Are you setting SMART goals?

A goal without out a plan is just a wish, and if it is not written down, it does not exist. These are sayings that I’m sure you have all heard, but they ring true if you are serious about reaching your health and fitness goals.

As Blue Monday has come and gone, this is the time that many people start to fall off the wagon again since making a conscious decision to refocus on their health and fitness. I’m sure many of you started the year off strong and highly motivated, but what I’m fairly certain of is that many of you haven’t given much thought on, or created a Plan of Action as to how you will actually get there.

When I sit down with a client and we talk about their goals, we always set SMART goals, but what are SMART goals and how can they help you?

SMART goals make sure your goals are clear and reachable, each goal should be:

Specific (simple, sensible, significant)

Measurable (meaningful, motivating)

Achievable (agreed, attainable)

Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based)

Time-Bound (time-based, time-limited, time-sensitive)

How does this look for someone looking to lose 50lbs for health-related reasons?

SPECIFIC

I want to lose weight, especially around my waist and reduce my blood pressure

MEASURABLE

I want to lose 50 lbs, drop 3-5 inches from my waist, reduce my blood pressure from 140/90 to 120/80, and lower my fasting blood glucose levels from 9 to 7.5

ACHEIVABLE

Are these targets achievable given my current weight, activity levels, sleep, stress, nurtrition, exercise and injury history?

RELEVANT*

This goal is relevant to me and makes sense because I need to lose the weight in order to lower my risk of heart and other related disease, and feel better physically; I want to be around for my grandchildren!

TIME-BOUND**

I believe these targets can be attained within 9-12 months, based on my current weight, activity levels, sleep, stress, nutrition, and training history

*This goes back to my previous blogpost about MOTIVATION—dive deeper into finding out your “WHY”—“I need to lose weight because my health markers are poor, I’m hypertensive, pre-diabetic, carrying a lot of weight around my mid-section, and I’m at risk of heart-related disease. My family depends on me, I need to lose this weight!”

**All goals don’t have to be achieved within 3 or 6 months; a goal can be short- or long-term, and have a timeframe of over 1-2 years if that’s what makes sense for that goal. However, long-term goals should be broken into smaller, short-term goals, which will act as the motivational stepping stones to reach your long-term goals!

So tell me, are your goals SMART?

Apply these principles to your goals, and give yourself the best possible chance to smash them in 2021.

If you need help setting up your Health & Fitness Plan of action contact me today!

Coach,

Nicholas Noble-Willock