December 2018 Fitness Newsletter: SMART Goals and Fitness Quick Tips

Hey Proozy Readers!

Here we are, the last month of 2018. 27 DAYS left in the year and in 18 DAYS (December 22nd), the amount of daylight will start to INCREASE. Hang in there! The leftovers are hopefully all gone (food safety reasons) and the next couple of weeks are going to be a challenge on the food intake side. Just remember that any effort you can put in right now rolling into the new year will be helpful in going after your goals.

It can be hard to not go off the rails once December hits and enjoying the holidays and family gatherings is what makes this season a special time of year.

Pretty soon, January 1st hits, and you may start conjuring up a New Year’s Resolution. Whether that goal is weight loss, muscle gain, activity, etc. you are best served to approach that resolution with a plan. This method applies to all aspects of life and can help bridge the gap between you and your goals.

Remember these tips when setting a goal. (SMART)

S.M.A.R.T Goals

Specific

Needs to be a goal that has a defined outcome. X amount of lbs. lost, workouts achieved, # of steps daily, etc.

Measurable

The progress towards said goal needs to have a quantifiable set of parameters or it will be difficult to chip away at and notice measurable progress. (lost first 5 lbs, added 20 lbs to Deadlift, got the 20th workout in, etc. Build that momentum through small victories.

Achievable

Is your goal realistic or too far-fetched? Can it be broken down into realistic segments to work on in order to achieve? Set the goal and work backward to map out the amount of work that needs to be done in segments to see if it is realistic or if you are setting yourself up for failure.

Relevant

Make sure your goal is relevant to the outcome that you TRULY want to see. If you aren’t that concerned/invested in the outcome, then the amount of effort is usually on par with the results. I try to get people to focus on the small victories over time as opposed to being disappointed in the fact that they haven’t achieved their final goal yet. Every monumental achievement has taken enormous amounts of time, planning, even slip-ups, and setbacks, etc. 

Time-sensitive

The goal should have a date and a schedule to hit the small goals to get to that goal. This way you can segment progress markers and predict (roughly) where you will end up by your goal date.

Proozy lunch-time fitness crew getting some work in.

Fitness Quick Tips

Just a quick review of the fitness tips that went out last month that will be extremely helpful in maintaining some healthy habits.

-Try to get 10,000 Steps in a day
-Track intake and activity with My Fitness Pal
-Eat a balanced diet and appropriate portions
-Get in the gym 2-3 times a week.