How SMART are your goals?

Have you tried setting a SMART goal to help you achieve your goal? SMART goals are not just related to those who participate in sport, in-fact we can use SMART goals to help us achieve different aspects in life. Now before we continue let’s break down the acronym SMART and see what it stands for: Specific – the goal set must be specific to what we want to achieve  Measurable – how are you able to track your progress made on the goal, each goal needs to be able to measure how far you have come. Achievable – you must be able to comfortably achieve and be capable of achieving the goal you have set Relevant / realistic – you must be realistic as to what you can achieve working within your current skill set and training regime   Time –  are you able to achieve this goal over 1 week or 10 weeks? Make sure your time-base aspect fits into your routine.  Example of a SMART GOAL in Sport: I am keen to start running and to achieve 5km run comfortably. SPECIFIC: I am going to do a combination of walk & running for 3 to 5km 3 times weekly As the weeks progress I am going to gradually cut down the walking and begin running a higher % of the distance By week 8 I would like to have cut out the walking and be working on achieving running the full 5km MEASURABLE: I am going to record how far I run on each run using an app on my phone or by using a Fitbit watch. ACHIEVABLE: I will be able to achieve this goal as I am able to exercise 3 time weekly without it cutting into my work/home life balance. RELEVANT: By knowing I can walk which I already do 3 x weekly and incorporate a run within that walk it allows me to build up my cardiovascular fitness and increase my running. TIME: I have set myself a time-base target of 3 runs weekly as I currently walk 3 times weekly and believe I would be able to achieve my goal over 10 weeks. Example of a SMART GOAL in day to day life: I have chronic back pain which means I struggle to be out doing the gardening in the summer as it is the cause of my flare ups meaning I am unable to enjoy my hobby. How we can implement a SMART goal to help us achieve this goal of returning to our hobby; gardening. SPECIFIC: 1 – A specific target we could work on would be planting pots on a table, this is very specific to gardening and will help achieve a small aspect of the gardening 2 – Secondly another aspect of gardening might be mowing the lawn MEASURABLE: 1 – I am going to plant 5 small pots over 3 different days over the next week 2 – I am going to only mow the front lawn as it is manageable or I am going to mow the back lawn over 2 days ACHIEVABLE: Both aims 1&2 are achievable as we are working within our limits before spiking the pain and it is a small start to gradually achieving our goal RELEVANT: Both aims 1&2 are relevant as they are aspects of what we do within gardening TIME: We have set out a time element within the measurable aspect of the acronym with only doing 5 small pots over 3 days in the next 7 days, therefore we are able to split the work load and allow ourselves to work in a manageable and achievable way without provoking our pain. Allowing yourself 7 days to complete the task but only working on 3 of them. We have set out a time element within the measurable aspect of the acronym with only doing the back lawn over 2 days as we know completing half of the lawn is manageable and after 60 mins our pain arises, therefore 30 minutes of mowing the back garden on one day is manageable and then continuing the next day to complete the task therefore we are managing our pain. We can then increase our time frame as we slowly progress. If you need help with setting some SMART goals, please get in touch!