Fitness Goals: Getting the Best from the SMART Framework

How many times have you started a new year absolutely fired up with a New Year's Resolution and brand new fitness goals, ready to take the next 365 days by storm? Unfortunately, many people struggle to remain consistent in following these goals. Out of frustration, they forsake these goals completely, blaming their lack of motivation, discipline, and dedication. However, the problem may not be any of these at all. The goals themselves may be “faulty” from the start. Figuring out this fault may be the solution to making fitness goals that are both inspiring and reachable.

Fitness Goals

Fitness goals are the plans, aspirations, and vision you have for yourself regarding your fitness. Goal setting is not a new concept in physical activity by any means. These techniques have been found effective in assisting individuals in initiating and maintaining healthy behavior for many years. (1)

Physical fitness is essential for preventing various health conditions such as cancer, musculoskeletal problems, and cerebrovascular conditions, as well as increasing body fitness. Therefore, people with metabolic disorders, like obesity or dyslipidemia, will benefit a lot from physical fitness. Fitness goals are critical to achieving the desired fitness levels. (2)

Depending on the timeline of assessment, these goals can be divided into short- and long-term goals.

Short-Term Fitness Goals

These are goals that are achievable in a short period. There is no consensus definition of what constitutes a “short period,” but it is typically less than six months. For example, a fitness goal of walking 10,000 steps a day is short-term, and results can be measured at the end of each day. These goals are important for seeing immediate progress and reaping the small wins of training.

Long-Term Fitness Goals

These fitness goals take more than six months to be achieved. An example is losing 150 pounds of weight. For some long-term goals, the timeline may not even be defined. A classic example is a goal of running a 5K or deciding to quit smoking or drinking. In contrast to short-term goals, long-term goals do not prioritize seeing immediate or obvious progress.

Setting SMART Fitness Goals

For many individuals, their fitness goals revolve around physical activity. The CDC recommends at least 150 minutes weekly of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise, plus two days of muscle-strengthening activity. Comparing these recommendations with statistical data, it is apparent that many people fall short of their fitness goals, with as many as 25% of all adults not being active enough.

So, many have these goals. The problem is struggling to achieve them. While the general belief is that failing to achieve these goals is due to a lack of effort, commitment, and persistence, the problem can be much deeper, with the goals themselves.

This is why the concept of SMART goals has gained a lot of traction and prominence in the fitness and health world. (3) SMART goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Specific

The goals you set must not be vague, obscure, or shrouded in ambiguity. Quite simply, be as clear and straightforward as possible.

For instance, do not say you want to walk more steps in a day. Say you want to walk 10,000 steps a day. Do not say you want to work out more in a year. Say you will work out four times a week instead of twice, even going as far as mapping out a roster of the days of the week you’d want to work out and the exercise type.

Measurable

It is essential to set goals that can be measured or tracked.

For example, increasing physical activity can be tracked by the number of steps you take a day or the time you spend working out. The number of calories you burn is a little more difficult to track, but still possible with many calorie calculators that measure activity, accounting for your basal metabolic rate (BMR).

Achievable

This is perhaps the reason most goals fall apart. You want your goals to be challenging, yes, but not so much that they are unachievable. Ideally, you want to push yourself to the limits, but just that.

An example is a goal of losing 30 pounds in a month. To even come close to achieving this, you will need to push your body way past its limits and put your health at significant risk.

Relevant

The fitness goals you set must be relevant to your individual health, lifestyle, and fitness needs. In other words, your goals must be individual-specific. Do not just adopt goals you see online or hear from others without considering how useful they will be for you.

Consider this illustration. An obese individual is trying to lose weight, and they have adopted a 100% strength training regimen. While strength training can help lose weight, a cardio-based regimen will be much more relevant to achieving their need.

Time-Bound

Fitness goals should have a timeframe attached to them for accountability purposes. There should be a deadline of some sort. While some long-term goals may not have a clearly defined time component, you should still have an idea of how long you intend for it to take.

For instance, if you plan on running a 5K, you may not know exactly when you intend to do so, but you should have a rough idea of when you intend to run the race, say nine months.

Finding Your Fitness Goals

Your fitness goals have to be specific and relevant to you. Since these goals are just a means to an end, with the end being your fitness needs, you need to first figure out what your fitness needs are.

For most individuals, their fitness needs hovers around their weight. That is, they are either trying to lose or gain weight. In cases like this, you will need to maintain a calorie deficit or surplus, respectively.

There are others with goals that are geared towards cardiovascular benefits, and designing a proper diet plan plus good cardio exercise will be essential.

If you need more information about finding your goals, do not hesitate to contact your healthcare provider.

In some individuals, there are underlying conditions that can impact their fitness needs and, by extension, their fitness goals. One such condition is Adrenal Fatigue, and it is essential to factor this into your fitness goals and needs.

Managing Fitness Goals and Adrenal Fatigue

Adrenal Fatigue is a condition where the body is unable to keep up with long-term stress, resulting in various nonspecific symptoms such as tiredness, sleep disturbances, and weight gain. This results when the adrenal glands, which are responsible for producing cortisol and other stress hormones, are fatigued from chronic stress.

The body has a system for managing stress known as the NeuroEndo Metabolic (NEM) Stress Response, which is comprised of six circuits that span several body organs. When there is lasting chronic stress on one or more of these circuits, they may dysregulate, and if this stress persists, Adrenal Fatigue may result.

For people with physical and metabolic stress-related conditions, the dysregulated circuit is the Bioenergetics circuit. Fitness practices and goals can help to restore health. However, if the underlying condition behind these disorders – Adrenal Fatigue – is not addressed, increasing physical activity can actually worsen conditions. This is because strenuous exercise is a stressor on the body, and the body requires more cortisol to manage it, a problem when your cortisol is already low.

Tips for Setting Fitness Goals with Adrenal Fatigue

Here are some tips that are relevant for finding and setting your fitness goals if you have Adrenal Fatigue:

• Ensure your fitness goals adequately account for your body’s limits. If you are in the latter stages of Adrenal Fatigue, you need to take even more care so as not to add more stress to the adrenal glands. Do not overdo it. If you feel tired after working out, that means you overdid it.
• Consider practices that will reduce stress in the body, including yoga, meditation, mindful breathing, and other relaxation practices.
• Consider dietary and lifestyle changes, like quitting smoking and limiting drinking. Supplements can also help support the body and achieve fitness goals more easily and effectively.

For a perfect mix of experience and expertise, you can contact Dr Lam. We can advise you on the most relevant fitness goals for your body's needs and arrive at a plan that will both be safe and effective.

Steps or Duration of Activity: Which Is Better for Assessing Fitness Goals?

When setting fitness goals, it is important to ensure they comply with the SMART concept. One of the pillars of the SMART concept is that the goals are measurable. This then leads to further questions, like how different goals can be measured. With a fitness goal of increasing moderate physical activity, for example, the debate typically is between step counts and duration of activity.

According to a study, step counts and physical activity show similar effectiveness in monitoring physical activity (4). However, they have different advantages and disadvantages, and choosing the right one for assessing your activity depends on the type of activity. For instance, if you intend to swim, the duration of the activity will be the only practical approach.

For running and walking, common activities where both time of activity and steps can be used, counting steps may be more reflective of calories expended. This is because many people spend time without actually exercising, such as waiting for a street light to change, which may give a false measure of the duration of physical activity. Still, most health organizations recommend physical activity in terms of duration, so a hybrid system that combines both methods may be beneficial.

Conclusion

Setting and managing fitness goals is essential for achieving optimal health and well-being. Using the SMART framework, you can create effective, personalized objectives that motivate you. It's important to consider factors such as health conditions and adrenal fatigue to ensure a balanced approach to fitness, however.

If you're looking for expert guidance on your fitness journey, Dr. Lam Coaching offers tailored strategies to help you reach your goals sustainably. Don't hesitate to reach out and take the first step towards a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle today! Give us a call at +1 (626) 571-1234 to learn more.