S.M.A.R.T. Fitness Resolutions to score EXCELLENT on your 2020 PRT
By Noelle Fauver
With the New Year just days away many of us are thinking about resolutions. The following post will help you make goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-sensitive. S.M.A.R.T. Goal setting can help you score excellent on your next PRT.
What is a S.M.A.R.T. Resolution?
The term S.M.A.R.T. in regards to goal setting is an acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound. Navy personnel are already extremely familiar with exercising the utmost self-control when it comes to many areas of life. This is especially true regarding disciplined fitness regimes since military service often requires being at the top of your fitness
game. If you are active military or working towards becoming a member of the military, our guide on setting SMART fitness goals will help you take your fitness game to the next level. Don’t forget to research military gym discounts available that might help you to reach your goals.
When incorporating the S.M.A.R.T. method into your goal setting, you should make sure that your goals are specific – this means that you should try to be as detailed as possible when deciding on your goals. The reason that specific goals are helpful in goal setting is due to the fact that it will obvious whether or not you are hitting your goals. There is no ambiguity in specific goals, making it harder to get out of hitting said goals. Some examples of specific goals are exercise 3 times a week, run three 5k’s before the end of the year or even schedule specific exercises that you’ll complete on a regular interval. An example of a fitness goal that lacks specificity would be “exercise more.”
The more specific your goals are, the easier it will be to measure. Measurable goals are goals that have tangible and identifiable metrics associated with accomplishing them. If you are effectively
setting specific goals, it will be likely that these same goals are also measurable.
The Navy is known excellence and high expectations. Understanding how to make goals Achievable is likely one of the most important elements of setting SMART goals. It is also the one that most individuals are most likely to struggle with. While it is important to set goals that will challenge you and help you become an integral member of your military division and a reliable partner to have in the field, if we set our goals to high it can become unlikely that we will be able to realistically accomplish what we set out to do.
One way to overcome this is to set both long-term and short-term goals. Short term goals are building blocks to the more ambitious long term goals. Examples of achievable goals will vary depending on an individuals fitness journey and where they want to ultimately be. It’s important to consider where you at currently with your health and exercise routine. For example, if you aren’t currently working out, it would be difficult to achieve a goal of working out 5 times a week. A more achievable goal would be working on 3
times a week and work your way up to 5 workouts a week after a 3 to 6 months of sticking to your initial goal. It may be additionally helpful to incorporate a training plan into your goal setting.
Relevant is the fourth standard used when setting SMART goals. When setting relevant goals, you should take into consideration how the goals that you set will help you reach your end goals. For example, if your ultimate goal is to join the Navy Seals, then you would want your fitness goal to be more relevant to increasing your physical abilities in the water in addition to land.
Time-bound is the last acronym for setting SMART goals. This is another element of measurably. Time-bound will help you create and stick to a schedule. Time-bound goals will also work to constantly remind you of where you wanted to be and by when. When your goals are time-bound it will help you to determine if you are on track to accomplish said goals by the set dates. Setting time-bound goals is likely one of
the easiest metrics to incorporate into your goal setting and can be added to current goals that you’ve already set by simply adding some sort of time restraint or end date.
Setting S.M.A.R.T Resolutions
Now comes the actual process of setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. The first step that you should consider is where your weaknesses are and what you want to end result to look like. Once you’ve identified both of these things, you’ll need to decide on your timeline. Now that you’ve established where you are currently at, where you want to be and when you want to accomplish
each of these things by, you are ready to start setting your goals.
Start by setting a five year and a one year goal. Your five year goals should as ambitious. Think of all the things you could possibly want out of your physical health and set those as your five year goals. You will have an opportunity to reassess your five year goals every year and adjust accordingly. After setting your long term goals, it’s time to set your short term goals. Your one year goals should still feel mildly ambitious, but considerably more realistic. Set goals that you are confident you could accomplish at around 80-90% completion. That way you’ll have to push yourself to complete your goals at 100% but keeping your results with in reach.
Break these short term goals down further by setting weekly, bi-weekly or monthly goals. Pick a schedule that is most relevant for your personal circumstances. Your weekly, bi-weekly or monthly goals should be very achievable and should strictly adhere to each of the SMART criteria. Each month that you accomplish these short-term goals, you should increase the difficulty by 10-20% for the following month.
In addition to use the SMART methodology, you should also explore ways that you incorporate data into your goals. Incorporating data into your goals will help you to set increasingly measurable goals and will make it easier to identify whether or not you are on track and sticking to goals.
Setting goals and working towards being in your physical prime can seem daunting, but as you continually set and accomplish new goals each month, you’ll feel reinvigorated about what you are capable of. One of the biggest benefits of setting short-term goals is that you’ll have a more immediate sense of gratification since you won’t have to work toward something for an entire year to feel that you’ve accomplished a goal that you set for yourself. Find a network of people that can work towards supporting you. Create your game plan and get out there and crush your S.M.A.R.T. goals.
What are your New Years Resolutions? How can Navy-PRT.com help you reach those goals?
Noelle Fauver is a contributing editor for 365 Business Tips. She has a B.A. in Communication Studies from California State University, Northridge and experience in marketing, finance, and small business management. She volunteers on the board of the San Diego American Marketing Association as the Event Experience Chair to help local marketers in the area develop their professional repertoire and connect with other professionals. She loves curling up next to the fire with a good book on a rainy day with a bowl of homemade soup. But most of all, she loves writing great content.