How to write yourself a Health Plan in 7 easy steps

Committing your good intentions to paper is an excellent way of setting goals that are realistic, appropriate for you and most important of all, measurable. Writing your health plan also helps you bring the ideas and intentions that may have been floating around in the back of your mind, into the front of your mind so you can be aware of them and then take responsibility for achieving them.

Let me share my simple step by step guide with you, so that you can start to enjoy the benefits of having your own health plan straight away.

Step 1. Chose how you will record your notes. Choose either, some good quality paper, or create a new word document on your computer, that you can eventually print out your plan and place it in your diary, or somewhere prominent so that you can review it regularly.

Step 2: Chose a heading for your document, such as 'My Health Plan' or 'My Vision for Health' and if you think that you will want to share this information with anyone else such as your Doctor or Coach, then you might also like to include some general information about yourself such as your age, height, weight, current conditions and medications.

If this is plan is just for your own personal use however, you probably will want to skip this part. Allow yourself the time and space to write freely in this section to record what your ideal vision of health may be. Allow yourself to think about what your potential could be and ask yourself 'How healthy and vibrant am I willing to be'? Don't censor your answers. Just allow yourself to think freely at this stage.

Step 3 Annual Goals. Take some time to look back at what you have written about your ideal vision of health and consider how this vision could be translated into goals that are actually realistic and achievable for you within the next twelve months.

Step 4. Quarterly goals. This is where you refine your vision even further and make a commitment to the goals that you are willing and able to achieve within the next three months. It's useful at this stage to make sure your goals are 'SMART' and by this I mean that they are; specific, measurable, action based, realistic and set in time.

Step 5. Quarterly Action Plan for Health. This is where you outline your strategies for success, and write down the specifics of how you are going to actually achieve some change. What will you do and when exactly will you do it?

Step 6. Additional resources. Ask yourself, what other resources if any do you need to accomplish these goals? Perhaps the advice or support of your Doctor, Nurse or Coach would be of help. Perhaps you need more information from a book, or the internet, to help you make decisions, or understand your health more fully. This is also a good place to make a note of what you know already works well for you, as this information can be surprisingly easy to overlook if you are striving to find new solutions. It may be that you can achieve all you need on your own but it's always useful to consider building a support team around yourself for moments of uncertainty, or waning motivation.

Step7. Key Performance Indicators. Last but not least you need to record how exactly you will measure your progress. This last step is very grounding, it makes you take responsibility for the changes you are seeking and holds you to account. It also gives you a reason to celebrate as you first reach and then reach beyond your chosen milestones.

Remember this is your own personal healthcare plan. You don't need to show it to anyone or discuss openly unless you want to. Keep it in a safe place so that you can refer to it often and update it regularly. Oh, and one last thing, you may also want to create a log of your successes, even the small ones, so that you can celebrate and honour your efforts!

Go ahead and give it a go, you may well be surprised at what you can achieve!

Anne Marshall is one of the UK's leading Health Coaches and author of The Health Factor: Coach Yourself To Better Health.

Known as a highly intuitive and fun loving motivational Coach, Anne works with both individuals and organisations to help improve wellbeing.

If you would like to know if you could be one of Anne's select private clients, or if you would like her advise on improving the wellness culture of your workplace you can contact her directly at www.AnneMarshall.com

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