How Smartwatches Can Help You Reach Your Fitness Goals

SMART Goals

What Are the SMART Criteria?

How to Write a SMART Goal

Paul J. Meyer, businessman, author and founder of Success Motivation International, describes the characteristics of SMART goals in his 2003 book, "Attitude Is Everything: If You Want to Succeed Above and Beyond." We'll expand on his definitions to explore how to create, develop and achieve your goals:

1. Specific

Your goal should be clear and specific, otherwise you won't be able to focus your efforts or feel truly motivated to achieve it. When drafting your goal, try to answer the five "W" questions:

• What do I want to accomplish?
• Why is this goal important?
• Who is involved?
• Where is it located?
• Which resources or limits are involved?

Example

Imagine that you are currently a marketing executive, and you'd like to become head of marketing. A specific goal could be, "I want to gain the skills and experience necessary to become head of marketing within my organization, so that I can build my career and lead a successful team."

2. Measurable

It's important to have measurable goals, so that you can track your progress and stay motivated. Assessing progress helps you to stay focused, meet your deadlines, and feel the excitement of getting closer to achieving your goal.

A measurable goal should address questions such as:

• How much?
• How many?
• How will I know when it is accomplished?

Example

You might measure your goal of acquiring the skills to become head of marketing by determining that you will have completed the necessary training courses and gained the relevant experience within five years' time.

3. Achievable

Your goal also needs to be realistic and attainable to be successful. In other words, it should stretch your abilities but still remain possible. When you set an achievable goal, you may be able to identify previously overlooked opportunities or resources that can bring you closer to it.

An achievable goal will usually answer questions such as:

• How can I accomplish this goal?
• How realistic is the goal, based on other constraints, such as financial factors?

Example

You might need to ask yourself whether developing the skills required to become head of marketing is realistic, based on your existing experience and qualifications. For example, do you have the time to complete the required training effectively? Are the necessary resources available to you? Can you afford to do it?

Tip:

Beware of setting goals that someone else has power over. For example, "Get that promotion!" depends on who else applies, and on the recruiter's decision. But "Get the experience and training that I need to be considered for that promotion" is entirely down to you.

4. Relevant

This step is about ensuring that your goal matters to you, and that it also aligns with other relevant goals. We all need support and assistance in achieving our goals, but it's important to retain control over them. So, make sure that your plans drive everyone forward, but that you're still responsible for achieving your own goal.

A relevant goal can answer "yes" to these questions:

• Does this seem worthwhile?
• Is this the right time?
• Does this match our other efforts/needs?
• Am I the right person to reach this goal?
• Is it applicable in the current socio-economic environment?

Example

You might want to gain the skills to become head of marketing within your organization, but is it the right time to undertake the required training, or work toward additional qualifications? Are you sure that you're the right person for the head of marketing role? Have you considered your partner's goals? For example, if you want to start a family, would completing training in your free time make this more difficult?

5. Time-bound

Every goal needs a target date, so that you have a deadline to focus on and something to work toward. This part of the SMART goal criteria helps to prevent everyday tasks from taking priority over your longer-term goals.

A time-bound goal will usually answer these questions:

• When?
• What can I do six months from now?
• What can I do six weeks from now?
• What can I do today?

Example

Gaining the skills to become head of marketing may require additional training or experience, as we mentioned earlier. How long will it take you to acquire these skills? Do you need further training, so that you're eligible for certain exams or qualifications? It's important to give yourself a realistic time frame for accomplishing the smaller goals that are necessary to achieving your final objective.

Used with Permission from The Meyer Resource Group, Inc.

The Pros and Cons of SMART Goals

SMART is an effective tool that provides the clarity, focus and motivation you need to achieve your goals. It can also improve your ability to reach them by encouraging you to define your objectives and set a completion date. SMART goals are also easy to use by anyone, anywhere, without the need for specialist tools or training.

Various interpretations of SMART have meant that it can lose its effectiveness or be misunderstood. Some people believe that SMART doesn't work well for long-term goals because it lacks flexibility, while others suggest that it might stifle creativity. For more information on the potential weaknesses of SMART, see our article, Locke's Goal-Setting Theory.

Frequently Asked Questions About SMART Goals

What does SMART stand for?

SMART stands for Specific,Measurable,Achievable,Relevant, andTime-bound.

What about SMARTER goals?

In this expanded acronym, the E stands for Evaluated, and the R for Reviewed.

Who invented SMART goals?

The SMART goals concept is commonly attributed to Peter Drucker, author of Management by Objectives. The first-known use of the term was in the November 1981 issue of Management Review by George T. Doran.

Whats an example of a SMART goal?

Lets say youre a marketing executive, and you think you'd like to become head of marketing. This is a specific goal. You might measure your goal of gaining the skills to become head of marketing by deciding it will take five years. Ask yourself whether gaining these skills is achievable, based on your existing experience and qualifications. Are you at the right point in your career? Is it relevant to what you want? Give yourself a realistic time frame for accomplishing the smaller goals that are necessary to achieving your final objective.

How do I write a SMART goal plan?

• Start by asking exactly what you need to accomplish. This will make your goal specific.
• Quantify your goals. Measurable goals are easier to track, so build in milestones.
• Your goal should be achievable. Is this something you can do with the resources at your disposal?
• Think why youre setting this goal. How will it improve your life or career? This is what makes it relevant.
• Know exactly when youll have reached your goal. Have a firm schedule, and stick to it.

Key Points

• SMART is a well-established tool that you can use to plan and achieve your goals.
• While there are a number of interpretations of the acronym's meaning, the most common one is that goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
• When you use SMART, you can create clear, attainable and meaningful goals, and develop the motivation, action plan, and support needed to achieve them.

Rubin, R. (2002). Will the Real SMART Goals Please Stand Up? [online]. Available here. [Accessed January 27, 2016.]

Meyer, Paul J. (2003). "Attitude Is Everything: If You Want to Succeed Above and Beyond." Waco, TX: Meyer Resource Group.

Haughey, D. (2014). A Brief History of SMART Goals [online]. Available here. [Accessed January 27, 2016.]

Smart Goals Guide, (2014). Why Goal Setting Is Important [online]. Available here. [Accessed January 27, 2016.]

SMART Fitness Goals Help You Stick with It

When it comes to setting SMART goals, the term does not just refer to cleverness or intelligence.

In fact, SMART is an acronym that stands for the following (1):

• specific
• measurable
• attainable
• relevant
• time-bound

Collectively, these traits define a SMART goal, whereas other goals do not sufficiently meet these criteria.

According to a 2010 overview on goal setting and action planning for behavioral change, SMART goals are necessary because they help individuals focus their desires and intentions and create a standard by which success can be measured (1).

Additionally, SMART goals should be intrinsically motivating, based on both approach and mastery outcomes, and appropriately challenging.

Consider the following goal:

I will perform resistance training 3 times per week for the next 8 weeks.

This goal fits neatly into the SMART paradigm and gives you a distinct set of criteria that you have a great deal of control over.

This allows you to be the driver of whether you achieve the goal, as opposed to outside forces beyond your control that influence your outcome.

Lets break down each SMART criteria in more detail.

Specific

Specificity is a must when it comes to setting SMART goals. Specific goals have a numerical value by which you can determine your success or failure.

Consider the previous example of performing resistance training 3 times per week for the next 8 weeks. This is so specific that it leaves no room for interpretation. At the end of a week, you either did or did not perform the workouts as planned.

Compare this with a goal such as exercise more.

This goal essentially means anything and nothing at the same time. If you just do a few minutes of walking, youre technically exercising more but unlikely to see any results.

Given the lack of specificity, its much harder to gauge whether youre meeting your goal criteria, and if you arent, what you need to change to make it happen.

Goal specificity should remove any ambiguity regarding whether you hit your goals.

Measurable

In line with being specific, the goals must also be measurable to allow you to gauge whether youre meeting them.

For example, losing 10 pounds in 12 weeks is a measurable goal that you can track.

However, simply saying I want to lose weight is too vague.

You may lose a pound and see no physical change and end up being disappointed even though you technically lost weight.

With the rise of fitness trackers that allow you to measure your vital functions and athletic performance, setting measurable goals for almost every aspect of fitness has never been easier.

If you cannot put a number on it, its not measurable and leaves too much room for interpretation as to whether you met your goal.

Attainable

The third SMART criteria you must consider is whether the goal is attainable.

While theres nothing wrong with major, long-term fitness goals, most fitness programs should focus on what you can achieve within several weeks to months, as opposed to a monumental target that will take a decade to achieve.

An attainable goal will always be relative to your current fitness level.

If you only need another 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of weight on the bar before hitting a 1x bodyweight barbell squat, then a month or two of training is a realistic time frame.

On the other hand, if you have not exercised in years, performing a 1x bodyweight back squat will probably take a few years.

Instead, consider adjusting your goals based on where you are now.

Perhaps going with perform 10 full-depth goblet squats with a 25-pound (11.3-kg) kettlebell within 3 months would be more attainable for your level.

However, attainable goals should still push you significantly toward becoming stronger and healthier. Setting attainable goals is as much an art as it is a science.

You must ensure your goals are not so hard as to guarantee failure, yet not so easy that you do not get any real satisfaction or benefit upon reaching them.

Relevant

Relevant goals are those that pertain to you and are tailored toward your life, health, and fitness needs.

For example, if youre dealing with hypertension and prediabetes, focusing on a specific weekly aerobic exercise goal is more relevant than trying to reach a 30-inch (76.2-cm) vertical jump.

On the other hand, if youre trying to make the varsity basketball team, focusing on your vertical jump height could be more appropriate than setting a weekly goal for aerobic exercise.

Your goal should be relevant to both your health needs and overall interests.

Time-bound

The final component of SMART goals is that they are time-bound. This means theres a specific time period within which you plan to achieve your goal.

Although theres no hard-and-fast rule on how long your time frame should be, most SMART goals should aim to take 13 months to achieve.

Of course, the period of time you select for your SMART goals will influence how attainable they are, but the main point is that you do not leave the time frame so open-ended that you never start or never finish your original goal.

Using the weight loss example, a goal to lose 10 pounds (4.5 kg) in 3 months gives you a motivating window within which attaining your goal is reasonable. Yet, it keeps you accountable for both starting and finishing your goal in the time frame you set for yourself.

If you just said, lose 10 pounds, you set yourself up for disappointment if by week 6 you have not yet lost the 10 pounds despite this being unrealistic.

On the flip side, if you have no sense of urgency or due date for your goals, its far too easy to just start on Monday and continue procrastinating.

Without putting a time-bound window on the date for achieving your goal, youre set up for failure.

Summary

SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. This framework gives you the most individual control over whether you reach your goals.

Tracking is key when it comes to implementing SMART goals. Any SMART goal will, by definition, be trackable.

Nevertheless, if you fail to track your SMART goal progress, youre losing out on what makes the SMART goal system so effective at getting results.

Everyone has different tracking preferences. The following are just a few methods that can help you stay on top of your progress.

Pen and paper journaling

Write down the date, time, stats, and any subjective comments from every workout or training session.

For a bonus, track how you feel on rest days, too.

Writing and tracking in the journal is best performed daily to make it a habit.

Fitness tracking apps and devices

Fitness tracking apps paired with monitoring devices are an excellent tool for monitoring your workouts and vital signs.

These trackers are especially effective at helping you reach aerobic exercise goals, as you can see your heart rate, time spent exercising, and distance covered, among other similar statistics.

This makes tracking progress incredibly straightforward.

Summary

Track your SMART goal progress through journaling and fitness apps.

Holding yourself accountable is the necessary ingredient for turning SMART goals into reality.

Fortunately, a well-constructed SMART goal automatically lends itself to accountability, as you can measure and track your progress against your time frame.

Theres no secret to this. However, daily checklists and partner accountability are two quick tips that may help you stay accountable toward your SMART goals.

Daily checklist

Setting a daily checklist with your goals for the day is a good way to keep accountable without being overwhelmed.

Ahead of time, prepare your daily tasks that will further your SMART goal progress, then check them off the list as you go.

Partner accountability

If you have a partner, spouse, friend, or workout buddy who you trust, you can share your goals with them and see whether they can assist you with accountability.

Whether that means giving you a ride to the gym or just shooting you a text asking if you finished your daily workout, a little friendly accountability from another human goes a long way toward improving your focus.

Summary

Having daily checklists and accountability partners may help you stick to your SMART goals.

Staying fit and healthy is a never-ending journey.

Whether youre just getting into exercise or looking to break new territory in your established fitness routine, SMART goals are an absolute must.

Throughout your fitness journey, youll set a new SMART goal, reach it, reassess it, and then set your next goal.

Over time, this process results in massive transformations in whatever direction you aim.

Nevertheless, its key that each SMART goal is the right size to keep you motivated and satisfied as you progress towards your longer-term ambitions.

If you set and adhere to SMART fitness goals, youll see much greater and more consistent improvement than if youd aimlessly try one fitness program after another without clear direction.

Now that you understand what a SMART goal is, take some time to reflect on where you are in your fitness journey and where you want to be in 3 weeks, 3 months, and 3 years. From there, set your first 13-month SMART goal and get to it!