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SMART Goals for Physical Movement

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What is your main health goal when it comes to physical activity? Grab a pen and paper, and write it down.

(ie., to get in shape, to be more active, to have more motivation to exercise, etc.)

 

Use the SMART tool guide below to help you clearly define your goal.

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S - Specific

 

Make sure your goal is clear.

 

  • What exactly is your goal?

  • How are you going to achieve it?

  • Where will you work on it?

  • When will you work on it?

 

Example:

 

I want to be stronger and have more energy. I will buy some light 3 lb weights to start rebuilding arm strength and do 2-3 YouTube exercise videos a week which I can do from home while my kids are at school.

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M - Meaningful

 

Make sure this goal is important to you.  If someone else chooses a goal for you, you’re not going to have the motivation to follow through.

 

  • Why are you pursuing this goal?

  • What personal values of yours does this goal align with?

  • How will your life be better if you achieve this goal?

 

Example:

 

I want to have more energy and feel like my pre-cancer self again.

If I have more energy I would be able to clean the house and still be able to play with my kids afterwards.

I wouldn’t feel as guilty about having to leave them to take so many naps.

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A - Adjustable and Achievable

 

You must be able to adjust your goal if needed.

 

  • What barriers do you foresee in achieving this goal?

  • How can you adjust your goal in response to these barriers?

  • Is there anything you can do to get around these barriers without having to adjust your goal?

 

Example:

 

A barrier for me would be a lack of motivation.  If I don’t have the energy to exercise I can’t build up my strength. I will have to be patient with myself and only do exercise on the days when I do have the energy.  When I do, I will focus on exercises that build muscle because I know that having more muscle mass increases your energy levels.

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R - Relevant, Realistic, or Results

 

The goal must be relevant to you, realistic within your circumstances, and produce results which you can review in order to determine if your plans are working.

 

  • Given my performance in achieving similar goals in the past, how realistic is my goal?

  • Should I consider changing my goal to be more realistic?

  • Is there a way I can start off easier and slowly build my way up to finishing my goal?

  • What results will I be able to see/measure when achieving my goal?

 

Example:

 

This goal is realistic because I’m now focusing on making healthy changes more than I ever have in the past.

 

If I need to take more than days off to rest than planned, I’ll allow myself to without being frustrated or disappointed in myself.

 

Results I hope to see:  weight loss, a leaner physique, more energy, progress on how much I can do at once.

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T - Timely

 

Your goal must be time oriented.

 

  • What day will you start?

  • When will you review your progress?

  • How will you track your progress?

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Example:

 

I will start on Sunday and review my progress once a week every Saturday.

I’ll track my progress by keeping track of how long I can exercise for and how much stronger I feel as I progress.

 

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