Blog Focus: Building sustainable health routines, breaking goals into small steps, and restarting healthy habits after the holidays.
During the new year, many individuals make commitments to start new habits and set goals of improving one of more domains in their life. Many times, individuals will start new habits simple due to a popular product or trend. If you are not initiative-taking and willing to review options, select a new habit, track that habit, and make slight changes as needed to maintain your long-term health and wellness, you will not be successful.
The University of New Hampshire (Kroll, 2023) reports there are eight domains of wellness for everyone: physical, emotional, intellectual, social spiritual, occupational, environmental, and financial. At any given time, many domains could be taking up too much of your focus and energy, or they may be neglected and shrinking from your attention. Starting with small steps and restarting prior healthy habits after the holidays can improve many of the domains. But how does one tackle such an activity and find success?
In this post, we will introduce you to SMART Goals and Habit Stacking, how they show up in your daily life, some practical advice, some quick tips, and resources. Finally, we will round out our time with positivity and encouragement, we believe in your personal success! But first, let me introduce myself and provide you with why I care about this topic so much.
Hello! I am Dr Kristin L McQueeney, a Doctor of Behavioral Health and licensed professional counselor working as a member of the care team at MHEDS. My role is to assist patients with holistic care through integrated behavioral health while focusing on patient life events, development delays/difficulties, parent education and support, life improvements, barriers to care and access to community resources. I have spent over 15 years in the field of mental health working with individuals between ages 4-80. My focus is specifically on psychoeducation, patient learning, and human development influenced by traumatic events(s) and lifestyle. This topic is especially important to me since one habit in our day can make a significant difference in our mood, social engagement, and potential success in so many ways. So, let us take a look and jump in!
SMART Goals are simply a way to organize the desired change/end goal. The S = specific action to complete, M = how to measure success/completion, A = attainable / agreed upon, R = realistic/reasonable, and T = timely (allowing enough time for success), (Mayo Clinic Health System, 2022), (McQueeney, K.L., 2025). By organizing your time, energy, and resources you can find greater success. Now that we have a framework, we can talk about how this shows up in your daily life.
At MHEDS, we often see patients desire improvement with their mood and physical wellness. During a patient visit focused on concerns, desired outcomes, and potential barriers of success, the care team can provide psychoeducation and recommendations or advice on treatment options. Here is some advice, build from your daily habits and schedule with small and simple changes, be SMART.
Often people will avoid changes or health improvements based on misconceptions, inaccurate information, fear, or a lack of support. Many misconceptions are that improvement will cost too much, take up time, or cause a disruption in the family. Some inaccurate information about health changes has been related to extreme medical procedures and quick changes, instead of slight changes over time. The research shows that making slight changes to your daily habits can improve your overall wellness, reduce mood swings, reduce chronic condition flare ups, increase memory, and improve your ability to find stable financial success across your lifespan (Fogg, 2021). So, if we are being SMART, how can we change our habits?
Habits Stacking (Cleveland Clinic, 2024) is a method that you can build into your everyday well-being. With habit stacking you can improve your morning meal by maintaining the scheduling yet swapping out high sugar cereals or bars for a bowl of fruit or a large bagel with cream cheese for an egg and spinach scribbler bite. Healthy swaps like this can improve your mood and physical wellness throughout your day and lifespan.
Another way to improve mood and physical wellness is through swapping out a late start in the morning or for easy movements such as walking, stretching or chair yoga. With habit stacking, you could place that new behavior/habit after personal grooming or taking your morning medication. Another time in the day could be after your lunch or at the end of work schedule. It is important to track your progress and determine if the changes have made a positive impact on your wellness domains. How can we track changes?
Many individuals will record data on their cellphones, use an app for counting calories, eating habits, mood, or number of steps/physical activities. Others may incorporate a family member or friend to join them or hold them accountable on their progress. Others will find it helpful to simply keep a paper/written log daily. Review below for websites and apps that have been helpful to others.
At MHEDS, your wellness is our priority. The care team can provide you with primary care, immigration physicals, diabetic services, patient education, chiropractic services, address women’s health conditions, assess mental health and wellness, and vaccinations and labs. Most importantly, we are meeting you where you are regardless of your ability to pay. If you are motivated to make changes and live a healthy lifestyle, we are here to support you and your goal. Reach out to us at one of our three locations and schedule an appointment to meet the providers that care about you! We are looking forward to seeing you soon!
Websites and apps:
Eating smart – https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/healthy-swaps-for-common-foods
Losing Weight – https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-weight-growth/losing-weight/improve-eating-habits.html
Tracking meals – https://www.myplate.gov/resources/tools/startsimple-myplate-app
Tracking your mood options – https://www.verywellmind.com/best-mood-tracker-apps-5212922
References:
Cleveland Clinic (2024). Everything you need to know about habit staking for self-improvement. Health Essentials. June18, 2024. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/habit-stacking
Fogg, D.J., (2021). Tiny Habits: The slight changes that changes everything.
Knoll, M.M. (2023). Do you know the 8 dimensions of wellness and what they say about your wellbeing? An interactive web-based tool to assess your current wellness. University of New Hampshire, Health& Well-Being. https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2023/05/do-you-know-8-dimensions-wellness-what-they-say-about-your-well-being
Mayo Clinic Health System, (2022). Setting SMART Goals for success. Speaking of Health. Dec 20, 2022. http://mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/setting-smart-goals
McQueeney, K.L., (2025). Eclipse Project – Refugee Medical Awareness Program: Transitioning into the United State of America’s medical and health services.
Want to get a head start on your health? Call MHEDS at 814-453-6229 (Peach Street) or 814-616-7730 (John F. Kennedy Center).
Our health information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Please be advised that this information is made available to assist the public in learning more about their health. MHEDS’ providers may not see and/or treat all topics found herein.
