One of the most important steps you can take when developing your exercise regimen is to set SMART goals. SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and limited in time. They are a great way to create a foundation for a successful long-term exercise program. However, when it comes to the goal setting process, I have one additional suggestion. Begin with process goals instead of result goals. You’re probably most familiar with outcome goals, which focus on specific accomplishments. For example, “lose 10 pounds in the next 8 weeks” is an outcome goal. So is “running a 20-minute 5K road race at the end of the season.” Other examples of outcome goals include “reduce my body fat percentage by 10% in the next 6 months” and “reduce my LDL cholesterol by 20 points in the next year.”
Undoubtedly, the results objectives are very important. When written using the SMART criteria, they can give you a useful objective. However, in my experience, when people fail to reach their performance goals (which is common because many of us set unachievable goals), they become demoralized and abandon their exercise regimen. The goals of the process are more focused on the implementation of your exercise program. For example, a good process goal would be “exercise 4 times this week for at least 30 minutes per workout.” You have more control over achieving this goal and it will help you get into the habit of exercising. Some additional examples of effective process objectives include the following:
* Walk 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
* Find an exercise buddy in the next 3 weeks.
* Buy an exercise journal and record my workouts daily.
* Run a total of 15 miles a week for the next 4 weeks.
* Fix my old bike and ride it twice a week for the next two months.
* Ride a bike 40 miles a week for the next 4 weeks.
* Swim 3 days a week for 30 minutes each workout.
* Measure my daily caloric intake and record it in my exercise diary for 14 days.
* Complete a physical fitness assessment within the next 30 days.
Process goals like these provide a very effective means of starting a training program. I am not suggesting that you avoid outcome goals. They play an important role and can be very useful, especially for experienced athletes and competitive athletes. I am simply suggesting that you incorporate several process objectives as well.
