In our day-to-day lives, it’s generally accepted that for a person to thrive we need some level of purpose. It’s nice to not be bogged down in erroneous duties or situations that excessively stress the capacity of our current ability. However, speaking from personal experience, I get tremendous joy from reaching and even surpassing my ideas of what I thought I could achieve. It’s one of the many reasons I chose to pursue fitness as a career.
Along the way, I’ve picked up many tricks to help hone in on goals and achieve tough goals with clients. One that has proved indispensable is the SMART goal-setting template developed by George Doran, Arthur Miller and James Cunningham.
The S.M.A.R.T. goal template was originally applied to the context of managing employee performance but has found its home in many different avenues due to its simple effectiveness. The theory is that people are more likely to succeed with goals that are clear, measurable, fair and within their capacity to achieve in a specific time frame.
Introducing the SMART goal template has many benefits including improving mental clarity, task focus, productivity, and self-efficacy as well as reducing unwanted anxiety and decision fatigue. Let’s break the acronym down: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant to your values and long-term goals and Time-Bound.
Here is an example of expanding a vague wish into a powerful and organized statement that outlines the exact steps you will take to achieve that outcome.
“I want to get in shape again.” This is vague, cliché, easy to forget, daunting.
Let’s apply the S.M.A.R.T. template to flesh it out using fitness as an example, keeping in mind everyone’s goal will be different.
- Specific: Improve muscular and aerobic fitness using bodyweight exercise and walking a set amount of steps.
- Measurable: Bodyweight training three times per week with 50 repetitions / Walk 8,000 steps six times per week. Take weight and waist circumference on the first and last of the month and track data on my cell phone. Don’t forget baseline measurements.
- Attainable: Yes, I have a previous fitness base and have extra time to accommodate my daily walks due to not commuting to work in the morning.
- Relevant: Yes, protecting my physical and mental health will help me improve my quality of life.
- Time-bound: 3 months with a re-evaluation of effort and focus.
When you put it all together it produces this powerful goal statement:
“I want to start exercising three times a week, using 50 push-ups, squats and plank taps while also walking 8,000 steps every day of the week except Sunday, which I will spend doing crafts with my family. Improving my physical and mental health are important to the success of myself and my family’s well-being. I will do this for three months while tracking my weight and waist circumference at the first and last of each month while monitoring my step count through my cell phone app.”
The end objective of the two goals is the same. However, the connection to the second statement is higher and gives tangible measurements towards completing your goal. Our first goal is just an abstract statement with no beginning, end or objective standard.
A great tool to pair with our SMART goal is daily journaling. Cell phones have plenty of great options to document items, from the simple memo pad to more flashy apps. The key to success is to keep the process of documenting your steps simple. The cell phone makes for a great option because it’s seldom out of arm’s reach. Instead of scrolling through social media, take five minutes to review your goal list and think about what steps will be required today to move closer to those goals by being S.M.A.R.T.
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin
By: Kelson Prince
Kelson Prince has been with PSP Borden since 2017. He joined the fitness team and hasn’t looked back. He loves working with the military trades and has enjoyed working side by side with RCSU and the CFHSTC school to develop effective, safe training programs. He is a movement enthusiast, striving to help his clients become both mobile and incredibly strong. He trains various disciplines, including Weightlifting, Calisthenics, Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu, and Capoeira. He says: Why be excellent at only one thing? Specialization is for insects and professional athletes!
This article is part of the Borden Citizen “Weekly Fitness Tips” series. Click here for more content like this, and subscribe to the free Borden Citizen weekly newsletter to make sure you don’t miss the next one!
