How to Follow Through on Your Healthy Intentions

Mastering the art of follow-through is key to achieving your health-related intentions. All it takes is a few small steps!

Following through on what you say you’ll do is not always easy. Life often gets in the way. You lose sight of the bigger picture. And the strong, confident steps you started taking to achieve your healthy intentions become smaller and less sure—they may even stop in their tracks altogether. It happens. But keeping a health-related promise you’ve made to yourself can benefit your life in so many ways.

The benefits of following through on your healthy intentions 

When you follow through on your healthy intentions, you can transform your physical and mental health. These positive changes create a ripple effect, enhancing your overall well-being and happiness, too.

Say your intention is to add regular exercise to your routine. If you become an avid gymgoer, you can boost your heart health, flexibility, and strength. Use this activity planner to come up with a regular exercise plan . Or maybe you’d like to switch to a healthy, balanced diet. This can lower the risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, among other things. Find out what constitutes a well-balanced meal plan here .

It doesn’t end there! Combining regular exercise and a balanced diet helps improve your mental health. These healthy habits have been linked to reduced levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. They can also raise your energy levels, lower your stress, and boost your mood.

All of these benefits have lasting, positive effects on your well-being and happiness. So, following through on your health promises supports not only your mind and body but also your overall quality of life. 

Understanding the “intention-behavior gap” and how to overcome it

Many people struggle with follow-through. In some cases, it can just be a problem of not knowing where to start. In others, it might be a battle of knowing what you must do and actually following through with it. The latter is known as the intention-behavior gap.

So, how can you close this gap and turn your healthy intentions into action? Self-regulation might be the answer.

Self-regulation is how you can control your behaviors, thoughts, and feelings to achieve your goals. When negative thoughts stand in the way of your healthy intentions, you can self-regulate by practicing mindfulness. Simply focus your awareness on your breathing. Acknowledge any passing thoughts but let go of any judgment. Calm your thoughts by finding peace in the present moment.

You can also regulate with self-directed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT can flip your thought patterns and behaviors that are keeping you from your goals by turning them into positive ones.

For instance, people often avoid things that they fear or that cause them stress. Maybe your intention is to add variety to your workout plan, but you’re worried about joining a fitness class that you’ve never done before. Or maybe your intention is to lose weight, but you’re stressed out by work and eat junk food to feel better. CBT can change the way you respond to stress in these scenarios . This allows you to form healthy habits instead.

To get started with CBT, you can buy or borrow a book on the topic. Or you can meet with a therapist who specializes in CBT.

While avoidance might be second nature to you, challenge it. Self-regulate. And take a step, however small, toward overcoming your fear or stressor. You might find that when you try new things rather than avoid them, your thought patterns begin to change. It can help you grow your self-confidence and bring you closer to following through on your healthy intentions. 

Follow through on your healthy intentions with action, reflection, and reward 

Turning the skill of follow-through into one of your strengths may be easier than you think. Once you align your intentions and behaviors, it can be as simple as starting small and practicing often.

All healthy intentions are good intentions. But some may be too broad to follow through on, such as wanting to be more active or to change your dietary habits. You’ll want to break these down into smaller goals that you can accomplish.

To follow through on your healthy intentions, follow these 3 steps:

1. Action. First, think of a specific, healthy task that you know you can achieve today. It might be one tiny step toward a bigger goal, such as losing 10 pounds or lowering your blood pressure. Or it might be an end in itself. For example, you might:

• • • • Walk around briskly during a commercial break 
      • Swap salt for a healthy herb seasoning at dinner 
      • Spend 5 minutes breathing deeply before bedtime to relax 

No task is too small. The easier the task seems to you, the better. You should have no doubt that you can do it. What is important is to be specific and to give yourself a short time frame for completing it. For example, you could say, “I will walk around the block before dinner tonight.” Once you’ve named your task, think of it as a promise you have made to a valued friend. Make a point of keeping it.

2. Reflection. After you have followed through on your goal, it’s time to reflect. Notice how you feel. Do you have a sense of accomplishment? Self-confidence? Motivation to take another step? Such feelings may drive you to make and keep an additional healthy promise tomorrow.  

3. Reward. You might want to find a small way to pat yourself on the back for your success. Listening to a podcast, enjoying a footbath, or refreshing your eyes with a cold eye pack are examples of small, healthy rewards.  

Making and keeping small, simple promises can help you beat the tendency to procrastinate. It can guide your day-to-day actions for the better. And it can help you form the new healthy habits you want to adopt, one little promise at a time.

The next time you set a healthy intention for yourself, think about what this change means to you. Confront why you might be getting in your own way. And turn your thoughts and behaviors into positive, actionable ones. By doing this, you can close the intention-behavior gap and follow through.

Thanks for reading this article!

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This article was written by Stephanie Ruz, edited by Keleigh Somes, and clinically reviewed by Elizabeth Thompson, MPH, RDN, on July 8, 2025.