Now that the dust has settled from the Holiday blitz, it’s time to sit down and seriously take a look at what you would like to achieve in 2017. Some people like to call these their “New Year Resolutions”, here’s the thing, do you know anyone who actually makes it more than a few weeks? I know I’ve always struggled with it and I feel that lumps me in with the other 85-99% of people that don’t make it. But I think I have the answer. Finally!
The “New Year, New You” campaign is now in full swing. And everyone with $10 is off to the big box gyms with high hopes…just like last year. Like always, everyone is eager to jump-start the New Year with more motivation and persistence than the previous year, but isn’t this exactly what we all said in 2016 as well? And 2015, 2014 & 2013? In all honesty 2016 was supposed to be that year that we all turn over a new leaf and kick an old bad habit to the curb, form a ton of good habits, drop that last 10 lbs, eat less sugar, drink more water, join a gym, run a 5K, hit a squat PR, sleep 8 hours/night, eat more vegetables, take fish oil, the list goes on and on and on.
So what makes this year any different? We have a plan now. And it’s not that we don’t have great intentions every year, we just don’t set ourselves up for success like we should. Lets stop calling them our New Year Resolutions and lets just set some goals. In the spirit of it being less than 2 weeks into 2016, lets just call these our 2016 Goals. But wait, there’s more.
Before we get over ambitious and set a bazillion resolutions like we would in previous years, lets take a minute and learn the proper way to set our 2017 goals. And not just our goals but our S.M.A.R.T. Goals of 2017. This isn’t a new way to set goals, I think I first was taught this way back in college, but for some reason I forgot all about it until I saw it again on Facebook. Now you may have seen various words used but this is what I’ve found to work the best. Here goes.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals of 2017 and How to Set Them
S – SPECIFIC
Make our goals as specific as possible. We need to consider the who, what, when, where, why and how when developing our goal. Target a specific area of improvement and get after it. “Get in Shape” is vague and not specific enough. But “Join GPS Human Performance and go to 3 classes per week” is much more specific. We then know exactly what it is we are shooting for. There is no question. As we establish our priorities and manage our time, we do so for a specific goal to achieve the results we expect.
M – MEASUREABLE
Make our goals measurable so we can always be able to track our progress. It’s important to see indicators along the way that we are going in the right direction. This helps immensely with motivation too! Our goals should be such that we know when we are advancing and by how much. Whether it is by hours, pounds, dollars or whatever, we should be able to see exactly how we are measuring up as we proceed through the journey of life this year. Losing weight is measurable, adding weight to our Clean and Jerk max is measurable. Performing a set amount of hours of mobility exercises per week is measurable. Just be sure to be specific, like lose 10 lbs by May 1st, add 25 lbs by April 15th or perform 1 hour of mobility per week.
A – ATTAINABLE
Make our goals attainable. Not to be confused with easy, but attainable. Far to often we set the bar way too high (with good intentions of course though) and we then are disappointed when we don’t make it. One of the important factors is understanding that you have the ability, skill, talent or even the discipline to achieve that goal. A goal to “come to the gym 3 days a week” is an attainable goal. Don’t forget the “realistic check”. A goal to come to the gym 30 days per month, though it is attainable it’s not the most realistic goal you could set. I’d like to put 52 Blogs out a year, but I’m more realistic in knowing what life can throw at me, so my goal is 1 per month.
R – RELEVANT
Make our goals relevant to our current situation. It’s always good to ask yourself is this the right goal for me right now or is this goal relevant to my overall objectives? Goals that are relevant are goals you will be excited about because they will be important to you. A goal that is important to you will influence you more than a goal that isn’t. You’ll have significantly more desire and willingness to make certain sacrifices. For example, “Competing in a Weightlifting competition this year” is an example of a goal that would be relevant to someone new to the gym or the sport. I know quite a few people that actually have set this goal in recent weeks. Which is awesome! Or “improve my ankle mobility so I can maintain an upright torso in an overhead squat which will aid my receiving position in the Snatch”. Though this is not measurable in pounds, visually it is. We’ve all seen someone with perfect mobility vs someone lacking it. It’s like night and day. Improved ankle mobility should be on everyones list this year haha.
T – TIMELY
The danger with setting goals is we often don’t put an expectation on it. All of our goals should have a beginning and an end date. A goal with no start and end is not specific or measurable, and there is a good chance it won’t be attainable. Timing should be relevant, specific and measurable. If you want to put 25 lbs on your Back Squat, when do you want to hit it by? “Someday” won’t work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, “by June 1st”, then you’ve set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.
A couple final tips for you before I go. Don’t set too many goals all at once, pick 1 per month to start with and once you have established some solid routines and are heading in the right direction then you can add another one. Write it down and plan it out. If you have it scheduled on your calendar you are significantly more likely to do it. Tell your friends. No better way to meet a goal then having your friends keep asking you about it. So there you have it. S.M.A.R.T. Goals of 2017 look out, we’re coming for you!