Setting a goal is the first step on the road to success. This applies to your weight loss and fitness journey too. However, it is too broad to simply state “I want to lose weight” or “I want to start exercising”.
Setting SMART goals helps clarify your ideas, achieve realistic milestones and increase your chances of achieving your goal. SMART goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-focused and Time-based. Let’s discuss how we can apply SMART goals along your fitness journey so you can successfully achieve your desired weight and body shape.
Specific – To set a clear direction, it is important for you to set clear and specific targets or goals, for example, setting a target weight. When drafting your goal, include the five “W” questions- what, why, who, where and which. For instance,
Measurable – Ensuring your goals are measurable helps you stay focused and be on track. By reaching little milestones, you will feel motivated along the way while getting closer to achieving your goal.
Achievable – To success, your goal needs to be realistic and attainable. You might need to ask yourself whether your weight loss goal is realistic, and what ways can you commit to achieve the goal. Example of achievable goals are “To lose 4kgs in 2 months”; and “To do 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise at least 5 days in a week”.
Results-focused – It is really important to see small results throughout the journey to keep yourself engaged and motivated. This is so that you do not get discouraged by just looking at the final goal which may take months to achieve.
Time-based – Setting a goal without a deadline will cause procrastination and delay. By setting a timeline to achieve something, it helps to prevent everyday tasks from taking priority over your long-term goals.
Here are a few examples of SMART goals:
“I target to lose 10kg in 5 months by exercising 30 minutes a day for five days in a week and cut down my calorie intake by 500kcal per day.”
“I will go for a 30 minutes jog every weekday starting tomorrow in order to lose 2kg by end of the month.”
“I will prepare healthy salad for dinner on weekdays to reduce my calorie intake by 200kcal per day.”
As the saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” With SMART goal setting, you can be sure that you are setting yourself achievable benchmarks that can lead to success.
