SMART Goals

By Bellevue Club Registered Dietitian Laurelee Misseghers

 

The beginning of a new year is a good time to take stock of how things went over the previous year, and to think of how you want the coming year to be different. For many people, these changes may include things such as “Improving my diet,” or “Losing weight.” And while these are worthwhile goals, they are too generic to be of much use. 

How will you know if you have met your goals? Instead, it is important to have SMART goals:

            S         =          Specific

            M        =          Measurable

            A         =          Attainable

            R         =          Relevant

            T         =          Time-bound

For example, if I want to improve my diet, how can I make this into a SMART goal? 

S          =          Specific                       I will eat more fruit.

            M        =          Measurable                 I will eat 4 fruits/day.

            A         =          Attainable                   Yes, this is something I can easily do if I      

                                                                        purchase my fruit on Sunday.

            R         =          Relevant                      Yes – it will improve my diet.

            T         =          Time-bound                I will eat 4 fruits for 5 days of the week.

Obviously, SMART goals can be used in all areas of life, and not just healthy lifestyle changes.  By turning a generalized goal into a SMART goal, it is easy to see to identify the steps you need to take, and to see if you have met your new goal or not.  For additional help in meeting the goals you have for the new year, the dietitians at the Bellevue Club would be happy to meet with you.