I reach a 5:00 am wake-up time by January 1st, 2025. This will give me time to meditate, exercise, and journal every day, doubling my energy, focus, and peace. I will do a challenge with my friend (to hold myself accountable) and lay out what I need the night before.
Screen-free vacations
My family will take one week-long vacation in a natural setting without devices every year for the next 5 years. I will schedule this vacation before December 31st of the year before. Taking a break with my family will help us marvel at nature, unplug, and connect more deeply with each other before the kids graduate from high school.
3 Great Wellness Smart Goal Examples For Teachers, Parents, & Students
During my busy day, I will drink 64 ounces of water in my 32-ounce water bottle (filling it in the morning and once at the water fountain) by July 1st. Every day when finished, I’ll mark down that I drank it on my phone tracker. Drinking more water will help me feel better and have more energy.
I will take a new course or class every quarter for the next 12 months (until December 31st, 2025) so that I can improve my expertise. I will sign up at the beginning of the quarter (Jan 1 etc.) and use an alert on my phone to remember. I will track progress through grades.
To center myself and stay calm through a busy day, I will spend 20 minutes in meditation at 6:00 am 4 days a week (Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Friday) by January 15th. To help, I will use a guided meditation app. I will stop to notice how I feel at the end of each session, and record the day’s session in my planner.
Quick Tips For Following Through on Goals & Habits
Get Creative with Measuring
Years ago, when I first decided that I wanted to get up early, I put a marble in a jar for each day that I followed through. It felt amazing when I had a jar full of bright marbles to show what I had accomplished. Don’t underestimate the power of seeing your progress!
Hairpins, paper clips, and any small object would work too!
Find Accountability
At some point, willpower is not enough. And that’s ok..if you have built-in accountability.
- Work towards the goal with a friend or family member
- Make a bet. Loser pays $50 to someone or has to donate to an organization they don’t like.
- Announce your goal to others
Make it Easy to Succeed
Design your environment to work FOR you, not against you.
- Set up reminders
- If you are giving something up, make those things hard to access (Put your alcohol in the basement and your tv remotes in the closet, or leave your wallet at home so you aren’t tempted to eat out)
- If you are adding something, make these obvious and easy. (Put vegetables in the front of the fridge, your workout clothes out on the dresser, or a book on your pillow for later)
Write Out Your Goal Or Review It Often
Studies show that there are specific things you can do to improve your chances of reaching your wellness goals. Writing down your goals is one of them. For more, check out the article on goal setting statistics.
