It’s the time of year where most of us make New Year’s resolutions to embrace health, wellness and exercise. Pressure to declare how you’re going to make lifestyle changes as soon as the ball drops. But sometimes we have difficulty maintaining and upholding our resolutions for the year. In this blog post, you’ll learn about SMART goals and how to set them to set you up for success this year!

Many businesses, schools, and highly-productive people know that setting just any goal won’t work. What does work is setting a SMART goal, which stands for:

S: Specific

M: Measurable

A: Achievable

R: Relevant

T: Timely

Fitness habits are trendy but they come and go just like fashion. Instead of focusing on the new no carb diet or the intense boot camp workout, assess your current health and make note on which areas need improvement. Then you can begin setting goals that have a real possibility for changing your life. When you set out details for your goal such as, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely, you’re breathing some life into it and helping yourself understand how to achieve it. SMART goals can help you bridge the gap between an abstract thought and actually doing something.

As an example, let’s say that your original New Year’s resolution was to lose weight. Following the framework of your original resolution, add more detail to it. “I will lose 10 pounds this year by walking one mile every day after work. This will help me look and feel healthier.” Now your goal is following the SMART outline! Specific:The exact amount of weight to lose is mentioned, as well as the method by which it will be achieved. Measurable:It’s a number that can easily be counted. Achievable:The amount of weight mentioned is a safe and healthy amount for a person to lose. Relevant:Don’t set goals that don’t matter. If you don’t want to lose weight or become healthier, try another goal. Your goal should be important to you! Timely: the timeframe is set in the goal – you have 12 months to achieve the goal. 

Of course, the SMART system for setting goals isn’t the end-all solution. There are other tips and tricks for sticking to your New Year’s resolutions.

• Hold yourself accountable. Tell other people about what you hope to achieve. When someone else knows, they can both help encourage you and also check in to be sure you’re making progress.
• Reward yourself. Celebrate the progress you make, big and small, every step of the way. You’ll stay motivated and appreciate what you can do instead of what you can’t.
• Don’t sweat it. If you aren’t making progress on your goal or just can’t seem to stick to it, don’t feel guilty. Instead, think of reasons why the goal wasn’t working (you were too tired; it was too cold outside; etc.) and come up with solutions.

Need more guidance?  Reach out to us and we can set up a free consultation with our Wellness Coach who has all of the tools to help you reach your SMART goals.