The S.M.A.R.T. way to achieve your health goals in 2020!!

Happy New Year

It’s that time of year again! Time to start thinking about what you want for this new year ahead.

Making New Year's resolutions seems to be the "in" thing to do each year, but do they really work? The answer depends upon how serious you are when you make the resolution. Sometimes it can be hard to settle on just one resolution, which often leads people to make lots of small ones. The problem with this is that it's too difficult to truly focus on so many resolutions, and by the end of January, your motivation will be sorely lacking. 

Many people will set a New Year's resolution that focus on health, wellness and fitness goals.  Today, I want to share with you the SMART system of goal setting, in order to help you stick with your New Year's resolutions and accomplish your health goals.

Why Do We Set a Goal?
Studies show that having a defined goal that you can plan, measure the progress of and eventually achieve gives a sense of accomplishment and raises our self-esteem.

Avoid the Biggest Goal Setting Mistake

The most common goal setting mistake people make is setting a goal but not thinking about how to achieve it. Now that you know that, you can avoid becoming part of the group of people who break their New Year’s resolution! 

The 3 Keys to a Successful New Year’s Resolution:

1. Clearly defining your goal
2. Creating an action plan
3. Measuring your progress

How to Set a SMART Goal

Since its inception in 1981, George T. Doran’s SMART acronym has taken on many different meanings, but the main logic still stands - make goals that you can achieve! Here’s how you do it.

S – Specific

Your goal should be clear and precise so you can focus your energy and efforts on achieving it.  Think about:

• What you want to achieve
• Why it’s important to you
• What resources you’ll need
• If there are any limits

Thinking about these points will mean the difference between a vague goal like “I want to be healthier” and a specific goal like “I want to increase my daily activity so that I get a clean bill of health at my next physical”. One sets a clear path to get to your end goal.

M – Measurable

You need to track your progress to stay motivated, meet your deadlines, and in the end celebrate achieving your New Year’s resolution! When setting your goal, think about:

• How will I know I’ve reached my goal?
• How much or how many?
• Do I have a way to track this?

Thinking about how you’ll measure success will help you come up with an action plan. For example, if your goal is to walk 10,000 steps a day, you’ll need a pedometer or other way of tracking your steps. Don't forget that many goals can be measured with non-scale victories. If you are wanting to eat cleaner foods you will know that you are on the right track by how much better you sleep, improved digestion, clearer skin, etc. 

A – Attainable

One of the most critical elements of goal setting is being realistic about your abilities and setting an achievable goal for yourself. That doesn’t mean choosing a ridiculously easy target. It means thinking about the following:

• Do I have the mindset to achieve my goal?
• Is my goal realistic based on my current situation?
• Do I have the resources or support needed to achieve my goal?
• Is this goal directly influenced by me and my actions?

R – Relevant

Choosing a goal that is exciting and relevant to you is important as well. You must be motivated by your target to work towards it. Ask yourself these questions about your goal and see if it’s still relevant to you:

• Is achieving this goal a worthwhile effort?
• Is it the right goal for me at this point in time?

T – Time-bound

Finally, you want to make sure you set a deadline to meet your goal. It helps you to plan out how you’ll achieve your goal and set priorities if needed. You want to consider thinking about:

• When do I want to achieve my goal by?
• What can I do today to meet my goal?
• What can I do in the next six months to meet my goal?

Now that we’ve gone through the SMART system let’s look at our starting goal of “I want to be healthier”. After applying the SMART system, a more specific goal might be “I want to lower my blood pressure and cholesterol to recommended levels by August 31st".  "In order to do this, I will walk 10,000 steps a day”.  By using the SMART system, you now know what you’re aiming for and what you need to do to achieve the goal set.