Are you someone who struggles to set goals for yourself? Setting fitness goals can be great motivation and help you commit to things you want to improve. When you set specific goals, you can plan how you are going to achieve them and focus on the steps you need to take to get there.
Learn how to set SMART exercise goals for yourself and discover SMART goals examples, fitness tips, and workout ideas to help you achieve your goals.
Set SMART Goals
What are SMART goals? SMART is a mnemonic acronym used to describe goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Often considered an extremely effective way to set goals, SMART goals force you to commit to your end target and think through the steps you are going to take to get there, improving your chances of success.
WodBottom Fitness Tips:
- Be flexible - it’s okay to change your schedule or alter your goals. They should be something that motivates, not something that you're feeling restricted by.
- Track your progress - Don’t just measure your goals at the end. Track all the little improvements you’ve made along the way.
- Write down your goals - Writing them down can help you keep track and force you to be specific about what you are working towards.
- Don’t compare yourself to others - These goals are individual and personal to YOU, so don’t compare your goals or yourself to the journey of others.
- Get the right gear - Proper athletic wear is crucial for a successful workout and can actually enhance your performance!
S- Specific
Clearly define your goals.
When you have a specific goal that is clearly defined, it’s easier to plan out the steps you need to accomplish it and easier to know when you’ve achieved it.
If your fitness goal is just to “work out your arms more,” it will easily slip through the cracks and be quickly forgotten.
But if you make your goal to “be able to do 100 push-ups,” then you can create actionable steps and track your progress as you go. You can research chest workout for women, make a workout plan, and start working towards your goal.
M - Measurable
Make your goals something you can quantify.
When you can track your goals as you go and can measure how far you’ve come, you’ll be more motivated to keep going.
From the number of reps to weight, time, or distance, there are several ways you can track the progress of your goals. Plus, the feeling of accomplishment when you can say that you’ve completed the goal you’ve been working so hard to achieve--there’s nothing like it.
A - Achievable
Your goals should challenge you but still be achievable.
Set big goals that push you and give you something to work towards, but make sure that they are still something within your reach. Hard to achieve goals can be daunting and overwhelming. If you have a big goal for yourself, just make sure you give your mind and your body the time it needs to get there.
If you have a big goal like running a marathon, plan out achievable steps to get there. You can’t go from running a mile to a marathon in a month, but you could probably go from a mile to a 5k in that time and then build week to week.
R - Relevant
Make your goals something you will want to achieve and ones that you can realistically achieve with your resources, commitment, time, and lifestyle.
Find something that is meaningful to you and inspires you. There are plenty of ways to motivate yourself to workout, but when you have that internal motivation and drive, you will be more likely to get up and head to the gym.
T - Time-Bound
Give yourself a timeframe to work towards.
Creating a deadline for your goal and a step-by-step plan to get there forces you to stick to the schedule. Plus, you’ll be more motivated to keep going when you track how close you are to achieving your goal and know exactly how soon you’ll be able to say, “I did it.”
