Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals.
“I’m not going to yell at my kids so much.”
“I’m going to lose weight.”
“I’m going to exercise.”
“I’m going to be healthy in the new year.”
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.
We have all done it. We have the best of intentions for our resolutions, but why can’t we stick to them? Is it a lack of will power, of dedication, or are we simply destined to stay the same? No! We are making resolutions instead of finding solutions.
It is time to make a resolution that will become a solution and help us reach our S.M.A.R.T. goals.
SPECIFIC
Goals need to be specific. Instead of saying “I will lose weight,” or “I will exercise more,” a specific goal might look like “I will go to the gym and lift weights,” or “ I will try 5 new vegetables.”
MEASURABLE
We need to be able to measure the goal. “I will go to the gym 3 times per week.” “I will eat 1 extra vegetable at every meal.”
ACHIEVABLE and REALISTIC
Is your goal both achievable and realistic? Running a 10k on February 1st if you have never run before, losing 30 pounds in 1 month or never eating out if you have a busy family life and typically eat out 7 times per week are neither achievable nor realistic. We do not want to set set ourselves up for failure. Try the 5k, look to lose 1-2 pounds per week or aim to make a home cooked dinner 4 times a week. IF there is no way to safely reach your goal, then you will always fail. And even if you do reach it, it will not be sustainable.
TIME-ORIENTED
It is essential to pick a time period—How long will we keep it going? A week? A month? Until Spring Break?
“I will limit my intake of added sugar to less than 20 grams per day for 1 month.”
“I will eat 1 extra vegetable at every meal for 3 weeks.”
Here are some examples:
- I will slow down and count to ten before I speak to my children when they are not listening for the next 2 weeks.
- I will practice yoga in the morning in my living room for 20 minutes 4 days per week until Valentine’s Day.
- I will drink 64 oz of water per day using my new water bottle in January.
- I will make half of my plate fruits and vegetables at every dinner for 3 weeks.
Drop your New Year’s solutions in the comments below!
Kristin Metzler recently received her Master’s Degree of Nutrition from NC State and started working with Total Nutrition Technology in March. A minivan-driving, soccer mom of 3, she knows how hard it is to feed a busy family nutritious food. She believes that if “healthy doesn’t taste good, you are doing it wrong.” You can contact her at kristin@tntgetfit.com or visit the TNT website at Nutrition Technology – Nutrition Plan Weight Loss Programs.
Excellent advice. If people would take some time and seriously consider all that Kristin suggests resolution success rates would increase tremendously. Put effort and thought into the process and know exactly why successfully integrating that resolution into your behavior pattern is important.