Hey guys! Today we wanted to talk about why goal setting is important for achieving optimum results. Right now you are probably thinking that your goal is to look hot for summer, and that’s great, but how about we give you a couple of pointers on setting some smaller goals to help you attain the body of your dreams.
We’ll break it down into categories to ensure your goals are SMART!
1. S – Specifics
The first step of goal setting is making sure that your goals are specific. This means that your goals are unambiguous and require a certain result by a certain amount of time. The down side of this is requiring an extra hit of motivation, but by following the HealthyU blog, you shouldn’t have any problems at all. An example of a specific goal could be: “I will be fit enough to run the “Bridge to Brisbane” race next year” or, “I will lose 10% body fat by December 1, 2013”. Whatever your goal is, if it is specific enough, you will be able to keep track of it and determine how close you are to reaching it.
2. M – Measureable
In order to see how your progress is going, your goal needs to be measureable. Think of it as a science experiment, where your results are the dependant variable. We recommend that if your goal is weight loss-based that you take some photos and measure the circumference of the key areas that you wish to work on. Our measurements at HealthyU usually include our arms, tummies, thighs, calves and bums. It’s also important to weigh yourself. However, if you’re looking at toning up, don’t worry if you put on some kilos because it will most likely be due to your increase in muscle weight.
3. A – Attainable
An attainable goal usually serves a purpose. In other words, your goal must be reachable, achievable, and not too extreme. You must ask yourself; “How am I going to achieve this goal?” When you set a SMART goal, it obviously means that the overall goal is important to you, so please do not set yourself up to fail – that isn’t healthy and can leave you feeling quite negative towards health and exercise. We are aiming to inspire you and instil within you a positive attitude towards life. So start with small goals, and when you’ve reached them, aim higher. A SMART goal is a good goal.
4. R – Relevant
You need to make sure that your goal is going to be worthwhile. There is no point in setting a goal that, if achieved, is of no benefit to you or anyone around you. The goal must be relevant to the cause. For example if your aim was to start eating healthier, you may try setting a goal to go a week without chocolate or chips. If your aim was fitness related you would want to set a goal to improve the time in which you run a certain distance. Whatever you choose to do, make it relevant to a certain cause.
5. T – Time-bound
Set a time-limit for your goal! This will inspire some self-motivation to ensure that you do not drag your goal out over an unnecessary period of time. A key example of this is putting a start date off until the never-coming “tomorrow”. Get focused and get started! Jump on to HealthyU for some motivation and health tips and stop making excuses. Your health and fitness is your most valuable asset, so set some SMART goals and get a move on!
We look forward to hearing about your results! Please comment below or check out our Facebook page to share your success! Don’t forget to give us a “Like” 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Be-the-Healthy-U/502601439826483
Until Next Time!
*Note – The SMART criteria is a universally used fitness term for goal setting and motivation. HealthyU does not claim to have invented the SMART system, however the content in the individual paragraphs is brought to you by Keira and Ellen of the HealthyU team.
For more info; please see http://www.hr.virginia.edu/uploads/documents/media/Writing_SMART_Goals.pdf
HealthyU 