We all know the stigma behind the New Year’s Resolution; if you set any goals for yourself, chances are you will not achieve them. Weight loss goals unfortunately are often under the same category. Many people have the same health, weight loss and fitness goals that they did five years ago, and still, they have yet to achieve them. It is not because they are not capable or worthy of reaching their goal, in fact, there are many people who experience the same thing. Often times it is simply because we aren not setting our goals properly. Which is ultimately setting us up to fail.
A strategic way to set up any goal you have is to use the S.M.A.R.T method. I continue to use this in order to reach any goal that I set for my clients and for myself. S.M.A.R.T is an acronym that stands for:
S – Specific: What is it exactly that you want to achieve? Don’t be vague in this category by simply saying, “I want to lose weight.” An example of a specific goal would be, “I want to make better food choices, drink more water and less pop,” and/or, “increase my exercise by going 4 days a week instead of 2.” Even better, be more specific by listing types of foods you are going to eat and the types of workouts you are going to do!
M – Measurable: Having a goal you can measure is important and goes further than just measuring yourself physically with your weight and measurements. You can measure whether or not you have achieved your weekly goals by tracking your food and your workouts. When you look back at your weekly food log and see that you strayed from the plan numerous times, it is easier to see why you may not be making progress as quickly as you would like to. This can make it easier to adjust your habits and stay on track.
A – Attainable: Are you setting yourself up for failure with the goals you are setting? If you have never ran further than 5k in your life, but you set the goal of running a half marathon in 2 weeks, well then yes you are. I always suggest setting many small goals that you know you can achieve; this will ultimately work you towards achieving your one large long-term goal. An example of this would be “Today I am going to drink all my water and get my workout in before work”. Sounds easy enough right? Doing this daily leads to success.
R – Realistic: Is your goal realistic with your lifestyle? If training for a bikini competition, being in the gym 7 days a week and packing every single bit of food that you eat around with you is not realistic with your lifestyle, then this might not be a good goal for you right now. Setting unrealistic goals is a common reason why people become unmotivated and quit. When life becomes hectic and proper nutrition and exercise are put aside, it becomes easy to feel like you have failed. Don’t let this happen to you! Set the bar high for yourself, but keep your goals realistic with your lifestyle and what you are willing to do.
T – Time Sensitive: Your goals should have a deadline. Once again, this needs to correlate with how attainable your goals are. If you know you have a family trip to the lake this summer that you want to lose 20 pounds for, don’t wait until 2 weeks before to do something about it! Give yourself enough time to reach your goals, but having a deadline helps to stay motivated.
Keeping your goals S.M.A.R.T is a great way to help ensure your success, whether you want to lose 20 pounds, put on muscle mass, or improve the way you eat. Staying motivated by having an accountability partner is another awesome way to help you stay on track. Get excited about setting your goals, as well as working towards them!
