Setting SMART goals for 2014

Goals related to weight loss, health, and fitness are some of the most commonly made and broken New Year's resolutions.

Anytime goals or resolutions are made, not just during the new year, making them SMART increases the chances of successfully completing those goals.

“By smart I don’t mean intelligent, though that is a part of the process. By smart I mean an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Time-stamped,” said Kristin Obert, UIS Rec Sports assistant director for fitness & wellness.

For this addition of Staying on TRAC, Rec Sports wants to help you make SMART goals happen by explaining how to create them.

Specific: Means giving detailed aspects to your goal. Saying “I want to lose weight, or I want to get healthier, or even fitter” isn’t specific, but is instead general. By asking a few questions you can make your goals more specific. Asking what you want to accomplish and when establishes a time frame. Asking where identifies a location. Asking why gives you a specific reason or benefit of the goal.

Measurable: Make sure your goal is measurable. Ask how much, how many, and determine how you will know your goal is accomplished.

Action-Oriented: Involves details of exactly how you will go about completing your goal.

Realistic: Make goals that are attainable and possible for you to accomplish. Saying that you are going to workout every single day, no excuses, is unrealistic. Things pop up and limit this from being possible. Knowing what is realistic to you is an important part of goal setting.

Time-stamped: This means setting a time limit for completing the goal. Just saying you want to lose weight or body fat percentage doesn’t set a deadline.

Setting fitness and health related resolutions for the New Year are great goals to have but make sure that you set SMART goals to avoid being one of the many who break their resolutions.