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It is going to be a great year this one, you can smell it in the air. But I can smell something else, that’s right, it’s the familiar smell of new-year promises and resolutions. Sound familiar?
If you found yourself saying the old - "This year I am going to get fit" or "My New Year's resolution is to lose weight," then you are on your way to success. To actually achieve these statements we need to give them some direction, a bit of a make-over if you will.
The goals listed above should be fleshed out with the what, why, how, where, and when, or more to the point, the SMART. This acronym provides a more than useful guide for starting your blueprint to success. Here is a SMART goal:
SMART Goal: To be active every day for at least 45 minutes of moderate physical activity to achieve a healthy body weight of 80kg by the 1st of June 2008.
Whatever your goal is (and that is a personal thing) put it through the SMART filter below to ensure that this statement is not just 'pie in the sky' material:
Specific: What you want to achieve and why e.g. improve cardio fitness, achieve a healthy body weight, or gain strength in upper body etc.
Measurable: You need to be able to measure your SMART goal. eg. resting heart rate, achieving a certain waist circumference/ body weight, laps of the pool, beep-test result etc. This makes it more tangible.
Action-Oriented: A goal of swimming twenty laps of the pool is specific and measurable but how will you achieve it? What kind of training must you do? How many days a week do you train, how long do you train for? etc
Realistic: Is this achievable, taking into account factors such as your current level of fitness, time availability, perceived barriers, support, and access to facilities.
Time Stamped: Without a deadline, goals are just dreams. Commit to this SMART goal by giving it a date and time, place these on your calendar.
Try writing your own SMART goal and put these goals up in places you frequent (eg on the fridge, bathroom, dressing table). You may wish to break it down further into smaller goals to reach each week or month. We call these short-term goals or STEPS to reach your SMART Goal.
Visit www.guyleechfitness.com.au.
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