SMART Goals - Part 3

(This is Part 3 of a 5 part post on setting goals.)  Click here for part 2
 
When it comes to health, setting goals is very important.  However, it is easy to make goals and then slowly (or even quickly sometimes) watch them fizzle out.  Let's talk about how we can make more effective goals!

SMART

S- Specific
M- Measureable
A- Attainable
R- Realistic
T- Time-Oriented

Attainable:  If you plan your steps wisely, you can likely achieve any goal you set.

My example:  My main goal was to run a half marathon.  However, I had to make several goals to meet that big and lofty goal.  When I started, I was only running about 3 miles at a time.  I had to progress to 4 miles, 5 miles, 6... all the way 14.  (13.1 miles is a marathon, but I wanted to make sure I could do it before I actually ran the race.)

Another example might be if someone wanted to lose 30 pounds.  Losing that amount of weight is not a simple task.  But if you break it down by working on losing 5 pounds at a time, your goal will likely be more attainable.

If your goal is lofty, make sure to break it down into small steps to make it more attainable and SMART!