Setting SMART Goals

We all have goals.

But most times, it's easier said than done to accomplish them. Especially health-related goals.

Goals connected to your health can be challenging as they often require you to exercise, not just your body, but also your willpower. Wellness and lifestyle goals require a level of planning, as well as strategies, to motivate you along the way.

Here at Beyond, we heavily promote SMART goal setting. But what does that mean? If you're unfamiliar, setting SMART goals mean you can clarify your ideas, focus your efforts, time and resources productively, and increase your chances of achieving your health goals.

Using the SMART tool allows you to ensure your health goals are

1. Specific

2. Measurable

3. Achievable

4. Relevant and;

5. Timely

When setting your wellness goals, consider some of the following:

Specific (simple, sensible, significant)

Your goal should be clear, easy to understand and specific.

A common goal, “get healthy,” is too general. There are so many ways to get healthy. How do you want to do it? Is it losing weight? Start exercising? Stop smoking? Break it down and it will be easier to manage. Let’s pick weight loss and make a SMART goal out of it together.

For example, “I want to lose weight”.

• Define the goal as much as possible.

• Is there anyone other than you involved?

• What do you want to accomplish?

• When will you work on it and how often?

• Where will it take place?

Measurable (meaningful, motivating)

A goal to “lose weight” is not enough. How will you track your progress and how you will know when you have reached your goal? Making your goal measurable might mean adding a number.

• Will you track your progress?

• How will you know when the goal is complete?

Achievable (agreed, attainable)

Before you can add a number, you have to know how high or low you want to go. It’s good to ‘shoot for the stars’, but don’t be too extreme. Likewise, a goal that is too easy is also not very motivating. Only you know your limits.

Let’s take our goal above and want a measurable percentage of fat loss. What percentage is attainable for you? Research suggests that a 5-10% weight loss is attainable for most overweight people.

A measurable, attainable goal could be, “I want to lose 7% of my body weight.”

• It's incredibly important that your goal is conducive to your health and wellbeing. If it involves physical activity or you have existing health conditions, check in with your GP or relevant health practitioner before starting.

• It can also help to start with a small goal. Achieving it will give you the confidence to challenge yourself further.

Relevant (reasonable, realistic, resourced, results-based)

Set goals that are important to where you are in your life right now. Don’t set a goal that someone else is pressuring you to attain-that isn’t very motivating.

Examine your goal so far. Does it seem relevant to you? If so, let’s keep going. If you are not concerned about weight loss or this is not a good time in your life to focus on that, choose something that IS motivating to you.

• Have you given some thought to why you want to accomplish this goal?

• Does it fit in with your long-term plan?

Time-bound (time-based, timely, time-limited)

Include an end-point. Knowing that you have a deadline motivates you to get started.

Since healthy weight loss is about 200-500grams per week, set your deadline accordingly. For our example, we can use 3 months. “I will lose 7% of my body weight in 3 months.” Now we have a SMART goal! With a goal like this, it’s a good idea to set a few more action-oriented SMART goals so that you have a game plan. “I will lose 7% of my body weight in 3 months” Develop your game plan from this. Think about what can you do each week that will help you reach this goal.

• Setting a time limit or date by when you want to achieve the goal, will keep you more accountable. •

• When?

• What can I do today?

Examples of SMART goals

I will eat 5 servings of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit every day for 4 weeks by including plant food at every main meal and reducing processed foods. I will start in 3 days’ time. Before starting, I will search online for simple recipes and meal ideas that incorporate more veggies.

I will meditate for 15 minutes, 3 days a week (M, W & F), for the next 4 weeks using free guided meditations from Insight Timer. After 4 weeks, I will add in an extra day each week with the aim of achieving a daily meditation practice at the 8-week mark.

Ways to stay accountable

1. Have regular reviews and check-ins. Check-in with yourself monthly and assess whether you are on track or if you need more structure or support.

2. Choose an accountability buddy. Someone in your support network you can rely on for positive feedback and encouragement. Let them know of your plans and ask if you can contact them if you need some extra motivation.

3. Write down your reasons for wanting to accomplish the goal and the benefits it will bring. Keep it somewhere easily accessible for when you need a reminder! Visualising yourself at the end can also be motivating. Visualise what it will look like and how it will feel when you have achieved your goal.

It's easy to have goals. It's hard to accomplish them. But setting a SMART goal plan will highly increase your chances of accomplishing what you want to achieve.