Friday Fitness Tip: Set S.M.A.R.T. goals! S.M.A.R.T. goals are SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ACTION-BASED, REALISTIC and TIME-BOUND. When setting any goal it is important to be SPECIFIC. A goal to simply "lose weight" or "get in shape" is vague, and you have no way of telling when you reach said goal. How much weight do you want to lose? Define "getting in shape." Is it running a mile without taking a walking break, or is it climbing the stairs at work without getting out of breath? The more specific the better. Goals should also be MEASURABLE. You should be able to track and measure your progress as you work toward your goal. A goal to lose 30 lbs or decrease your body fat to 18% can be measured to determine success! ACTION-BASED goals are also key to a successful program. These are goals we can control. Weight loss and body fat reduction, while good goals to have, are ultimately outcomes of action-based goals. Committing to walking 2 miles twice per week is an example of an action-based goal. You control whether or not you reach it. REALISTIC goal setting probably poses the greatest challenge for many of us. Too often we get excited about a new fitness program and set lofty goals that are either too hard to reach or unsafe to reach for. We set ourselves up for failure right out of the gate. Set yourself up for success! While setting a goal to hit the gym for an hour each day 6 days this week sounds like it will deliver a quicker outcome, chances are you will burn out and may even injure yourself in the process, thus hampering your program and preventing you from reaching your goals altogether. Set a goal you know you can easily reach with a little hard work. Lastly, when setting goals, make sure they are TIME-BOUND. A goal without a time limit is just a desire, and you will not feel the urgency to keep moving forward with your program. Creating long-term, short term and weekly specific, realistic, action-based goals will ensure you are staying on the right track! #fridayfitnesstip #goals
Posted on: Fri, 04 Oct 2013 11:00:01 +0000
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