Fitperf Fit Tips

Goal setting is a critical strategy in changing your diet and physical activity behavior The rate of obesity is increasing. A substantial body of research links poor diet and physical activity habits to obesity and chronic diseases. Producing sustainable dietary and physical activity behavior change to influence this rate of obesity is an ongoing challenge. Research shows that the most effective behavior changes from nutrition education interventions take place when the interventions are behaviorally focused and theory-driven. The Social Cognitive Theory, well known and widely used for understanding and researching behavior change, specifies goal setting as a key strategy - Lee, Locke, and Latham define a goal as ‘‘that which one wants to accomplish; it concerns a valued, future end state.” Goal setting is a significant facilitator of behavior change. Setting specific goals provides a potential strategy for organizing nutrition and physical activity information and skills into pr