Diving Deep with SMART Goals: In Conversation with Dr. Ron Harris
Managing diabetes can be challenging, but setting SMART goals can make a big difference. Dr. Ron Harris, a member of the See Yourself Health team, shares his insights below on how to set and achieve these goals.
See Yourself Health: Hi, Dr. Harris! Could you define SMART goals for us?
Dr. Harris: Of course! The letters S-M-A-R-T refer to Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound goals. These SMART Goals are action steps patients take with their peers. This is one approach to assist patients with behavioral changes.
See Yourself Health: Why Are SMART Goals Important for Diabetes Management?
Dr. Harris: Integrating and managing physical activity as well as diet and medications — while balancing costs to attain normal or improved glucose control without harm of low glucose — are important goals. As an example, low levels of physical activity are strongly associated with increased mortality and numerous health issues, which increase health care costs. These measures are of little to no cost to patients and help integrate the patient as an active participant in the health care plan. Patients set their own goals and the health care team provides coaching. This approach can be applied to any clinical setting and helps motivate patients to reach their respective goals
See Yourself Health: Do you have tips for anyone who is struggling to create or even make progress toward their SMART Goals?
Dr. Harris: Identify a member of your health care team with whom you are comfortable and trust. Work with your health care coach along with your health care team. Have open communication.
See Yourself Health: What are some common mistakes you see when people are creating or working on a SMART goal and how do you suggest folks avoid them?
Dr. Harris: Setting out to achieve too much in too short a period of time. Not acknowledging potential barriers which will delay and disappoint achieving their goal. Identify who among your family, friends or loved ones will support you on your journey. It is important that you communicate your goals with your health care provider so everyone is on the same page. You can avoid mistakes by identifying what needs to change; identifying what you have to do in order to make the change; and then identifying why you need to change.
See Yourself Health: What roles do confidence and importance play in the formulation of SMART goals?
Dr. Harris: The process of rating the importance of the patient’s SMART goal in their life as well as rating their confidence in doing it should not be underestimated.
See Yourself Health: Why is tracking progress important when creating SMART goals?
Dr. Harris: It’s important to track your progress in order to reach your goal. Goals can be achieved in small steps. These small steps can be tracked on paper or using an application which can be downloaded from the App Store on your mobile device.
See Yourself Health: Do you ever use SMART goals in your life or career?
Dr. Harris: With the advent of the pandemic and no vaccine, 48 years of a wonderful marriage with two children and two grandchildren, I found myself having to make a very hard choice: continue medical practice or retire. I took the next best option, which was convert from full time to flexible hours. As a result, I had more personal time than I ever had in my life to contemplate what I wanted to do. At that time, I was diagnosed to have prediabetes with an A1c of 6.2 percent. I decided with the support of my family to begin to eat healthier with the expectation that over the next year I lost 15 pounds of weight since I anticipated this would lower my ‘insulin resistance.’ This was very important to me. I started with a small step of avoiding bread, eating more salads and investing in the time to assess my after-meal glucoses with a continuous glucose meter and begin an exercise program. I biked every day, and found out through the use of my continuous glucose meter that I would tend to spike glucose after what I thought was a bowl of healthy cereal for breakfast. I switched my breakfast cereal from Kashi to a yogurt that was exclusively protein without carbohydrates and added at least 2-3 fruits with some granola with coffee and oat milk. Once I noted an improvement in my after-meal glucoses, I never weighed myself until 9 months later when I fell off my bike only 25 feet from my driveway related to a flat tire I was not aware. I had lost 31 pounds and my A1C was 5.7 percent! My excitement was short lived. When I fell, I bled into my right knee, which resulted in my being on crutches for a month, I used Tai Chi to begin to move my body. It took six months of focused determination to get back full range of activity. It was slow but day by day, I measured my progress. Six months later, I was walking 6-8 miles per day. If I set out my goal for full activity within a week, I would have failed. This is why your goals must be specific, measurable and attainable, relevant to you and always time bound.
See Yourself Health: When you are working on a goal and face a challenge, how do you overcome it to stay on track with your goal?
Dr. Harris: I am forward-thinking and very focused when I set my goals. I realize Rome was not built in a day. Having the support of my spouse of 48 years and my family truly makes all the difference in the world in determining whether a goal is worthwhile. Being in the health care field and having managed patients for over 40 years gives me a perspective of why I need to do what I have to do in order to be healthy for my family.
Takeaways
SMART goals can help you manage diabetes more effectively. Start by setting small, realistic goals, involve your support network, and track your progress. Remember, with determination and the right support (like your See Yourself Health team), you can achieve your health goals just like Dr. Harris did.