If you’ve been in business or education circles in the last few years, you know about SMART goals. From CEOs to Classroom teachers, it was a requirement to write out what you would accomplish in a given period. There was usually a collective “ugh” heard when anyone even brought up the term SMART goals. Let’s look at what SMART goals are and how they relate to your health.
What is a SMART goal?
A SMART goal is stating a plan that is clear, mapped out, and trackable. SMART is an acronym. Each letter stands for how to write your goal down.
- S – Specific
- M – Measurable – how will you measure your progress and hold yourself accountable
- A – Attainable – Can you meet this goal in a given timeframe
- R – Relevant – Does this line up with your long-term goal
- T – Time-based – Setting an end date (helps set priorities and stay motivated)
How does that relate to my health?
Glad you asked! Most people relate SMART goals to their job but never thought about how it would help them reach their weight loss goals. Research shows that just saying “I will lose weight” will be unsuccessful, but those same people who wrote down their goal were 80% more likely to attain that goal. If you were very specific about that same goal, writing down how you would achieve that same goal, the odds went up substantially!
Below you’ll see an example of how you can do this for yourself and have more success.
“My goal is to lose weight.”
You’re going to be super pumped at the beginning and go full out – for a week. Then life gets in the way.
Let’s give you a fighting chance to succeed! Here’s how it would look as a SMART goal:
S – I want to lose 20 pounds
M – I’ll track my weight loss each week by weighing myself on Monday morning and writing it down.
A – I want to lose the 20 lbs. In 6 months
R – I want to lose the 20 lbs. So I can be healthier and feel better about myself.
T – I want to achieve this goal by June 30, 2021
Can you see the difference? This is your SMART goal! Once you’ve done this – then you can look at precisely how you will do this.
Stay tuned for my next post; I’ll give you some tips on how you can meet this SMART goal. Give me some feedback and leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you! Learn more here about how I can help you on your health journey.
P.S. – As the late Jim Morrisson of The Doors once said, “Break on through to the other side!”
