The Importance Of A SMART Goal

One thing that seems to be consistent with people that have success with their fitness program is that they have a SMART goal. We always ask people during consultations what their goal is? When they respond "To get more toned" or "to get in better shape" it can be recipe for failure due to the vagueness of their goal. There is no timeline, no specific and objective result to measure with that kind of goal.

That is why we direct them to a SMART goal that is described as the following.

S-Specific(weight to lose, bodyfat percentage, inches of butt, waist etc.)
M-Measurable(we need something to measure bodyfat, pants size, weight lifted etc.)
A-Attainable-(You can't drop 30 pounds in 30 days regardless of what the garbage magazine in
the checkout line says)

R-Realistic-(Most of us will never get the body of a pro-athlete or supermodel so get real!!)
T-Timely- (We all work harder and are more focused when we have to get something done
by a certain time)

A good goal would look something like this "I would like to get my bodyfat to 10% by my
class reunion on October 11th. Currently I'm at 12% so I need to lose 1% per month to get there"

Exercise becomes more motivating when we have a purpose to it. I know one of my secrets is to plan different phases throughout the year and base my training schedule much like athlete in training. For example before a big beach vacation I do more bodybuilding workouts so I look good on the beach. Before my annual ski trip out west I do more functional training to get my knees ready for bump skiing and tackle Vail's toughest runs. This makes it more purposeful and enjoyable to go to the gym instead of just to "work out"

I would suggest making a yearly plan and base training around what you have to do. A good trainer could help you create this and I know of some. I write this entry because I currently am floundering a little trying to find a good goal now that I've hit my other ones. I notice I'm slacking a bit on my eating and discipline so today I'm going to plan something new to kick myself in the ass and get focused for the rest of the year.

So to sum it all up find a purpose to your train pretend you are elite athlete and map out entire year. You can always change things but having plan and purpose makes all the difference towards keeping exercise fun and motivating