Well , another year is behind us and it’s time to think about how great we’re going to be Fitness-wise in 2016, in physical shape I mean. New Year’s resolution chatter starts a couple weeks before the New Year and then (maybe not surprisingly) falls off significantly by mid-January. You’ve done it. I’ve done it. We’ve all created resolutions with the best of intentions, but abandon our resolve within just a few months, weeks, or even days.
Let’s be different this year! Let’s create attainable goals that will get us one step closer to being fit, staying fit, and living fit in 2016. To do that, we are going to be looking at a chapter from the oh-so-popular ‘SMART goals’ to help you craft the perfect resolution.
Create A SMART New Year’s Resolution
Be Specific: Resolving to “get fit” or “run faster” are great ambitions, but without some clearly defined goals and structure, your resolution will fall flat. Think about one task or achievement you can aim for. You need to be specific here,,, If you’re not, then your fitness goals are going to fall into that “Gray Area” and will provide too many excuses for you.
Here are some examples of specific goals:
1. Work up to running 3 miles without walking. Remember, this is a NOT out of the gate goal, you will be working up to this. That is why its called an (achievement)
2. Improve your 5k time by 2 minutes (achievement)
3. Take the stairs instead of the elevator if you’re going up fewer than 3 floors (task)
Try one new fitness activity/class each quarter, or add something new to your weekly workout (task)
Measurable:
How will you know when your goal is accomplished? In the examples provided above, we have been specific enough that you should know when you achieve each of these resolutions. If you had just used, “Get fit” for a resolution, how could we really know when your goal has been accomplished?
Attainable/Achievable:
Attainability is the downfall of many resolutions. Be reasonable with yourself. If you are just starting to run, running a full marathon in under 3 hours may be pushing it. Think about how much time you can realistically dedicate to your resolution between work, kids, friends, and personal time. Is your schedule so packed that you can barely figure out when to eat breakfast? Choose something (like taking the stairs) that can be easily worked into your schedule. By making attainable goals and then reaching those goals you will be better motivated to continue on with your resolution to get fit in 2016.
Relevant:
Create a goal that’s relevant for your life, so here’s where we will stray from the traditional SMART method. Instead of relevance, think about a FEELING. How do you think you’ll feel if you achieve your resolution? Proud? Confident? Stress-free? Give your mind a reason to believe in the goal. If your main reason for getting fit is to lose the extra poundage you’ve gained over the years. Just imagine how good you will feel if your able to get into those pants that have been hanging in your closet for the past several years, all with the intent that one day you may be able to fit into them again.
Timely: Include a time-frame for your resolution. This timeframe can take many forms, but we would recommend creating mini-tasks/goals to ultimately achieve your resolution. Working up to 3 miles without walking by the end of the year? Put some quarterly goals in place to get you from A to Z. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator? Shoot for 1x per week to start and then work your way up to every time you’re faced with the choice of elevator vs. stairs.
If you set yourself realistic goals, that are achievable and then conquer those goals you are setting yourself on the path to meet and maybe exceed those New Year's Resolutions. Plan, Implement and Achievement will be Yours