Set Up Your Path

Whether you're a newbie or a seasoned member, taking stock of your day can help you identify which actions helped, and which hindered, your healthy-living efforts. In your Weekly, you traced the steps in an event, from start to finish, to see how to create behavior chains that get you where you want to be. But it can also be enlightening to look back on your day as a whole: the good, the bad, and the ugly. If a daily review feels like, ugh, another thing I have to do, take heart. Just a few minutes are all you need. Think of it as “me” time, something you're doing for yourself, rather than a duty to work, family, or community.

You already know that awareness leads to action. Here’s what a couple of minutes of reviewing your day can help you do:

• Make mid-course corrections

• Be more prepared for challenges

• Use slip-ups as a tool for learning (not for beating yourself up

• Set yourself up for the next day. Simply ask yourself what worked, what could have gone better, and what tweaks you can make next time.

Here's how to make your check-in a reality:

Set a regular time and place for it

It could be during your drive home from work or just before you go to bed. Where or when isn't important. What matters is consistency and focus. If you link your 5-minute checkup to something you do regularly—like brushing your teeth—it can become a habit more easily.

Mentally walk through your day

Consider whatever aspects of your plan you want. Some days you might focus on the what, when, where and why of your food choices. Or on how active you were during the day. Or whether you were able to tend to your emotional wellbeing. Were there missed opportunities to move a little more? How did tracking go? Did you face any food or emotional triggers? How did you respond? Did you connect with someone who supports your goals?

Plan for what lies ahead

This week’s skillbuilder asks you to lay out how you can tackle an upcoming challenge, step by step. Seeing how other members set up their paths to success (and got back on the path when they slipped off it) can be a powerful motivator, too. Remember, it's about progress— not perfection.