Wellness Wednesday Tip #28: Set S.M.A.R.T Goals for the Upcoming Year!

Happy #WellfieWednesday friends!

This week’s tip is to set S.M.A.R.T. goals for the upcoming year!

     As we all know, January is a tricky time when we set resolutions to lose weight, exercise more, save money, etc. Unfortunately these goals usually fall flat after a few weeks and we find ourselves depressed with deflated dreams and wrapped in negative self-talk about our lack of willpower. But maybe that resolution wasn’t set up for success to begin with...enter the tactic of S.M.A.R.T. goal setting.

S = specific - “Lose weight” or “eat healthy” are too broad to be effective. “Eat salad for lunch 4 days per week” or “Bring lunch to work every day so I don’t eat fast food” are more specific and easier to follow.

M = measurable - If a goal is too broad then progress is much harder to track. What gets measured gets improved.

A = attainable - I love football...but I’ll probably never play in the NFL. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for setting lofty goals! But don’t set yourself up for failure by making goals too far out of reach, set a series of small goals along the way to the end goal to improve success.

R = realistic - “Lose 10 lbs by next weekend” may work for infomercials, but not for real life.

T = timely - Leave yourself enough time to achieve the goal, but not so much time that it’s easy to put off and doesn’t get accomplished.

Share some of your SMART goals for 2017 with the #WellfieWednesday!

     Thanks again for all of the #WellfieWednesday support, be sure to post your pictures again this week and tag Patrick (@PBernerSPT) or myself (@Eric_in_AmERICa) and keep the wave of healthy change going!

-Dr. Eric Uveges, PT, DPT

- Dr. Patrick Berner, PT, DPT

https://www.projectsmart.co.uk/smart-goals.php