How to set SMART goals to improve your health!

SETTING SMART GOALS WILL HELP YOU REACH YOUR WEIGHT LOSS GOALS!

Coming up with a goal will not guarantee your success.  People set goals all of the time and forget about them, or become frustrated and give up because they didn’t reach their goal.  Setting SMART goals will keep you on track- these goals are a road map to help us succeed and give us a clear idea of where we want to be and how to get there.  You need to write your goals down on a piece of paper and look at them OFTEN.  Say them out loud.  Start with a bigger goal and then break it down into smaller goals and an action plan.  You also need to evaluate how you are doing during the process.  Be specific.  Write dates down.  Use numbers and timelines.

So what does SMART stand for:

*Specific:  your goal should be clear and easy to understand.

“I want to be healthy” is too general- you need to break it down.  A more specific goal would be “I am going to lose 4 lbs over the next 30 days.”

*Measurable:  You need to add a number.  How will you track your progress and how will you know when you have achieved your goal?

*Attainable:  Before you can add a number, you need to know how high or low you want to go.  You don’t want your goal to be too easy but you also don’t want it to be unreachable.  Since research shows that even losing 5% of your weight has healthy benefits, an attainable goal would be, “I will lose 5% of my body weight over the next 3 months.”

*Relevant:  Set a goal that is important to you… no one else.  Where are you in your life right now?  You wan this goal to motivate you.  Is it relevant to you?  If so, then keep going.  If not, then re-examine what is important to you now.

*Time-bound:  Include a date, an end date.  Knowing that you have an end date will motivate you to keep going.  If you want to achieve your goal in three months, that evaluate every month to keep you on target.  Set interim dates. For example, “I will lose 2% of my body weight by June 15th.”