How to Shrink Big Health Goals Into a Process You Can Follow
If you read our recent blog, Rethinking New Year’s Resolutions, you’ll remember one core idea: most goals don’t fail because we don’t want them badly enough. They fail because they’re too vague and lack a strategy.
When we set ambitious goals without a process to support them, motivation fades quickly and progress slows or disappears entirely. We know what we “should” be doing. Sleep more. Eat better. Move more. But knowing isn’t the hard part, it's turning those ideas into habits that actually fit our lives.
I want to share how I helped a client nail the basics with her average step count when she set a fat loss goal. My hope is that this helps you develop a strategy for your own goals, one you can implement even on your hardest days.
Some Background Info
My client told me she’d been trying to hit 10,000 steps per day for over a year and just couldn’t do it. Once in a while she’d reach it, but her watch showed she was really averaging closer to 4,000 steps per day. So we dug deeper.
She works a demanding desk job from home. She loves being outside and enjoys walking when she does it, but her motivation was inconsistent. Some days it simply didn’t feel realistic. She did, however, have more flexibility and free time on the weekends.
I understood why she chose 10,000 steps per day. It’s a common goal and it’s everywhere on the internet. What’s often overlooked, though, is that research shows meaningful health benefits start closer to 7,000 steps per day.
So we adjusted the goal. Because if 10,000 was the long-term target, we’d have to pass through 7,000 anyway. Shrinking the goal didn’t lower the standard, but made the path forward feel approachable.
Where She Started
Current average: ~4,000 steps per day
Initial goal: 10,000 steps per day
Adjusted goal: 7,000 steps per day
Her circumstances:
Busy workdays with long periods of sitting
Enjoys walking and being outdoors
Feels discouraged missing a daily goal
More flexibility on weekends
Questions we explored:
Does she need to walk the same amount every day to reach her goal of fat loss?
Would focusing on weekly averages reduce pressure?
Where does walking naturally fit into her day?
How can we stack this habit so it’s more likely to happen?
The Plan We Built
Good questions lead to good answers. Here’s what we landed on:
We shrank the goal from 7k to 5k. Hitting a goal feels motivating. Missing it repeatedly does not. Starting smaller guaranteed early wins, which increased confidence and momentum.
We focused on weekly averages instead of daily perfection. Weekdays were harder, weekends were easier. This allowed flexibility without guilt and made consistency feel achievable.
We defined “good, better, best.” This step is critical because we need a plan for bad days, not just ideal ones.
Good: 4k steps (her baseline, especially on workdays)
Better: approaching 5k
Best: exceeding 5k
These targets were based on her real life, not an imaginary perfect version of herself. Weekends became the days she pushed more, and she often hit or exceeded 7k on those days.
After just two weeks, we increased her average target to 6k. Over the next couple of months, she maintained it consistently. Eventually, her workday averages climbed to 6–7k, and that consistency carried over into other areas of her health as well.
The System You Can Use:
If you want to apply this yourself, here’s the framework:
Pick one habit. Choose the most attainable step, and focus on just one area to gain momentum.
Assess your starting point and circumstances. Meet yourself where you are and choose a goal that fits your current season of life. This doesn’t mean you can’t push yourself, but you do need to be honest about your baseline.
Set a “good, better, best” goal. Success builds momentum, and we need a plan for hard days too.
Re-evaluate after 4–6 weeks. If you’re consistent, build from there.
Small, consistent steps are what create lasting change. As always, your coaches are here to talk.
