Goal setting is important to help you focus and build momentum. When it comes to your fitness, goal setting will keep you on track, motivated, and feeling accomplished. However, improper goal setting can be harmful to your motivation. Setting goals that are impossible to reach or don’t have a specific time frame will not reap the benefits that proper goal setting does. For example, wanting to double your strength or lose 50 pounds in a couple of months isn’t realistic and be dangerous. Here’s how to set SMART fitness goals for 2021.
SMART goals
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Reasonable
Time-bound
Specific
Goals should be specific. For example, setting a goal to lose ten pounds, run five miles, or improve your one-rep max (RM) squat weight. Specific goals are better than generic goals like, “I want to lose weight,” or “I want to run more.” Specificity helps guide the rest of the SMART goal guidelines.
Measurable
You should be able to measure your progress when you set a goal. One way to do this is to set a long-term goal, like a 90-day goal, and then set weekly goals. This will help keep you on track with your long-term goal. If you want to lose ten pounds or run five miles, you need to start with losing a pound or two or running one mile, respectively.
Achievable
There’s no use in setting a goal that’s not achievable, so you need to be realistic. Choosing goals that are not achievable may decrease your self-efficacy and lead to feelings of self-doubt. Avoid this by ensuring you’re being honest with yourself when you set goals. For example, if you’ve never run in your life, you’re not going to be able run a marathon distance within a couple months.
Reasonable
Goals should be reasonable. For example, avoid setting the goal to work out everyday when realistically, you only have the time to work out two or three days a week. Starting smaller with reasonable goals is better to help you achieve your goals in the long-term. Whenever setting a goal, ask yourself, “Is this reasonable? Will I be able to accomplish this?”
Time-bound
Goals should be time-bound to drive motivation and momentum. If you give yourself infinite amount of time to complete a goal, will you ever really complete it? Decide a time frame that you want to reach your goals, make sure it’s realistic and write it a calendar or some place you will see it often.
Using these guidelines, start working on your fitness goals for 2021. Make a plan, enjoy your holidays, and then get ready to put your plan into action. Wipe off the stains of 2020 by setting SMART fitness goals for 2021.
If you need help with goal setting, reach out to a personal trainer at Fit Focus today.
