Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals

I’d like to spend a few minutes talking about SMART goals. Goals are important tool for success in any endeavor. They provide a way for us to measure success and should provide constant motivation to continue to work to achieve them, especially when things get tough. They provide focus for our efforts and keep us from getting side-tracked on less important things. Goals that are nebulous and not clearly defined don’t provide the benefits that they should and can even become discouraging because we never can tell when or if we have achieved success.  It can be like we set ourselves up to fail. So how can we set goals properly that provide motivation and direction to our efforts?

The best goals are SMART goals. SMART is a handy acronym for the five characteristics of well-designed goals. If  you search the Internet for SMART goals, you will find a few variations of the acronym SMART, but they are all very similar and effective. Here’s how I define SMART goals:

A SMART goal is:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-framed

Let’s look at each of these in turn and how they relate to fitness and fat-loss goals.

Specific

Goals must be clear and unambiguous. An example of a non-specific goal is “I want to lose weight”. A better goal might be “I will lose 20 lbs of fat by my next birthday”. Specific goals provide clear direction and progress toward completion can easily be measured. They provide a clear target that tells us exactly what we are expecting of ourselves.

Measurable

SMART goals are measurable. A measurable goal allows us to set milestones along the way. For example, a goal to lose 30 lbs of body fat in  30 weeks, allows us to set a mid-point of 15 weeks and 15 pounds. If we reach the mid-point and are not on track, we can take corrective action. By the way, weight is not the only thing we might want to measure. How about circumference measurements (belly, hips) or body fat percentage? A goal might be to fit into a certain pair of jeans. Since body composition is important, not just weight, I like to set a goal for weight AND body fat.

Achievable

We need to set goals that challenge us, but setting unrealistic goals is just setting ourselves up for failure. A goal of losing 30 lbs in 30 days is not an achievable goal. A goal of 1 to 2 pounds of weight (fat) loss per week is reasonable. About 1/2% of body fat per week is also a good goal. Remember we are in this for the long run. Anyone can lose weight, we want to keep it off permanently.

Relevant

What is your ultimate vision? Health? Fitness? To have a pleasing figure? Whatever your ultimate vision is, your goals need to match up with it. Your goals also need to be aligned with the most important, most effective activities for your weight loss efforts. In most endeavors, 80% of the benefit comes from 20% of the possible actions. This is called the Pareto principle after the Italian Economist Vilfredo Pareto. Concentrate on the things that will provide the greatest impact.

Time-framed

Let’s go back to the first example goal “I will lose 20 lbs of fat by my next birthday”. This is a time-framed goal. Goals without a time-frame tend to be overtaken by the cares of everyday life. How long should the time-frame be? I believe it is best to set long term, mid term and short term goals. For example, when I first started on my journey from Fat Dave to Fit Dave, I set a long term goal of 40 lbs. I set mid-term goal of 20 lbs coinciding with a vacation we had planned. My short term goal was to lose 1 lb per week. The weekly goal let me chart my progress and make any corrections quickly. The mid range goal gave me something tangible to reach for and to celebrate when I hit the mark (to celebrate my changed life, I surprised my wife by shaving off my beard!). The long term goal gave me a target to continue to strive for and defined the finish line for this phase of my fitness journey.

Setting SMART goals is important to clearly and properly define your target and to track progress. Its like having a well-written map to your destination with waypoints along the way to help you chart your way. Take a little time to think your goals through and see if they match the SMART criteria. Spending a little time defining well-written goals will go a long way to ensuring ultimate and lasting success.