New Year, New You: Setting Smart Goals for the New Year

Every January, I fall into the annual trap of creating a resolution, sticking to it for about two weeks, and then letting it fall to the wayside, either making excuses or forgetting about it altogether. Sound familiar? For many of us, the challenge of sticking to our goals and resolutions for the new year isn’t a matter of whether or not we’re competent, but rather our inability to create SMART goals for ourselves. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely and are often used in the business world for project management, however, the methods can easily be applied to any task you’re looking to improve. Let’s take a look at how you can apply these methods to your goals here at CrossFit Stealth: Specific: What is your goal? Define your goal with as much specificity as possible. For example, rather than saying your goal is to “Get faster,” be specific about where and how much: “Run 5K under twenty-five minutes.” Measurable: How will you track the progress towards your and measure the outcome? For example, “Lose .5 inches from my waist” is much more measurable than a generalized goal to “Lose weight.” Achievable: How will you make your goal attainable? This is where you’ll have to assess the time and resources needed and if you’re able to commit. For example, it won’t be enough to just hope for a better clean and jerk, but you can commit to coming to Open Gym and ask for help from a coach, and watch videos that reflect sound technique and movement and compare your own lifting videos. If you’re looking to clean up your diet, this will require planning and food prep. Relevant and Realistic: Why is your goal worthwhile and will it meet your needs? Is it both optimistic and challenging? This is probably the most important and the most complex aspect of creating the goal. Do you want to reach your goal so you can improve your health? Get on the leaderboard? Look better in a bathing suit? The more meaningful your “why,” the greater your accountability, motivation, and commitment will be to working towards it. Also, is your goal realistic? Adding 20# to your deadlift in one month is probably not a realistic goal, but extending the timeline or reducing the weight could be. Timely: When do you want to accomplish your goal by? Your goal should include a time limit. For example, I will complete this step by month/day/year. This creates urgency and the ability to create benchmarks to manage your time along the way. Whether it’s hitting a new PR or dialing in your nutrition, creating a SMART goal around your fitness goals is one step towards making your goal your reality. If you want guidance in creating your SMART goals, please feel free to reach out to your coaches. Happy New Year and Happy Goal Setting!

Sincerely,

Coach Erin