Being S.M.A.R.T with your fitness

Published on August 17, 2021

To create a building, you first need to work on its foundation. This is the same case with fitness results. Whether you want to gain muscle or aspire to live a more fulfilled lifestyle, you must focus on creating S.M.A.R.T goals.

Setting goals can be a positive contribution to your everyday life. For one, it can emphasize the idea of you possessing an internal locus of control. This is the notion that you believe that your actions can decide a given result or outcome. Essentially, you have power over what happens.

A 2009 study that comprised 414 Swedish patients looked at the possible connection between one’s self-reported health and health locus of control. This study concluded that internal locus of control shared a positive correlation with high self-rated health. Not only that, having an internal locus of control lowered the cumulative likelihood of diseases over one’s life. Those with an external locus of control (events are beyond a person’s control or completely luck-based) perceived a lower report of self-report and shown to be more likely of cumulative diseases burdens (Berglund et al., 2009). It goes to show that a positive mind means a positive body!

You can reap other benefits through goal-setting. Planning out short-term and long-term goals can make you more organized by taking the time to break down goals into manageable steps. Not only that, it provides clarity which can boost both focus and productivity- which can translate to other parts of your life like family and work. This presence of clarity in goal-setting can also help out serious practitioners! Goal-setting illustrates a tangible result which can motivate you to do the best you can while fostering confidence. Once you reach a fitness milestone, it gives you a sense of fulfillment and joy in knowing your efforts were worth it. It will push you to climb your staircase of progress, with each goal being almost like a medal and award for your hard work.

Now that you know the benefits of setting goals, where do you exactly start? When people think of goal-setting, many tend to think about New Year’s Resolutions. Everyone has set a goal for the New Year for them to do. In fact, 95% of all New Year’s Resolutions are fitness-related. Despite their well-intentions, these gym newcomers generally come for a few months in hopes of shaping their dream body. They find out quickly that results can’t be made instantly and simply quit. Among the new gym goers in January, about 80% quit within the first 5 months (Noobgains)!

Why is this the case? Evidently, it is because many of these new gym-goers are not putting much thought into their resolutions- their goals. Goal-setting is quite intricate and for a plausible fitness goal to be made, some criteria must be made. Fortunately, there is something called “S.M.A.R.T” goals that simplifies this whole process.

S- Specific

“I want to be fit”

In what way will you be fit? Why do I want to be fit? The problem with this goal is that it lacks detail. Remember, an effective goal brings clarity and sense of direction on your fitness journey. It’s like driving a car. How can you drive a car if you don’t know where to go? When it comes to making a goal specific, you should address the 5 W’s:

Who- Who is taking part in this goal?
What- What do you want to achieve as part of your goal?
When- When do you want to achieve your goal?
Where- Where are you going to work towards your goal?
Why- Why do you want to achieve this goal?
How- How will you achieve it

For this particular example, let’s say I want to build endurance. That addresses the Why and Who aspects. For What & How, I would like to work on my endurance through running. When exactly will I run? Let’s say every day at 12pm. As for where, I hope to run on this trail by my neighborhood. With this information, I can formulate the following goal:

In order to build endurance, I intend to run everyday on my neighborhood trail around 12pm.

M-Measurable

Looking at your results, in terms of numbers, gives you a better depiction of the changes made. Since we are adding onto our goal, we should be clarifying exactly how long the neighborhood trail is. It is 5 km. Now, let’s think about the average time it takes for a person to run 5 km. After running along the trail, you find your time to be 65 minutes. You may want to compare this to the average running time for a 5 km run, which is anywhere between 30-40 minutes. To measure your goal, it is clear that you will measure the time taken to run 5 km. Let us revise our goal.

In order to build endurance, I intend to run everyday on my neighborhood trial around 12pm. Since my neighborhood trail is around 5 km, I aim to decrease my time to about 35 minutes.

A-Attainable

Let’s think about this. Is it really feasible for you to run 5 km every day? This is a concern, especially for someone who engages in less physical activity. Switching to vigorous activity like running can put physical strain on your body since your body is not given enough time to adapt. You may want to decrease the amount of kilometers you are running or limit the amount of days you run. Not only that, you may be busy on some days with perhaps family life, school, or work. If you cannot put the time to run every day, maybe switch up that part so that attaining this goal aligns with your lifestyle.

In order to build endurance, I intend to run around my neighborhood trail. I intend to run 2-3 times a week. Since my neighborhood trail is around 5 km, I aim to have my running time to about 35 minutes.

R-Relevant

Does this single goal of running fit into your overall objective? Does it coincide with your bigger picture? Besides increasing my endurance, I also want to maintain my healthy weight and improve my heart’s health. These are things that I can achieve if I continue to run. Not only that, does this running goal seem worthwhile? You should be satisfied with the means that you are achieving your goal with. If you find it unenjoyable or uncomfortable to do, try to figure out another means to achieve your goal. Personally, I find running quite fun as it gives me a chance to de-stress. With that, I don't really need to change my goal.

T- Time-bound

At some point, I intend on achieving my goal. If I do not set a deadline from my goal, it may be hard to hold myself accountable and continue pushing through my goal. At the time of writing, it is currently July. I do not think it would be feasible to cut my running time significantly within a single month. After much deliberation, I decided that a 6-month window would be possible, and so, I added that detail to my goal.

In order to build endurance, I intend to run around my neighborhood trail for 6 months. I intend to run 2-3 times a week. Since my neighborhood trail is around 5 km, I aim to have my running time to about 35 minutes.

It is possible for anyone to set S.M.A.R.T goals in relation to fitness. If you do need more advice or need a better understanding of your fitness levels, be sure to sign up for a KellyKinetix fitness consultation. They are quite informative and run for about an hour. Be sure to sign up when you get the chance!

Links:

Berglund, E., Lytsy, P., & Westerling, R. (2014). The influence of locus of control on self-rated health in context of chronic disease: A structural equation modeling approach in a cross sectional study. BMC Public Health, 14(1), 4-6. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-492