How do you formulate a SMART goal?

Look at each component and ask yourself if you can determine if your goal meets it or not. We will use the example of someone wanting to lose weight.

• specific: Is “lose weight” specific enough? How much weight do you want to lose? Perhaps we refine this further and determine that body fat is what you want to lose. We would still want to state how much, say in pounds, which would make it specific.
• measurable: How will we measure this weight/body fat loss or body composition change? What tools would we use? (more on various measurement tools below)
• achievable/ attainable: How much weight loss or fat loss is truly achievable? Is it possible to lose 30 pounds? Perhaps. It depends on the individual and the time component. If you have a 30 day weight loss goal, losing 1-2lbs per week is achievable for many people and sustainable long term. Maybe you want to weight 120lbs, but you are 5’9″ tall and your frame is not compatible with that weight. You want a goal that is something that you can realistically achieve.
• relevant/ realistic: The goal needs to be relevant to you. If you have a knee injury, then a running goal may not be right for you, no matter what you’ve read about how many calories are burned while running.
• time component: When will you start? When will you check your progress? When will you re-assess your goal? Is it possible to lose 30lbs in 30 days? Not in a sustainable way. Per the recommendation of losing 1-2lbs per week, if you wanted to lose 30lbs and your body type could support this, you could set a time frame of 20 weeks to do so. This averages out to about 1.5lbs of weight loss per week. (But please consider using a body composition measure – you may gain muscle and thus the scale will not be the right tool to track progress!)