{"id":2887,"date":"2017-05-01T11:00:37","date_gmt":"2017-05-01T15:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sst.training\/blog\/?p=2887"},"modified":"2017-05-09T14:59:12","modified_gmt":"2017-05-09T18:59:12","slug":"smart-goal-setting-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sst.training\/blog\/blog-post\/smart-goal-setting-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"‘SMART’ Goal Setting – Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Goal setting is one of the most important skills\u00a0an 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. <\/strong>But how do you set a goal?<\/p>\n

Setting SMART goals is a great place to start:<\/p>\n

S- Specific<\/strong><\/p>\n

A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. It is hard to achieve a goal such as \u2018get faster at running\u2019 or \u201ceat better\u201d. It should be very clear what your goal is, such as \u201crun 5km in 25min\u201d or \u201ceat 120g of protein per day\u201d. Knowing EXACTLY what it is you want to accomplish will give you better direction in achieving it.<\/p>\n

To make sure you goal is specific try answering these six questions when setting a goal:<\/p>\n

o\u00a0\u00a0 Who \u2013 is involved<\/p>\n

o\u00a0\u00a0 What \u2013 do you want to accomplish<\/p>\n

o\u00a0\u00a0 When \u2013 establish a time frame<\/p>\n

o\u00a0\u00a0 Where- a location<\/p>\n

o\u00a0\u00a0 Which \u2013 what are your requirement and constraints<\/p>\n

o\u00a0\u00a0 Why – Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal<\/p>\n

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M- Measurable\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as: How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?<\/p>\n

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A- Attainable<\/strong><\/p>\n

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!<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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R- Realistic<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective which you are both\u00a0willing<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0able<\/em>\u00a0to work towards. Make a \u2018to do\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n

You need choose things that you will ACTUALLY do (even on the days you don\u2019t want to) in order to reach your goal.<\/p>\n

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T- Timely<\/strong><\/p>\n

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? \u00a0\u201cSoon\u201d 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!<\/p>\n

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Here are a couple other tips that can help you set your goals and stick to them!<\/p>\n