So in the last video I did for you (here), we spoke about the two types of goals you’d need to be successful in lifestyle change. Today, we’re going to look at how you set those goals.
For anyone involved in any kind of corporate setting, Yes, I am going to be using SMART. But hold up, hold up! It’s a cliche in goal setting for a reason. It’s a great blueprint for making sue your goals are on point! Plus everyone has different words for each letter anyway!
So I promise, I will look to add something valuable here, and not hit the same boring notes!
For everyone else, you’re probably wondering what the hell SMART is. Well its an acronym, which stands for (in my world at least) the following:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time bound
So let’s break down each and see how it relates to goals for weight loss and getting fit! And for some bonus points, we’re going to apply each to the different goal types; Outcome and Process. I’ve linked the video below if you’d like to learn more. But in brief:
Outcome Goals: What you want to achieve.
Process Goals: How you will achieve it.
So why is being specific important? Well if you aren’t being exact on what you want, it starts to become more difficult to know if you’ve achieved it.
For outcome goals, where weight loss is concerned at least, this is often less important. As you’ll often have a feeling for where you want to be. But by being exact you have a clear line in the sand of exactly what you’re trying to achieve.
For process goals, being exact is more important. As any ambiguity in them can lead to lackluster behaviours (e.g. “I’ll exercise more” technically could be covered by 1 2 minute walk once a week). By being more specific, you lower the risk of this happening.
How does this look in practise?
Outcome Goal Non-Specific
“I’m going to lose weight”
Outcome Goal Specific
“I’m going to drop to 12 stone by August 1st 2020”
Process Goal Non-Specific
“I’ll go to the gym and exercise at the classes”
Process Goal Specific
“I’ll go to the gym on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and do the 10am Spin class”
Being specific is also very important for the second part of any good goal…
Why does a goal need to be measurable? Well if it isn’t, how are you going to know if you did it or not?
This is why specific goals are important! If you aren’t specific, knowing what to measure is far harder. And when you aren’t clear on what you need to measure, you’ve no obvious way of knowing if you’ve reached you goal!
Making goals measurable almost always means you need to include a number! Without it there isn’t really any kind of scale to measure on.
How does this look in practise?
Outcome Goal Non-Measurable
“I’m going to run faster”
Outcome Goal Measurable
“I’m going to run the loop round the estate in under 10 minutes by July 14th 2020”
Process Goal Non-Measurable
“I’m going to exercise more!”
Process Goal Measurable
“I’ll going to go to the gym 3 times a week for 40 minutes each time”
Okay to be fair, this one seems pretty self-explanatory. Obviously your goals need to be achievable… But it would have been weird to just skip over a letter. So let’s have a closer look? What do we mean by achievable?
Well, I have clients often come in who say they want to move unrealistic amounts of weight before the big wedding/holiday/event they’ve left too little time for! The problem with these unachievable types of goals is that it devastates your motivation. Which leads to you quitting in no time…
So be realistic! I get it! I was once heavy and unfit too! (See below) But it took me nearly 9 months to go from obese to athletic, and any faster than that was probably pushing the realm of possibility. So be real and honest with yourself, and you won’t risk losing all your motivation for not hitting goals that were never going to happen.
Being relevant is especially important for process goals. Where outcome goals are concerned, the chosen outcome itself is usually very relevant, as that’s why you chose it! But for your process goals to work towards these outcomes, they’ve got to be relevant! Which isn’t always so simple!
How does this look in practise?
Let’s say your outcome goal was:
“I’m going to lose 6 stone over the next 12 months”
A Non-Relevant Process Goal would be something like:
“I will watch an inspirational weight-loss video every day whilst I eat dinner”
Sure! You could argue that this goal is relevant. In a way, if it motivates you it is! But unless there are some other goals relating to your calorie burn or calorie intake, this goal isn’t going to get you anywhere!
So let’s modify it!
Relevant Process Goal
“I will watch an inspirational weight-loss video every day at 5 minutes to 6pm, after which I will do one of Simon’s online fitness classes” (Links posted on my Facebook everyday, Monday to Friday!)
Now that goal is way more relevant to getting that 6 stones off!!
If a goal isn’t linked to a time frame, they lack any sense of urgency and can end up dragging on for a long time (if not forever!).
This part of the goal links back to being specific and achievable. Because:
To be specific you need to state when your goal will be achieved by (for outcome) or when you will get it done (for process).
To know if your goal is achievable you need to know when you’ve meant to achieve it by!
So to wrap this all up in a nice little package, you need to have two types of goal for weight loss, getting fit and anything else really. You need a goal that specifies where you want to be, with that goal being specific, measurable, achievable and time bound.
For example:
“I will be able to back squat 50kg by October 30th 2020”
Which you know is realistic as you’ve done your research.
Next up you need the goals that outline how you’re going to do it, and these need to be specific, measurable, achievable and relevant.
So something like:
“I will eat no more than 1,500 calories per day, which I will record on My Fitness Pal”
Which you know is relevant, because you read my post on what’s important for weight loss! (And learnt a couple of other useful titbits whilst you were at it, you legend!).
So I hope with that info, you can now go on to getting the foundations of your lifestyle change, your goals, in place and solid! Of course, if anything still needs clearing up, then do give me a shout in the comments! I also frequently release a ton of content to help you to move in the direction you want, so give the old Facebooks a follow (Body Development Centre and my online training business Body Vision) to keep up to date!
I’ve also started doing daily fitness classes in the week, which you can find on my Facebooks, to help you get fit and active! Each is 30 minutes long, and requires no equipment! And if you want to join live, then we run it at 6pm! So I hope to see you there!
And for those of you wanting a banging hairstyle to go with your banging body, check out Here Come The Blondes on Facebook, where my wife will happily provide you with all the tips and tricks you need!
Until next time, take care peps!
Simon
