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Setting goals doesn't have to be brain surgery, in fact, we have this handy acronym to help:
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic/Relevent
T = Timely
Specific: A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. How can you reach a goal if you don't know what it is? To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions:
Who: Who is involved?
What: What do I want to accomplish?
Where: Identify a location.
When: Establish a time frame.
Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
EXAMPLE: A general goal would be, “Get in shape.” But a specific goal would say, “Join a health club and do intervals on the treadmill by myself at 10 am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so I can go up the stairs at work without getting tired.” See the difference?
Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set.When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as:
How much?
How many?
How will I know when it is accomplished?
If you're trying to lose weight, maybe you'll use body circumference measurements to know when you've lost inches.
Attainable – When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.You can make nearly any goal obtainable by setting up baby steps to measure your progress along the way.
Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.
An attainable goal will usually answer the question:
How can the goal be accomplished?
If you don't have the money, how do you get it or attain your goal without it? If you don't have the time, how do you make it?
Realistic/Relevent- To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.
To be relevent your goal needs to represent something you want. "Make 50 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before 2 pm" might be specific, timely, attainable, and measurable, but is that going to help you lose 5 pounds of fat?
A realistic/relevant goal can answer yes to these questions:
Does this seem worthwhile?
Can I realistically carry out my goal in the time alotted?
Does this match my wants/needs?
Timely – A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there’s no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to lose it by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, “by May 1st”, then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal. This part of the S.M.A.R.T. goal criteria is intended to prevent goals from being overtaken by the day-to-day crises that invariably arise.
A time-bound goal will usually answer the question:
When?
What can I do 6 months from now?
What can I do 6 weeks from now?
What can I do today?
So write yourself a S.M.A.R.T. goal now:
"I will __________________________ (with ___________________)
(what) (who-optional)
at _________________________ at ________ on ______________
(where) (when, time) (when, days)
in order to ______________________________________________"
(why)
So for example, my goal right now is to increase the flexibility of my adductor muscles so I can do easier and better kicks for my Jujutsu class. So my goal will be:
"I will stretch my adductors (by myself) at the dojo at 5:30 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays and at my house after I exercise on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (time varies) in order to increase the flexibility of my adductors so I can do wheel kicks at head level in Jujutsu."
You can get as specific as you want with this. My goal above is pretty darn specific and as a result it will be easy for me to know exactly what to do and know that my goal WILL be obtained. When I get flexible enough that my wheel kick reaches head level, I'll know I made it. I should mention that this S.M.A.R.T. framework works for every kind of goal, not just fitness goals.
Happy goal setting!
Cassandra Wyzik
B.S. - ACSM Certified Personal Trainer
www.FitToYouBrevard.com
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