S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Sorry for such a late post today. It was a busy, busy day. With my next CrossFit competition (a team one) coming up next weekend, our team has been trying to get together to practice working with each other and do some skill work. After attending a fun story time at our local seniors’ home, as part of our service project for my MOMs Club this morning, it was rushing home for lunch time, prepping dinner (making red kuri squash for the first time…more to come!), putting Keenan down for his nap, heading to the gym, eating dinner and bathing and putting Keenan to bed. Phew! I’m happy to be able to sit down and relax for the first time all day!

Anyhow, as I was quickly sipping my Mocha Latte (my new favorite coffee drink!) this morning before heading out the door, I was thinking about my personal goals that I set for this year and goals that my husband and I discussed on our little getaway last weekend. My husband and I have a habit of thinking too big sometimes (hey, why not shoot for the stars?), which makes our goals more like dreams and not really attainable. I think it is great to aim big, but when you are looking to achieve something in the near future (not years down the road), whether losing weight, running a marathon, competing in a CrossFit competition, going from sedentary to working out a few days a week, etc, goals should be S.M.A.R.T. If you aren’t familiar with  S.M.A.R.T. goals, or need a pleasant reminder, they are:

Specific: What is it that you are going to do in order to achieve your goal? If your goal is to workout five days a week, what type of exercise are you going to do and for how long? When…first thing in the morning, while your children nap, the lunch hour or at the end of the day?  Be very specific of exactly what you are going to do and include all of the details (who, what, when and where).

Measurable: Set goals that you can measure and track over time. Measurable goals allow you to gauge your progress and reward yourself for staying on track. For example, if your goal is weight loss, you can certainly measure it. Weigh yourself before you start working on your goal, in periodic increments, and at the end of the time period you set for yourself to accomplish it.

Attainable: Make sure you goals are realistic and reasonable. If your goal is to lose all of your baby weight in four weeks, how realistic is that? It took nine months to gain the weight, so give yourself at least that time to lose it! Break the goal down into a smaller one of losing 1-2 pounds a week. It is all about making smaller, more attainable goals (baby steps) to help you ultimately reach your larger goal.

Relevant: How relevant are your goals to what you ultimately want to achieve? If your ultimate goal is running a marathon, don’t set a goal for losing weight, why not focus on setting goals related to your training? The weight and body composition changes will eventually come with your training.

Time Specific: Set a time limit as to when you want to accomplish your goals. Is it December 31, 2013 or in 6 months? Setting a date is important, as it gives you something to work towards. Without a date, you might be less likely to stick to your goals and you can get trapped in the thinking that you have lots of time to accomplish them, thus you will continue to procrastinate. If you keep saying to yourself, “I can always start tomorrow,” chances are you will never accomplish your goal, as you will continue to put it off.

Before I go, I have to leave you with a little “Keenanism”, as my husband and I like to call them now! Last night, as my husband was getting Keenan ready for his bath as I was heading out the door to my MOMs Club meeting, Keenan ran naked into our office, got his guitar and started “playing” it while singing, “Naked Boy! Naked Boy!” at the top of his lungs! My husband and I laughed so hard, that we were crying! Keenan loves to streak down the hall naked before getting into his bath at night, and my husband and I always tell him that he is our little naked boy, so I guess it’s only natural that he turn it into a song. Kids do say the darnedest things!

Keenan enjoying his Choo Choo Train that we made out of our printer box!

Questions: What are some of your goals? Are they  S.M.A.R.T.? If you are familiar with these guidelines, do you find them helpful in achieving goals? I use the  S.M.A.R.T. guidelines, and it truly helps to turn my ideas into attainable goals, whether small or large.