This may seem like a silly question, but we still see poor goal setting all the time at 360 Fitness from new members coming in and it’s not as easy as you think to set proper goals.

And that makes it even harder to achieve them.

Ok, first things first – let’s actually start with what is NOT a goal…

“I want to lose weight.”

“I want to feel better.”

“I want to tone up.”

What’s wrong with these, you ask? They’re not specific to start with. They’re just kind of an idea. If you want to set goals that you can achieve set SMART goals.

S-specific – “I want to lose 10lbs, 5% body fat and fit back into my old size six jeans.”

M-measurable. There should be no doubt whether or not you reached your goals. You could measure by weight you want to lift, clothing size, inches, etc.

A-attainable. Make sure you’re not setting yourself up for failure! Not too hard, not too easy.

R-relevant. Must meet your individual needs and your WHY.

T-timely. Give yourself a deadline. “I will accomplish this by May 1st.”

Take 15 minutes and write down your SMART goals.

Example: “I will lose 10lbs and/or 5 per cent body fat and fit back into my size six jeans by May 1st.

“I will do this by coming to 360 Fitness three times per week, doing two home workouts per week, drinking half my body weight in ounces of water per day, eating protein with every meal and eating no less than five servings of veggies per day.”

This may seem super simple but it’s not. It’s always easy to just make broad outcome based goals but to connect them with behavior and action is the hard part.

I cannot stress enough how important goal setting is! I have goals. Our personal trainers at 360 Fitness have goals. Our clients have goals. Always aim to be better!

There are two types of goals: outcome goals and behavior goals.

In the example, the first sentence is your OUTCOME goal and the second sentence is your BEHAVIOR goal. You should have both, but your focus should be more on the behaviour goals. The outcome (end goal) comes when the right behaviors are practiced consistently!

I hope this makes sense! Spend a little time on this, then let me know your SMART GOALS!

Jack Wheeler is a personal trainer and the owner if 360 Fitness in Red Deer.