Motivation: Be SMART in 2011 - set yourself goals!

Question of the Week: How can I keep my New Year's Resolution?

Q: Marc Jones, Cape Town, South Africa.

I never manage to keep my New Year's Resolutions past a few weeks, any tips - Darryl?

--

A: The Fitness Explorer

As most of us embark on a New Year's Resolution, it is important to set goals.  We often choose goals that are quite vague such as 'I want to lose weight' or 'I will get fitter this year'.  No wonder 90% of us fail to achieve our resolution goals!

Making yourself accountable is the key to success.  One method that can help is the use of SMART goals.  This is not restricted to the start of a year, but useful at any time.

SMART stands for making goals - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timed.

Specific - specify exactly what you want from your goal, don't be vague.

Measurable - can you measure and track its success?

Achievable - set an objective you can realistically attain.

Relevant- is this a suitable goal for YOU and you alone?

Timed - set a time frame for this goal.

Here's a couple of SMART goal examples:

“I will lose 7lbs of body fat, decrease my waist size by 2 inches and improve my body fat percentage from 18% to 13% by 31st March”

"I will increase my deadlift from 1.5 to twice my bodyweight by the end of 2011"

Other ways to increase success: 

• make your goals public and enlist the help of friends and family;
• set yourself small, measurable sub-tasks so it is easier to track progress;
• setting a goal isn't enough, nothing can be accomplished without taking action!

 --Darryl