We hear this word getting thrown around all the time, especially at the start of each new year!
It’s amazing to have a goal to work towards, whether it’s health and fitness related, relationship, financial or personal. Striving to make yourself better is a great achievement!
Unfortunately, most people that set goals or New Year's Resolutions don’t end up achieving those goals. Why? Usually because these goals are not SMART goals.
What is a SMART Goal?
S - SPECIFIC
Instead of setting a goal of ‘I want to lose weight’, change it to something more specific such as ‘I would like to lose 5kg of body fat’.
M - MEASURABLE
How can you determine if you reached your goal? Try to make your goal measurable; e.g. scales, measurements and progress photos are great ways to see a change in body shape and size, whilst recording times or weights for exercises can also measure progress (e.g. 60kg Back Squat for 6 reps, or 60 second plank).
A - ACHIEVABLE
Seems obvious, right? However, most people set such HUGE goals without thinking through the process of HOW they will reach them. Begin with short term goals that will, in time, build up to achieve your long-term goal.
E.g. Consuming adequate protein intake every day for my personal requirements and goal of muscle gain. In the long-term, this will assist with my muscle gaining process.
R - RELEVANT
This is one of my favourite points of a SMART goal. Make your goal exactly that… YOUR goal. NOT someone else’s. Just because your friends or family are setting a goal of weight loss, that does not mean that you have to as well. Think about what you really want to achieve. Strength gains? Reduce stress levels? Increase daily water intake? Make it relevant to you and your lifestyle.
T - TIME BOUND
Set a time frame for your goal. Rather than saying ‘I want to increase my BB Bench Press by 20kg’, rethink how long that may take and set that as a time frame; ‘I would like to increase my BB Bench Press by 20kg in the next 12 months’. Setting a time frame will help to keep you accountable, but make sure the time-frame is realistic too!
Extra Tip:
Your health and fitness goals do NOT always have to be weight loss. Living in a calorie deficit to lose weight for extended periods of time is not sustainable, and may cause long-term negativities. Reach out to one of your coaches for guidance on this, or even to myself for more specific nutritional advice.
Don’t forget that all of our Supafit members get regular Goal Setting sessions with a coach… so please make sure that you are jumping on this opportunity.
