Making S.M.A.R.T goals: Become a WARHAWK in 2020

Are you in a fitness slump? Embarrassed to be a getting lower PT test scores each year? Ready to make your health a priority but not sure how? This is the post for you.

The term SMART in regards to goal setting is an acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound. Air Force personnel are already extremely familiar with exercising the utmost self-control when it comes to many areas of life. This is especially true regarding
disciplined fitness regimes since military service requires being at the top of your fitness game. If you are active military or working towards becoming a member of the military, setting SMART fitness goals will help you take your fitness game to the next level.
Don’t forget to check out our post on gyms that offer military discounts, a good place to start your fitness journey.

Making SMART goals means your goals are specific. Make your goals as detailed as possible. Some examples of specific goals are exercise 5 times a week, do 5 pullups before the end of the year or even schedule specific exercises that you’ll complete on a regular interval. An example of a fitness goal that lacks specificity would be “run faster”. The reason that specific goals are helpful in goal setting is due to the fact that it will
be very apparent whether or not you are hitting your goals. There is no ambiguity in specific goals, making it harder to get out of hitting said goals.

SMART goals are measurable. This means goals that have tangible and identifiable metrics associated with accomplishing them. If you are effectively setting specific goals, it will be likely that these same goals are also measurable. The more specific your goals are, the easier it will be to measure.

SMART goals are achievable. This likely one of the most important elements of setting SMART goals and is the one that most individuals are most likely to struggle with. Air force soldiers are likely accustomed to setting lofty goals. While it is important to set goals that will challenge you and help you become an integral member of your military division and a reliable partner to have in the field, if we set our goals too high success can
become unlikely. One way to overcome this is to set both long-term and short-term goals. Short term goals are the foundation and building blocks for the more ambitions long term goals. Consider where you at currently with your health and exercise routine. If you aren’t currently working out, it would be difficult to achieve a goal of working out 5 times a week. It may be additionally helpful to incorporate a training plan into your goal setting.

Smart goals are relevant When setting relevant goals, you
should take into consideration how the goals that you set will help you reach your end goals. For example, if your ultimate goal is to join the para-rescue team strong swimming skills will be relevant.

Smart goals are time-bound. Time-bound will help you create and
stick to a schedule. When your goals are time-bound it will help you to determine if you are on track with both short term and long term deadlines. Time-bound goals will also work to constantly remind you of where you wanted to be and by when. Setting time-bound goals is likely one of
the easiest metrics to incorporate into your goal setting and can be added to current goals that you’ve already set by simply adding some sort of time restraint or end date for accomplishing the goal.

Now that we have a better idea of what SMART goals are and what it means to set SMART goals, let’s breakdown the actual process of setting SMART goals. First, consider is where your weaknesses are and what you want to end result to look like. Once you’ve identified both of these things, you’ll need to decide on your timeline. Now that you’ve established where you are currently at, where you want to be and when you want to accomplish
each of these things by, you are ready to start setting your SMART goals.

Setting goals and working towards being in your physical prime can seem daunting, but as you continually set and accomplish new goals each month, you’ll feel reinvigorated about what you are capable of.

Divide your goals in to short term and long term. Long term can be 5 or even 10 years out. Most people under estimate what they can achieve in 5 years so don’t be afraid to make these long term goals loft. Short term goals can be divided daily, weekly, monthly or any other measurable amount you think is appropriate. Many people over estimate the gains that can be made in the short term and become discouraged and give up- so keep these short term goals manageable. Consistency over time will get you to the end goal.

One of the biggest benefits of setting short-term goals is that you’ll have a
more immediate sense of gratification since you won’t have to work toward something for an entire year to feel that you’ve accomplished a goal that you set for yourself. Find a network of people that can work towards supporting you, create your game plan and get out there and crush your goals!