Goal setting is one of the most important skills an athlete can have, in order to help them achieve optimal performance. The goal-setting process helps athletes understand where they are currently and also where they want to go. But how do you set a goal?
Setting SMART goals is a great place to start:
S- Specific
A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. It is hard to achieve a goal such as ‘get faster at running’ or “eat better”. It should be very clear what your goal is, such as “run 5km in 25min” or “eat 120g of protein per day”. Knowing EXACTLY what it is you want to accomplish will give you better direction in achieving it.
To make sure you goal is specific try answering these six questions when setting a goal:
o Who – is involved
o What – do you want to accomplish
o When – establish a time frame
o Where- a location
o Which – what are your requirement and constraints
o Why – Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal
M- Measurable
Establish some criteria for measuring your progress. When you measure progress, you are more likely to stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the satisfaction of progressing towards your goal.
If you start with a 5km run that takes 35 minutes and 1 month later it takes 30 minutes you know you are making progress. If you have not made progress or very little that is okay too because it allows you to make adjustments in your training.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as: How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?
A- Attainable
Setting an attainable goal can be tricky. If you set a goal to low and it is easy to accomplish it does not push past your limits. However, if you set goals too high you may never accomplish them.Goals should be within the realm of physics and plausibility for you but should also make you pee you pants just a little bit!
For me running faster is challenging but if I said I want to qualify for the Olympics for running (while that would be amazing!) is completely unrealistic for me. You want you goals to push you past your comfort zones and what you currently think you are capable of but not push you into a place that you are not able to succeed.
R- Realistic
To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective which you are both willing and able to work towards. Make a ‘to do’ list of sorts that will act as stepping stones towards your goal. To use my running example: run 30-minutes 3 times a week, do 2 interval runs per week, etc.
Consider your job, family, social life and make sure you choose steps that are realistic within your lifestyle. If I were to say I would get up at 6am 4 days a week to run I would be flat out lying (I am not a morning person).
You need choose things that you will ACTUALLY do (even on the days you don’t want to) in order to reach your goal.
T- Timely
A goal should have an end-date. A goal with no time frame is one with no sense of urgency. If I want to run 5km in 25 minutes when do I want to accomplish that by? “Soon” does not work. Be specific and give your self a date, this will unconsciously set you in motion to begin working towards your goal, help you prioritize and hold yourself accountable for your training!
Here are a couple other tips that can help you set your goals and stick to them!
- Tell EVERYONE you know about your goal. The more people you tell the more you will be accountable for that goal
- Write them down
- Write them in a positive terms, i.e.. “I will run 5km in 25 minutes or less by June 30th 2017”
- Write down goal in as much detail as possible
- Post your goal somewhere you can see it daily
Now, go set your goals and get to work! The results are SO worth it!!
Check back for part 2 of this blog where we discuss the three type of goals you can set; Outcome, Performance and Process goals.
If you need help setting your goals contact SST Mississauga to set up a personal goal setting session!