Are You Making SMART Fitness Goals?

How are you doing on your 2012 health and fitness resolution?  Did you find an activity that you love?  Then, did your resolution into a commitment by writing it down? What? You didn’t write it down? What are you waiting for? 

This Week: Make SMART Goals

According to Brian Tracy, author of The Power of Discipline, only 3 percent of adults have written goals and those 3 percent earn more money than the other 97 percent combined!

Further, in his book Tracy cites a USA Today report that examined people who made New Year’s resolutions. One group wrote down their resolutions and one did not. Out of the group of “did nots,” only 4 percent accomplished their goals. But of the group who did write their resolutions down, 44 percent accomplished them. 

That’s an amazing difference! 

Decide to be a part of that 44 percent this year. Start by writing down your resolution (making it a commitment) and mapping out a detailed plan about how you’re going to get there.

But how do you get started? According to Top Achievement.com it is helpful to use the acronym SMART.

S = Specific Most of my clients say weight loss is one of their goals. But “weight loss” is an enormous category. What kind of weight loss do you want to achieve? And how much? Do you want to lose 5 pounds or 5 percent body fat? Pick a specific target.

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M = Measurable Pick a goal that you can measure. If you can’t measure it, how are you going to achieve it? For example, I want to lose 20 pounds is an easily measurable number.

A = Attainable If you decide running a marathon is your goal, do you have the time necessary to train for it? Do you have any injuries that may impede your progress? Choosing an attainable goal will ensure you do not get discouraged along the way.

R = Realistic If you are a beginning runner, it probably isn’t realistic to decide to run a marathon that is only four weeks away. You won’t have enough training time. Don’t choose a marathon if you absolutely hate running and have no desire to do it. You are just setting yourself up for failure. However, if you really enjoy cycling and you want to be able to cycle with your significant other, maybe your goal should be to complete a local cycling race instead.

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T = Time-Sensitive Don’t just say "My goal is to lose 20 pounds." Put a deadline on it! How much time do you want to give yourself to lose 20 pounds? Most experts agree that 1-2 pounds per week is a safe weight loss goal. Calculate the time frame and adjust your goal to say “I want to lose 20 pounds in 15 weeks.” Placing a deadline on your goals will help you continually move forward and avoid stagnation.

So take a few moments to sit down and develop a SMART plan for sticking to your fitness resolution this year. Set yourself up for success in 2012!