Setting Goals

                Goal setting is an extremely important aspect of your success with any fitness program, nutrition regimen or, really, any aspect of your life. Having a goal to strive for makes you more likely to stick to a program and the likelihood for adherence is increased tenfold if you share your goals with someone: with me, your husband or wife, your coworkers, anyone! For maximum accountability, share your goals with ALL of the above. Letting the people you’re around daily know you’re striving for a healthier lifestyle makes them more likely to follow in your footsteps which ultimately, makes your journey easier since they’ll be also trying to be healthier.

                The most effective way of setting goals and succeeding with them is to use the S.M.A.R.T. method. S.M.A.R.T. stands for Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant and Time.

 

 (source: CrossFit Vancouver)

                Specific --  Your goals must be laid out in the most specific form possible. You must resist the urge to be vague with your goals.

                Measurable --  To set a S.M.A.R.T. goal, there must be a way to measure your progress towards any given goal. It’s important to be able to track your success. In the above example, you’d be able to measure your progress towards weighing 160 lbs by weighing in weekly.

                Attainable -- Your goals must be achievable. A good goal to set is one that you must step outside of your comfort zone to achieve. In the same breath, however, it must not be so obscure of a goal that it becomes unattainable.

                Relevant -- You must set goals that are relevant to your dreams. You wouldn’t set a goal to run a marathon if you don’t like to run. Your goals must reflect the person you want to become.

                Time -- Your goal must have a clearly defined time frame that includes a start date as well as a target date of completion. Without a targeted end date in mind, there’s no sense of urgency to your goal so it becomes easier to put off.

                A bad example of goal setting is a vague statement like: “I want to lose weight.”

                To make this goal a S.M.A.R.T. goal, you could change it to something like: “I want to weigh 160 lbs by January 1^st. I will do this by committing to my Insanity program and exercising six times a week. I will eat healthy foods but not deprive myself completely of ‘treats’ so as to avoid a binge and/or falling off the wagon.”

                Be bold with your goals. Be fearless. If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.

(Source: Real Life Coaching)

        

Some other great examples of goals are:

-          Lower by cholesterol by eating properly and fuelling my body the way it needs to be fuelled

-          Lose X number of inches off my waist, enough to take me out of the heart disease risk zone

-          Increase my energy by not eating proceeded foods

-          Increase my energy by getting eight hours of sleep a night by going to bed an hour earlier than usual