One of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to “be healthy,” but what does that really mean?
Most fitness goals fail because people fail to define them in specific terms. That ends today!
SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. S.M.A.R.T! Get it? We’re going to teach you how to make SMART fitness goals that will succeed because you know exactly how to reach them.
Specific
Be specific when defining your fitness goal. A goal such as “be healthy” or “exercise more” is too broad. Instead, a proper goal might be to run a 5k or take up weightlifting because these give you a proper way to work toward your goal. If your goal is to run a 5k, you need to run. If your goal is to weight lift, hit the gym and lift some weights. Leaving vague details in your goal will set you up to fail before you even start working toward it.
Measurable
How do you know that you are meeting your goal? Let’s take the weightlifting goal from earlier as an example. If the goal is to take up weightlifting, I could do one dumbbell curl and call it a day. Now let’s say the goal is to be able to bench press 100 lbs. I now have a specific way to measure the success of my goal.
Achievable
Are you able to achieve your goal? Be ambitious when setting goals, but also be honest with yourself and consider what is possible and healthy for you. If you are currently lifting 50 lbs. and want to get to 100 lbs., this may set unrealistic expectations that will only make you frustrated and tempted to stop lifting altogether. In this case, you may want to reduce your goal amount or set benchmarks that will set you on the path to your final goal.
Relevant
Why do you want to achieve this goal? What is the purpose of the goal? If the answer is to be stronger, you’ll know that you have chosen a specific goal that is relevant to your overarching purpose. If your purpose is to run faster, lifting weights may not be a goal that is directly impacting your overarching purpose. Think long and hard about why you are making the goal and how the goal fits into your fitness plan.
Timely
How are you going to keep yourself accountable to working toward your goal? Set a timeline for when your goal will be accomplished and, if possible, find a reason for the completion of the goal. Let’s say there is a lifting competition at your gym on June 3rd. Now you have a reason to complete your goal by the date given and can set the scope of your goal based on this timeline.
When setting your fitness goals, be sure to consider healthy goals that will be ambitious, but attainable without harming your body from over-exertion. Follow our blog for more resources on health and fitness.
