Goal setting

       
        Good day folks. Today we are talking about goal setting. Goal setting is not like advanced calculus or biochemistry in that it takes hours and hours to figure out how to do it properly. Rather, goal setting is a simple formula. Like many Trainer's, business owners and dietitians, I prefer to set my goals using the S.M.A.R.T acronym. S=specific, M=measurable, A=achievable, R=realistic and T=trackable. Keeping this acronym in mind, there are two types of goals. 1) Short term goals and 2) Long term goals. Short term goals are simply goals which you attempt to achieve over a shorter amount of time (i.e a week or a month) and an example could be "I want to lose 5lbs of fat mass this month". Long term goals are goals which you  attempt to achieve over multiple months to a year or years down the road. an example of a long term goal could be, "by the end of 2012 I want to be able to run 20 minutes non stop."        
        Notice something interesting about these goals? They are both realistic and specific. See, when implementing the smart acronym to your planning, be sure to always be realistic. It is very easy to set the bar to high and be overly excited and burnout; thus not fulfilling your goals. Always be realistic when thinking big picture! If you were to ask me which parts of the acronym are the most important I would not be able to answer that. I believe that they are all important in an equal way.  Goals need to be specific and narrowed in. They need to be measured in some way. Goals Need to be realistic,specific and achievable. They also  need to be tracked so that your long term goals can then be implemented to work for you!        
       Next time you are attempting a new change in your life or in your career goals, use this S.M.A.R.T acronym and you will be surprised just how effective it can be for you!  

  Ryan Fahey
 B.A Human Kinetics
 CPTN Canada
 Canfitpro
 NCCP