If you are looking for ways to improve your health, try creating a personal wellness plan. It can help get you on the path to living healthier.

One of the most daunting tasks is creating a personal wellness plan. It takes lots of time, research, and thought to develop an individualized plan that best suits your needs.

However, a personal wellness plan is a crucial component for success. It can be hard to stay on track with your health and fitness goals. But, it’s important that you do because of the benefits it will have on your personal wellness.

This post will provide all the information you need to create a personalized wellness plan.

What is a personal wellness plan?

A personal wellness plan is a tool that is designed to help you achieve your health goals. Common health goals include losing weight, achieving a certain level of fitness, or even focusing on the problem areas of your life that are causing you stress.

What can I do to create a personal wellness plan?

Developing your own personal wellness plan is an individual process and requires research, self-reflection and goal setting skills.

Your personal wellness plan should reflect your preferences, personal health needs and interests.

The key to designing a personalized plan of action is to identify your needs and figure out what you can do to improve upon them.

You should also consider how to best manage any existing health issues that may be impacting other areas in your life. To get started, check out these steps on creating a personal wellness plan.

"If the plan doesn't work, change the plan but never the goal" -Unknown 

What should a personal wellness plan include?

It’s important to consider the steps you need to take to reach your goal before actually beginning.

Set yourself up for success by breaking down the objective into manageable tasks and seeing what the timeline would look like if you were to accomplish them.

Also, make sure you’ve given yourself enough time to finish each task before moving on to the next.

A personal wellness plan should include:

•  Your goals.
• Action steps that are needed to achieve those goals.
• The resources to help you accomplish your goal.

Examples of personal wellness could include exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet, practicing positive mental health strategies and maintaining professional relationships with your co-workers.

This involves taking responsibility for yourself by making personal choices that are beneficial to your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health.

Read more about the dimensions and importance of personal wellness.

Identifying goals for your personal wellness plan

You can’t build a house without a plan and you can’t create a wellness plan without goals. As such, identify what your current state is and where you want to be in the future.

It’s also important to identify how much it will cost (financially and mentally) to achieve these goals.

Tips for identifying your personal wellness goal

Before deciding on a goal, you should ask yourself these questions:

• What would I like to change about your life?
• What do I want to accomplish by achieving these goals?
• When will I be able to work towards accomplishing these goals?
• What is my motivation for achieving this goal?
• What have I done in the past to stay committed when it comes to achieving goals?
• If I do achieve this goal, what’s next? Have I prepared myself for moving forward in a positive direction?
• How much time and effort am I willing to give to achieve the goal?
• Is this goal realistic?
• What resources are available to me should an emergency arise during the process?
• If I can’t do it myself, who could help make this happen?
• Can I perform these tasks by myself or not?
• What is the cost associated with this goal?
• Will I have to make sacrifices to achieve it (eg quitting my job or cutting down on entertainment expenses)?
• Can I afford these sacrifices?
• Can I fit these tasks into my current schedule? If not, will changes need to be made to accomplish these tasks?

Now that you have your goals, it’s time to decide what steps you need to take in order to accomplish them.

Make a comprehensive list of everything that needs to happen – err on the side of being too detailed! You can also brainstorm ways to achieve the different steps.

"A goal without a plan is just a wish" - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Determine what you need for your personal wellness plan

After determining your goals, identify the skills, attributes and resources that you need to accomplish them.

You should identify not only physical items that will help (eg yoga mat, books, gym memberships) but also mental and emotional tools (eg meditation).

Remember, you may need to upgrade items as you go (eg equipment).

You will also want to identify support tools in case your plan requires it (eg yoga instructor or nutritionist). If there are items you need to purchase, consider what would be more cost-effective.

Most people work better with others rather than on their own, so reach out to family or friends who will be willing to help you achieve your goals.

Some people may be hesitant to help you because they think you’re trying to start a healthier lifestyle as an excuse to criticize their behaviors.

If this is the case, then it’s up to you to prove that your goal isn’t about judging them – it’s about making positive changes for yourself and everyone around you!

Tips for determining what you need

• What do I need to know more about?
• What resources are available to me regarding these areas of improvement?
• Are there books that will help me learn what I need to know to achieve my goals?
• Can I afford a personal trainer?
• Are there online training programs and/or apps available for this goal?
• Could I learn what I need to know from a family member or friend?
• Does my community offer any classes or seminars regarding this goal?
• Can I find support and accountability for this goal?
• What can hold me back from achieving my goal? Have I prepared myself to combat any roadblocks that may get in my way?
• Have I done research about what it takes to accomplish this goal so I know what I am getting into?

Action steps for your personal wellness plan

Identify the steps that will be necessary to reach your goals and prioritize them. In fact, it’s important to not only identify what specifically needs to be done but also when it should be done and who will do it (you or someone else).

From there, determine where each step fits into your budget.

It’s important to outline these steps and also to ensure that they’re realistic for you to accomplish. Again, it may be necessary to call on your family and friends for help.

Remember, don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to make too many changes at one time.

Once you’ve developed your plan, it’s important to stick with it. Don’t get discouraged if things don’t go perfectly – changes to your lifestyle will take time!

Use the support tools you identified in your personal wellness plan and remember that making small steps today can lead to big results down the road.

"Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you ready or not, to put this plan into action." -Napoleon Hill

Tips for developing your action plan

For your action plan, it’s important to:

• Identify the barriers to achieving these goals.
• Develop strategies to overcome the barriers you identify.
• Identify support.
• Evaluate your progress.
• Revisit your personal wellness plan.
• Make adjustments if necessary.
• Re-evaluate.

(1) Identify the barriers to achieving these goals

If you’ve tried in the past to change your lifestyle and failed, identify what it is about this goal that keeps getting in your way. Maybe you lack access to healthy foods?

Maybe you don’t have time to exercise after work? Be honest with yourself so that you know what the obstacles are before making any changes.

(2) Develop strategies to overcome these barriers

For instance, if you lack access to healthy foods then be proactive and choose a grocery store that has more of those types of food.

If you’re short on time after work, consider planning your workouts before you leave the office so you can avoid rushing around at night trying to squeeze in exercise.

However, don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to think of every possibility for overcoming your barriers. Keep it simple and develop a couple of strategies that you can start using immediately.

(3) Identify support

There is a reason why wellness professionals such as dietitians and personal trainers exist. They see the big picture and can provide motivation, guidance, expertise and accountability that you may not possess on your own.

You can find these experts in the community, through wellness organizations and even at work.

By discussing your goals and wellness plan with friends, family and co-workers you’re likely to get encouragement and helpful input (and maybe even accountability!).

Talk about the benefits of good health and what it can do for you in terms of living longer, feeling better or simply enjoying life more.

"I have a plan of action, but the game is a game of adjustments." - Mike Kryzyzewski

Tips for identifying support

• Do I have a support system in place?
• Who do I know who has similar goals as me so they can hold me accountable for my actions?
• What resources are available to me regarding these areas of improvement?
• Do other people I know have similar goals?
• Are there online groups or forums available to help keep me motivated and on-track?
• What happens if I don’t reach my goal?
• Can I reach out to my company’s wellness program for assistance? Are there financial incentives available should you meet certain benchmarks (eg lower cholesterol)? Can I participate in these programs as a condition of employment or will they be accessible outside of work hours?
• Who can help me find the right experts to assist with this process (eg a personal trainer)?
• What friends of mine have successfully lost weight or achieved other related goals? What did they do that was successful?

Related: Discover the pros and cons of health incentives

(4) Evaluate progress

By setting up a system to measure your progress you’re taking steps towards developing an awareness of how well you are doing. This also provides motivation through positive reinforcement when you’re on-track and through goal-setting when you aren’t.

Make sure you’re aware of when you began to work on the task and everything you’ve accomplished since then.

(5) Re-visit your personal wellness plan

After a certain time period, you should re-visit your plan and evaluate what’s working and what isn’t. This will help you make any adjustments that are necessary to improve your results.

It may be a good time to modify your goal if:

• You’ve done enough research to determine that this isn’t going to work for you.
• You have a lot going on with other aspects in your life and need to change up your plan.
• You’ve been working on this for a while and haven’t seen any progress.

Try to stay flexible with your plan of action as you navigate through this process! It may take some trial and error but the most important thing is that you’re listening to yourself along the way.

You know yourself better than anyone else does so it’s absolutely fine to adjust accordingly and follow your instincts if you feel like you need to.

(6) Adjust your personal wellness plan

Once you start creating your plan, be flexible with it. Some steps may need re-prioritization or additional financial investment. As you make adjustments, continue to follow the process of finding sources of support. Be patient and persevere – the payoff will be worth it!

As with any plan, it’s possible that things will go wrong. If you find yourself getting off track or missing steps, try to adjust your plan to compensate.

Additionally, if you find that a step is just too difficult or expensive, then consider if there’s a way to accomplish the same goal in a different way.

If you need to adjust your plan, always consider the following:

• Identify what additional items or elements may be required for you to complete this task (examples: certain tools, equipment, etc).
• Find out how much this additional element will cost and whether or not it’s worth investing in now or if you should wait.
• Determine what the timeline would look like with your revised plan of action.

"Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tiptoe if you must but take a step." - Naeem Callaway

(7) Re-evaluate your personal wellness plan

After you’ve reached your goal, it’s time to re-evaluate your health and wellness plan. If you find that whatever problem was plaguing you is no longer an issue, then congratulations – your hard work has paid off!

It could be beneficial for you to stay on track with a maintenance plan to maintain results and avoid any setbacks.

Or, you could go back to your previous plan and set a new goal. The possibilities are endless!

What are the benefits of creating a wellness plan?

Creating a wellness plan can have several benefits for your personal development. Having a plan can help you stay organized and be more productive.

By designing, planning and meeting the goals that are outlined in your wellness plan you’ll become more self-aware of how your choices affect your overall well-being.

How do I stay motivated?

One of the best things you can do to help motivate yourself is choosing a goal buddy. Having someone else who has the same goals as you will help keep you accountable and encourage you during difficult times.

You can also use an app to help track your progress, update social media with your successes and reward yourself for milestones. Establishing healthy habits will lead you to success.

Related: Why are habits more important than inspiration?

According to research, you can achieve change by beginning with strategies to increase self-control (Stoewen, 2017).

Related: Self-discipline: The magical formula for success

How do I know if my wellness plan is working?

When you’re first starting out on this journey, it’s impossible to know whether or not your new plans are doing anything positive for you until you see the results down the road.

It’s important to trust in your journey and have faith that you’ll get there eventually!

What if I miss a step on my personal wellness plan?

The great thing about wellness plans is how adaptable they are – whatever you need to do, just rearrange your plan so it still allows you to reach your goals!

If you miss a step, that’s okay – just find a way for your plan to work around it. The important thing is that you stay committed.

"It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Final words on how to develop a personal wellness plan

As we wrap up this post on developing a personal wellness plan, here are some final thoughts to consider. First and foremost, this process is about YOU.

The point of a personal wellness plan is not to please someone else or meet an arbitrary standard that society has set but rather it’s all about you and what YOU can do for yourself.

Second, there may be differing opinions when it comes to what constitutes a healthy life so don’t feel like you need to follow anyone’s advice blindly just because they say it’ll work!

Finally, always remember your WHY – why did you start looking into creating a personalized wellness plan in the first place?

What was going well before you started exploring how your health affects other parts of your life?

Remember, having the courage to start is commendable and it’s usually hardest in the beginning. You got this!

Have you ever developed a personal wellness plan before? If yes, let me know your best tips and biggest challenges in the comments below.

Related Topics

What is personal wellness?

Personal wellness refers to good health habits that an individual has chosen to incorporate in their lifestyle. Healthy living includes balancing work, relationships, spiritual development and personal health.

One factor that can have a negative impact on personal wellness is the ability to establish boundaries between work and personal lives.

If you are stressed about work, this could affect your relationships with friends and family members. Learn more about personal wellness.

What’s the relationship between personal wellness and work?

There’s a very strong link between your physical, mental and emotional health and your ability to function well at work.

A lack of focus or attention can be attributed to poor health habits such as not exercising enough, sleeping inconsistently or having an unhealthy diet.

Personal wellness can have a positive impact on your professional life by improving productivity, reducing sick days and increasing workplace morale.

As such, take steps to set boundaries at home by working during work hours only, avoiding checking emails after business hours or turning off cell phones. Read more about occupational wellness. 

References

Stoewen D. L. (2017) Dimensions of wellness: Change your habits, change your life. The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne, 58(8), 861–862.