Think SMART, Train SMART

Living inside each and every one of us is a slightly more toned, honed and tweaked version. Let’s call it Self: Version 2.0. This other Self is the Tyler Durden to your Edward Norton; just a little leaner, a little hotter and a teeny bit SMART-er.

But, how do we unravel the outer layer of your Self to reveal turbo-you?

Well, there is an answer to this question, in one word: Motivation. The M-word is bandied about as a sort of magic answer. “You just need to be motivated…” – as if this word suddenly changes your ability to formulate, stick to and succeed at an effective training program. The truth is that motivation without direction is just a waste of energy… So, let’s deal with how to hone your motivation into a guided missile that will get right to the target.

Being SMART:

SMART is a simple acronym that can be helpful in guiding you towards your goals, here’s what it stands for…

S – Specific. So, we may all want to lose a little weight, build some strength and look better. But, does that desire ever help you to reach the end game? No. Instead, be Specific… “I want to lose 20 pounds” or “I want to squat 300 pounds” are much more specific and useful aims that will help to guide your motivation.

M – Measurable. This one is linked to the previous, but just clarifies that this needs to be something that you or your personal trainer needs to be able to measure the goal in real terms in order that you maintain your drive and enthusiasm. You can measure weight, body fat, strength and you can gauge cardiovascular gains in terms of time, distance or speed. Anything more complicated or vague than this will become useless as a gauge of your results.

A – Achievable. It is unlikely that you are going to become a bodybuilder overnight or that you will sprint like Usain Bolt. There is no harm in aiming high, but it needs to be achievable in a suitable time frame in order to maintain high levels of motivation. So if you need to lose lots of weight, aim to do it in chunks. Start small and keep building. So, I recommend that losing a stone is achievable in a useful time frame, whereas losing 10 stone is something you should break down.

R – Realistic. This is similar again, however, keeping things realistic is a very important part of maintaining energy levels. You can’t grow taller, change your bone structure or magically become toned, honed and fit over night. Be cautious with your goals and they will be realistic and once you have achieved what you want you can move on to the next target!

T – Timed. Keep it specific in terms of time…”I want to lose a stone in 8 weeks” is a perfect goal as you can measure your success and also use the time factor to keep you motivated on a daily basis… Perhaps consider giving yourself a treat at week 8 before you take a few days off and set the next target…

I hope this has been useful for you. I have seen people’s motivations transformed into real action using this simple process, because it is very difficult to reach a destination when you don’t really know what or where it is….

Good Luck!