S.M.A.R.T, the Key to Weight Loss
Many Americans today are overweight and obese. Since our country is getting larger and larger, the market for weight loss drugs and diets are also increasing. Many of you will spend thousands of dollars trying to find one that is right for you; however, in reality you are wasting your money in the long run.
Let me let you in on a little tip; weight loss will not just work by taking a drug or following a strict diet. All you need to lose weight successfully is a smart goal and a fitness tracker. S.M.A.R.T is actually an acronym. This will be your new best friend and your new motto when embarking on your fitness goal because it will help you with what you need to do. These goals are as follows:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
Now this means you should not just use the data you get from your little fitness apps on your smartphones either. You should track your calories burned, food intake, and hours slept to help customize your S.M.A.R.T goals. For most people, it is easier doing it by hand because they can hang up their progress, so they are always reminded of their goals. If you use your smartphone, there is a chance that you will forget what you are doing.
Before we get into how to make our goals, you should also know that starting small is the best thing to do for you and your body. When you are not used to being active and exercising it is best to start little and work your way up. This will help you build stamina to complete more rigorous tasks later on in your plan.
Specific
Now this is pretty self-explanatory. Instead of saying, “I plan on exercising more,” you should add how many calories you would like to burn. This can be daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly. A great specific goal would be “I plan on burning 500 calories a day.” Now you see what I did there? I added how much I would like to burn within a time frame.
Measurable
To measure your success, you can use a fitness app. This will help you keep track of all the calories you burn throughout the day, so you will be able to see when you surpass your goal.
Attainable
Now, many people have these great goals, but sometimes they are not always attainable. It is vital that all of your goals be attainable. Saying you will burn 2,000 calories a day may not be manageable, so you may want to bring that goal down. You can set attainable goals daily, weekly, and even monthly.
Relevant
Anything that is relevant to weight loss you should be doing. That means exercising. The more you exercise the more you lose weight! So make sure you are doing any and everything that is relevant to weight loss.
Time-bound
All this means is the time you are giving yourself. It can be a daily goal, a weekly goal, or a monthly goal. You can choose what fits you and your schedule. You can always change it up to be successful too. For once, time is on your side.
Now that you understand the importance of S.M.A.R.T goals, it is time to start setting your S.M.A.R.T goal. Remember it should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.