Being SMART About Goal Setting

Registered Dietitian and SlimFast Nutritional Consultant, Maryann Walsh us takes us through the basics of creating and establishing SMART goals and how to stick to them. Keep reading to learn more!

The new year is well underway and hopefully you are still reeling with excitement and the hope that many of us feel as we embark upon a new year with new possibilities for achieving our best selves! If you have lost some of your motivational steam since the clock struck midnight on January 1st, then don’t be hard on yourself because you are not alone, research suggests that 23% quit their resolution by the end of the first week¹ and 43% quit by the end of January². Let’s face it, life can be stressful and exhausting, juggling family and work obligations can make it hard to prioritize those goals we were so excited about just a few weeks ago. But, have no fear, it’s time to reignite our goals and maybe even gain a little perspective shift when it comes to new years resolutions, let’s begin:

Imperfect Consistency over Inconsistent Perfection

Nobody’s perfect, not even those seemingly perfect people you see on social media. We all face obstacles in life that can derail us from our path that we set for ourselves to achieve a particular goal.  Some of these obstacles may be curveballs in our schedule like if a family member gets sick and we can’t make it to the gym that week, or it’s our child’s birthday party and we can’t resist a delicious piece of the birthday cake we bought from our favorite bakery. Our goals need to allow for life to happen, so we can be there for the ones we love and so we can enjoy the “sweeter” things in life like that yummy piece of cake as we celebrate someone we love. If we are so focused on perfection that we throw in the towel completely on our goals because of minor slip ups here and there, then we can often find ourselves back at square one again, feeling frustrated and defeated. However, if we allow for consistent imperfection then we can handle speed bumps on our journey to our goal and then get right back on our path to success.

One common scenario I have seen with individuals in my many years as a Registered Dietitian is that they want to drastically cut calories so that they can lose weight faster, when in reality, they often find themselves overly hungry and fatigued and unable to stick with their extreme calorie deficit. Whereas those who aim for a realistic calorie deficit that is manageable for them allows them to stick with their plan and lose weight at a slow and steady pace over time.

I have seen the same for exercise: many people feel like they need to go sign for up for strenuous workout classes and go 5 times a week in order to achieve better physical fitness, when in reality if they haven’t done any type of workout in years and they work a traditional 9-5 job, they may find themselves exhausted and unable to stick to that routine. Those who set a more realistic goal of perhaps trying one of those classes once a week and then aiming for 2-3 days where they go for a walk at lunchtime might find it easier to stick to their goal overtime. Slow and gradual results are much better than no results because you quit after a week! And, the best part is that as time goes on we can always set new goals so we can continue to grow and to challenge ourselves.