In the News - January 2008
Set SMART goals for improved health
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - The first step to achieving your New Year's resolutions
is to set SMART goals, says Lisa Gilmore, Garland County agent for the
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and
Timely. Setting a SMART goal is by no means to only way to reach your target,
but thinking about each step will help get you started in the right direction.
Specific - No matter what your goal is, it should be specific - clearly
stating what you are trying to accomplish so you will know what you are working
toward. An example of a specific goal would be to lose 10 pounds or 20 pounds,
or to exercise for 30 minutes three times a week. Instead of a goal to "start
eating right," a specific goal might be to eat fruit for snacks instead of
doughnuts.
Measurable - Goals should be measurable. It's easy to measure weight loss,
and you can record the amount of exercise that you do. A written exercise record
can be motivating. Another example of a measurable goal is, "I will eat three
servings of vegetables every day."
A measurable goal will allow you to see the changes as they occur, which can
be encouraging and motivating.
Achievable - Make sure that the goal you set is one you can accomplish.
Having high goals for yourself is great, but a goal that is unreachable will
make you feel hopeless and give up. Setting a goal to lose 20 pounds in one week
is not achievable. Losing one pound a week is a workable goal.
Setting several small, achievable goals is the best path to reaching a big
goal, like losing a lot of weight. Losing 50 pounds is much more manageable when
it's done 10 pounds at a time. Remember also that a goal that's too easy seems
meaningless. When setting achievable goals, don't sell yourself short. Set a
goal that will mean something when you reach it.
Relevant - Choose a goal that is relevant. You know better than anyone what
you like, need and want. It would be irrelevant for one at a healthy weight to
set weight loss as their goal. Likewise, perhaps you've heard that jogging is
good exercise, but you hate jogging. Success is far more likely when you choose
a goal that has relevance for you.
Timely - Set a time frame for achieving your goal. Like everything else, this
time frame should be specific, and it should be realistic. Think in specific
time frames - three weeks, two months, four months, etc.
Changing long-held habits will take time, so you should allow yourself weeks or
months, rather than days, to achieve these goals.
Consider when you would like to be able to walk briskly for 30 minutes
without stopping to rest. By when would you like to lose 10 pounds, keeping in
mind that a healthy rate of weight loss is one or two pounds per week?
"Changing any habit requires several tries and a great deal of effort for
most people," Gilmore said. "Most will experience some success at making
changes, but may also temporarily fall back on old habits. It's important to be
aware of such relapses so that you may remedy them. It's also important to allow
yourself some room for imperfection, for momentary lapses, and to return to your
healthy habits.
Continue the healthy practice of setting SMART goals.
"Your success will be more likely, and you will be more motivated to carry
your healthy behaviors from one year into the next," she said.
If you would like to receive a worksheet that will help you in setting SMART
goals, look online at
www.uaex.edu/garland/fcs. The Cooperative Extension
Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.
January 4, 2008
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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