It's Resolution Time!

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It’s Resolution Time!

It is that time of year when a majority of us make those New Year resolutions!  Whether it be quit smoking (it is a proven killer), take a break from social media (a major contributor to the destruction of society), quit coffee (I have attempted this every year without much luck), and the number one resolution.... improve health and fitness!

When declaring your resolutions for the new year, try taking the S.M.A.R.T. approach to setting your goals.  The acronym stands for S- Specific, M- Measurable, A- Attainable, R- Relevant, T-Timely.  It is a tried, tested and true approach to achieving self-directed goals.

Specific

The first step in creating a goal is choosing what exactly you want to achieve.  For instance, maybe you would like to shed some extra pounds around the waist line, maybe 30 pounds.  It is easy to state “I want to lose 30 pounds”, but its not enough.  To specify your goal, a great approach would be to state “I want to lose 5 pounds a month for six months”.  You want to win the smaller battles to be victorious in war.

Measurable

In the next step, you want the ability to measure your progress.  How does one do so?  Take smoking for instance (again, proven killer), what is your return?  Will walking upstairs be easier, having more energy to play with your children, or find a new set of lungs to run a marathon.  Whatever the goal is, it has to be measurable to see results.

Attainable

Here is where resolutions get tricky.  Do you have the financial means, personal effort, or the most important- support from those in your daily life.  It is near impossible for someone to quit smoking when a significant other puffs away all day, or the people you engage with at work smoke.  Smoking is highly addictive, and the right support base is needed to be successful. 

Relevant

Here is another tough one for some.  Looking at weight loss as a goal, do you know how to go about safely losing weight through proper nutrition and exercise?  It’s easy to sign up for one of those flashy cheap gym memberships, but most will go unused when February hits.  The whole “Globo-Gym” business model is built on you signing up for long term and not using it.  When looking to exercise or dial in your nutrition, it does pay to speak to a professional. 

Timely

Basically, create deadlines.  When there are deadlines put in place, it will make you want to work harder to reach those goals.  Keep in mind deadlines need to be realistic.  Losing thirty pounds in thirty days is a great example of unrealistic.  Another factor of timely is actually committing time.  There should be no excuse when there are 1440 minutes in a day.  Everyone can set aside a fraction of the day to achieve those goals. 

In the end, make your resolutions a positive experience, and surround yourself with the support needed to achieve those goals!

 

 

 

Tyson Hornby