Exercise and goal setting - doing it the SMART way.
Goals can be a powerful, yet simple tool to help keep you committed and on track when it comes to exercise or physical activity. We’ve all set them at some stage in our life, whether it’s to run a marathon, be able to get up and down from the floor with greater ease or loose a few kilos. And usually these goals get completed to varying degrees of success. However the difference between those who generally succeed and those who don’t is the type of goals your setting.
Benefits of goal setting:
Goals can be beneficial for a number of reasons:
They allow you to guage progress towards what you’re hoping to achieve.
They allow for reflection and reassessment if you don’t feel your progressing in the desired direction or fail to meet your goal initially.
Help break down the goal achievement process into bite sized segments (e.g. short term, medium term, long term).
Help keep you motivated and on track.
How to make them SMART?
What it meant by SMART goals? And what makes them different?
Specific: Most goals fail because they are too vague. “Loose weight”, “get fitter” or “to exercise more” are goals that we commonly see in clinic. And while technically yes they can be considered a goal, most times people fail as they lack specificity.
Measurable: Quantifying goals allows for greater specificity along with providing a target to reach for. For example rather than just “start exercising”, perhaps think about “aiming to start exercising three days per week for 20mins”.
Achievable: While we encourage people to challenge themselves and get out of their comfort zone, we also want to set goals that are both realistic and achievable. Failure to do so usually results in goals not being met, which can lead to people loosing motivation or simply giving up.
Relevant/realistic: Is this something you want to achieve, or has it come from an external source such as healthcare practitioner or family member? If it’s the later chances are motivation to stay on track will wane quite quickly. To succeed goals require intrinsic motivation and drive, they have to be purposeful and meaningful to the individual.
Timely or Time based: Deadlines are important when it comes to goal setting. It allows you to keep track of your progress and assess whether you’re working at an appropriate pace to meet your final goal. It can also motivate you to work harder to get to that goal. Think about if you’ve ever signed up for a fitness event, the pressure of knowing it’s occuring on a certain date in a particular number of weeks, can be a powerful catalyst to enure you put the work in to make sure you’re in peak condition come race day.
Is there a way to make goals even more meaningful?
To be effective goals have to have meaning and a level of intrinsic motivation. Setting goals and aiming for something just because you feel like you “should” will often lead to failure, even if it is SMART. To set yourself up for greater success you need to also consider the why when it comes to goal setting. This is where superordinate goals can be advantageous. These allow us to link and ingrain goals to a higher meaning whether that be our identity or sense of self.
For example you may know, and have been told by loved ones or a healthcare professional, that you need to improve your strength. So you set the goals to start doing strength training at the local gym two times per week for the next five weeks. You start off great, even managing three sessions per week. However by week four life gets busy and you find commitment starts to drop off. This is where a superordinate goal or coming back to the “why” can be a powerful tool to remain consistent. Ask yourself “why do you want to be stronger?” Maybe it’s to be able to get up and down from the ground to be able to play with your grandchild, or to be able to carry them. Taking that a step further and linking to your sense of self could look like “why is this important to you?” Is it because you value family and aim to be a lasting influence on your grandkids’ lives? Putting meaning behind a goal can be a powerful motivator.
Need help with getting into a consistent exercise routine? Our Exercise Physiologist Abby works with clients on a daily basis to help set and achieve their rehabilitation, health and fitness related goals. To book an initial Exercise Physiology assessment click here. Alternatively you can phone our friendly reception team between business hours on 5333 2232.