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.
