Editor’s Note: Injury prevention and wellness handouts are an effective (and inexpensive) way to educate and motivate employees to use good work practices and take care of their bodies.
Scroll to the bottom of this post for the free Wellness Handout PDF file.
How to Set SMART Health & Fitness Goals
Setting clear goals is vital.
Perhaps the biggest reason that most people fail to change lifestyle habits is that they don’t clearly define any goals.
Setting SMART goals means setting Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely Goals.
SMART Goals
If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us.
~ Jim Rohn
Specific Goals: Goals should be straightforward and emphasize exactly what you want to happen. Instead of saying, “I want to lose weight” say, “I will lose 5 pounds of fat.”
Measurable Goals: Put a number on it! Setting measurable goals allows you to track your progress and determine success or failure.
Attainable Goals: When you identify the goals that are most important to you, you’ll begin to figure out ways to make them happen. You’ll develop the attitude, skills and ability to accomplish them. However, if you set a goal too far out of reach, you will have a hard time committing to accomplishing that goal. For example, setting a goal of losing 20 pounds in one week is not attainable. But if you set a goal to lose 2 pounds a week for 10 weeks, it is! Make sure the goal you set makes sense for the time frame you assign to it.
Realistic Goals: A good goal should push you to become better in order to achieve it; it shouldn’t break you. For example, your goal shouldn’t be to swear yourself off sweets and other desserts forever. A realistic goal would be to replace one sweet item a day with a piece of fruit.
Timely Goals: Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards. If you don’t set a time, your commitment is too vague. Whether it’s a week, month, quarter or a year, put a time limit on your goal and put yourself in motion to achieve it.
SMART Goal Example
I will lose 20 pounds by November 9th. To do this, I will exercise 5 days per week for 30 minutes and eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day.
I know I will feel better when I accomplish this. I can do it. Let’s go!
Prevention is always better than treatment! Setting SMART goals is a proactive strategy to live longer and stay well.
Setting SMART Goals Handout Download
How to Set SMART Health & Fitness Goals [PDF]
