Question

Sarah has been struggling with trying to lose weight for many years. She is not happy with her current weight, and wants to make some changes. She has decided that she will try to exercise more to help her lose weight. However, Sarah is not familiar with SMART goal setting, and has not applied any of the criteria to her goal. Based on the SMART goal setting (Please see below), what changes need to be made to Sarah's goal to increase her chances of being successful? State these recommendations/changes in your post by giving details and examples of how to develop the goal further.

What does S.M.A.R.T stand for?

S = Specific: First of all, your goal should be well defined and clear to anyone.
It gives answer to questions like: What? Who? When? Where? Which?

M = Measurable: To know if your goal is measurable, ask yourself questions such as: How many? How much? How will I determine when it is reached?

A = Attainable: Ask yourself if your goal is realistic. Be reasonable and make sure your goal is something you can actually accomplish.

R = Relevant: Ensure that your goal is something that is really important to you.

T = Time-bound: Choose a time frame tied to the goal-setting process to accomplish your goal.

Answer 1

1.Specific:

Here we address

What exactly does Sarah wants to do? Lose weight.

How can she do it ? dietary modification and workout schedule.

Why is it important? She needs to lose weight for her prom's night.

2.Measurment.

Well, we dont want Sarah to just work without calibrating her progress or no progress.

This step is especially important as it sets the bar where the person wants to get. This keeps the individul motivated and geared until the decided spot is not reached. It will also ensure she works in that particular timeframe to get to her destination.

So. In Sarah's case it can be weighing 10 pounds less than her current weight.

Or may be getting to dress size 10 from her current dress size of 14.

Attainable/Achievable:

Sarah needs to look in as is her goal realistic? While answering this question she needs to consider the current status of the resources available (time/finance/ availability of gym/ health conditions which are making weight loss a struggle).

This step will allow Sarah to zone into the rationality of the goal. A higher target is out of question to meet. and to keep a person motivated to keep pace, he/ she needs to taste success. so setting a target which is challenging enough should keep the person motivated.

So here Sarah should consider the feasibility of the plan of action and resources as well as check with the rationality of the goal.

Relevant

This step questions into how significant this goal is to Sarah. Example: Sarah needs to check if this entire exercise of weight loss is worth her time and effort? Does she have the time and the resources needed for executing this plan? There should be a positive revert on each front to work this out.

Time bound: Implies we set a time frame for the achievement of the goal. One wont be following the regime for a lifetime.

SO chopping down the Macro plan into feasible micro plans. This step is about time management and allocation.

Here she needs to decide when can she workout? How many times of the week can she work out? When can she shop for her greens which are essential for her diet? Also what she needs to do on daily basis to get to her goal of losing 10 punds in 3 months.(ex.).