Do you start the year off with a list of nebulous health or lifestyle resolutions that you find it difficult to keep? That happens frequently. Last year, the most popular New Year’s resolution was to “live healthier,” which is a general goal.
Does that imply that you want to increase your exercise, make better eating choices, or manage your stress? It would be simpler to achieve a goal that is more defined and quantifiable.
It turns out that changing behavior rarely results from merely setting a goal. The “intention-behavior gap,” as it is known by researchers, states that simply wanting to alter conduct won’t result in it.
Rather, you need a strategy. Enter SMART goals, a technique for defining goals that guarantees your objectives are:
- S – Specific: Avoid broad objectives and be extremely specific about what you want to accomplish.
- M – Measurable: Ensure that your objective can be quantified (in reps, weight, minutes, days, etc).
- Achievable or attainable: An unattainable aim can never be attained. Be sensible.
- Be sure the objective is relevant to your life and is feasible in your circumstances.
- T – Time-bound: Provide a deadline by which you hope to accomplish your aim.
- I’ve taken several well-known fitness objectives, including working out more, developing six-pack abs, and running a marathon, and broken them down into SMART objectives that are more likely to be accomplished. Make sure your own SMART goals are suitably framed by using these as a guide to ensure success.
To Get in Shape
The coveted six-pack, ah. Although it ranks highly on the wish lists of many fitness enthusiasts, it is a challenging objective because it is neither measurable, easily attainable, or always applicable given your current level of fitness.
A distinct abdominal muscle tone is unattainable for certain persons since they have more visceral fat in their midsection. And it’s all right! We are led to believe that a certain body type is desirable by fitness and diet culture, but this is untrue. 3 Developing core strength is crucial for the body as a whole. Whether or not you can see the muscles, it helps to enhance stability, balance, and posture.
Convert “get abs” into a SMART objective:
By September, I’ll have developed stronger abdominal muscles. I’ll achieve this by engaging in four weekly sessions of core-strengthening activities like sit-ups and bicycle crunches.
You can add specifics on the precise workouts you’ll do to the objective to make it even more detailed, and you can make it measurable by including numbers:
- I’ll perform 20 crunches on the bicycle four times a week.
- I’ll perform ten vertical leg raises three times a week.
- I’ll perform 50 sit-ups twice a week.
Visible abs are neither realistic or useful as a goal because you have no control over how your body will respond to increased ab exercises. Yet, since that objective is reachable and simple to monitor, you might surely aspire to perform more core strengthening activities.
Objective: Strengthen
Another typical objective is to build strength, which is a rather nebulous goal. If this aim is more measurable, it will be simpler to accomplish. For instance, if you typically lift 20 pounds, you may gauge your strength improvement by lifting 25 or 30 pounds in a set amount of time.
Rephrase “get stronger” as a SMART objective:
By following a strength training program and performing arm workouts three times per week, I will improve my bicep curl weight from 20 pounds to 25 pounds in three months.
Using particular weights and time frames for measurability, you can repeat this weight training aim for other arm, leg, and core activities.
Goal: Be more Active
Just 53% of individuals, according to the CDC, met the physical activity recommendations for aerobic physical exercise. That means a lot of people make the resolve to “exercise more” yet continuing to be sedentary or inactive.
Without restrictions or guidelines, it’s simple to fall short of this objective. You must be clear on the kind, quantity, and frequency of the exercise you will perform if you want to succeed.
Rephrase “work out more” as a SMART objective:
At least four days a week, I will walk for 30 minutes around my neighborhood (or inside a mall if the weather is too hot, cold, or rainy outside).
It’s crucial to choose fitness regimens that are reasonable for your lifestyle, regional environment, and financial situation. For example, if you live in Arizona, you generally won’t choose downhill skiing as a practical strategy to increase your exercise level in July.
Run a Marathon as a Goal
A marathon can be a massive task depending on your starting place (non-runner, beginner, advanced, etc.). Together with the physical aspect of the run, you also need to consider your nutrition and hydration plan and how to handle any potential ailments.
You must ensure that your objective is feasible. It wouldn’t be practical to run a 10k race or a marathon that’s two weeks away if you’ve never run farther than 1 km.
As a SMART goal, rephrase “run a marathon”:
I hope to cut two minutes off of my 3k personal best in the upcoming six weeks.
You need to create a diet, hydration, and training regimen after choosing a smaller objective that will help you achieve your larger marathon goal. Working with a dietician or personal trainer could be necessary. If a larger “marathon” is planned down the future, the plan should describe concrete, measurable, and pertinent smaller goals that contribute to it.
Goal: Exercise three times per week
To stay focused and formulate a quantifiable plan, it’s critical to have well defined goals. One potential drawback of SMART goals is that the person who sets them might not explain exactly how they will be carried out.
For instance, setting a goal to exercise three times a week could sound wise because it is attainable and realistic, but it lacks sufficient details on how to achieve it. Which time of day will you exercise—morning, midday, or evening? How will you exercise?
Rephrase “exercise 3 times a week” as a SMART objective:
Beginning each month, I will spend 30 minutes walking on the treadmill at the gym before spending 10 minutes lifting weights. For the following three months, I’ll perform this workout in the morning on at least three days a week.
It’s significant to remember that objectives occasionally fluctuate and change. Even though you’ll want to try your best to stick to your objective, you might need to change it to fit where you are right now. If you set a walking goal but get hurt, you might switch to a yoga-focused goal or something less strenuous.
A Final Statement from Doc T. Elliott
If you make sure that your fitness and lifestyle goals are defined, quantifiable, and reachable, you are more likely to succeed, if they are time sensitive and realistic. Create an implementation strategy for your goal in an action plan. Always ask for assistance when you need it.