Specific. This is pretty straightforward. What is it specifically that you would like to achieve? Your goal must not be ambiguous but should be easy to understand. To say you want to lose weight or gain muscle as a goal is not specific enough.
Measurable. You must be able to measure your goal so that there is no question that the outcome has been attained. Your goal can be measured in terms of inch loss, pounds lost, clothing size change, cholesterol drop etc.
Attainable. When setting a goal it is important that it can be realistically attained. Take care not to make your goal too easy or too hard because both have a tendency to affect your motivation. If you achieve an easy goal too quickly, you may be tempted to return to your old habits. If your goal is too difficult, you risk giving up before you achieve it.
Relevant. A relevant goal needs to be applicable to your personal needs and abilities. While a goal of completing a triathlon is an admiral goal, it will be difficult to achieve if, perhaps, you don’t know how to swim.
Time-bound. Lastly, the goal must have and end time by which you can measure that it has been completed.
An example of a non-SMART goal may be: I want to improve my walk time. Now, let’s take the same goal and make it SMART: I want to be able to walk 4 miles in 60 minutes by August 1st. Goals can be further broken down into short-term and long term. A long-term goal may be to lose sixty pounds in a year; this goal can be broken down into shorter term goals, such as losing fifteen pounds in three months. Another long-term goal may be to run a marathon; a short term goal may be to run a 5k. By setting SMART goals, whether short-term or long-term, you will be on your way to fitness success.
No comments:
Post a Comment