Whether your goal is to lose weight, build muscle or simply feel healthier, setting health and fitness goals is essential. However, it can be difficult to keep your motivation high and your progress on track. That’s why it’s important to set SMART fitness goals. The acronym “SMART” stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. These fitness goals are more likely to help you achieve long-term success.
Specific: Your goal should be a clear and concise description of what you want to accomplish. For example, instead of saying “I want to be stronger,” say, “I will increase my ability to perform push-ups in one minute.” Being able to measure your progress is an important aspect of achieving any fitness goal because it helps you stay motivated and accountable.
Measurable: You should be able to measure your progress with the help of a fitness tracker or other tools. If you’re tracking your weight loss, a pound per week is a measurable goal. A more challenging goal would be to improve your strength and performance by performing a pull up, which isn’t easily measurable.
Attainable: You should be able to meet the demands of your fitness goals without causing any injury or overtraining. For example, if you’re new to lifting, your goal should be to slowly build your strength over time. This will prevent you from overtraining, which can cause injuries that will make reaching your fitness goals more difficult in the future.
Relevant: Your fitness goals should be relevant to your overall health needs and interests. For example, if you have hypertension or prediabetes, a weekly aerobic exercise goal is more relevant to your health than trying to reach a 30-inch (76.2-cm) vertical jump.
Time-bound: Achieving your goal by a certain date will help you remain consistent and motivated. A deadline will also help you create a plan for the steps you’ll need to take to meet your goals.
While many of the above fitness goals are important, it’s important to remember that your fitness journey should be a positive experience. Focusing too much on how your body looks can be discouraging and lead to a lack of motivation. Instead, try to find fitness goals that will make you stronger, more capable and healthy.
When it comes to fitness, it’s common to overcommit yourself. For example, if you want to hit the gym every day, eat less sugar and get eight hours of sleep a night, that’s a lot to tackle at once. Trying to achieve too much at once can be overwhelming and lead to a lack of motivation, especially if you don’t meet your goals.