What are your smart goals for this next year? Healthy seniors like to stretch themselves by stating out loud what they intend to do. At our house, we like to go around the Christmas dinner table and share with friends and family our goals for the New Year. When I make an intention public, it becomes real, not just a “wouldn’t-it-be-nice.”
It’s time to set a new Stretch-plus-SMART goal for seniors. The best goals are new and original, and specific. Even if it’s the same five pounds you need to lose, think about how you can state that as a goal in some creative way that doesn’t bore you.
First off, write down your stretch goal. Your stretch goal should be something you dream of being able to achieve, but don’t really know if you could do it. If you need a reminder of what S.M.A.R.T. goals are, they are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and stated within a time frame.
Here’s an example of my friend Jan’s stretch health goal and how we made it into a Stretch-plus-SMART goal plan.
At first, Jan came up with this: Acquire an almost daily cardio exercise routine.
- You can see how this missed the SMART goal criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time bound.)
- She revised it as a stretch goal to: I want to complete a half-marathon walk in a year.
- Then, Jan created an action plan, based on the SMART criteria.
Stretch-plus-SMART Goal Action Plan
SMART Goal: Within six months, I will have completed 30-minute walks six days out of every week. Within nine months, I will walk 60 minutes six days a week. At the end of 12 months, I’ll walk a half marathon of 13 miles.
Specific: To start, the first week I will walk 10-20 minutes at a slow pace for three out of seven days. Each successive week, I will add one or two minutes, walk faster, and add one day a week until I am up to six days a week and I can do a half mile in under 30 minutes.
Measurable: I will use my Fitbit tracker to measure days, time, steps, miles, and minutes.
Achievable: Based on previous experiences, I know I can achieve this. I will use a walking buddy to help ensure motivation.
Realistic: Because of getting support through my friends, and having had a recent medical checkup, I know I can realistically do this. I believe I can do more, but want to accomplish this first before raising my level.
Time-Bound: Yes, I’m giving myself a year by breaking it up to weekly, monthly, and six-to-nine-month time frames to build a consistent record.
You can use this same goal action plan for any type of goal. If you want to lose weight, you will probably want several action plans, one for food, one for exercise, and one for stress, emotional factors, enjoyment, and play― whatever is an obstacle for you.
Just remember to keep it simple, seniors. You don’t want to complicate things and make fitness a burden. Remember, a bird doesn’t build a nest with one twig. Here’s to a new year, and a new you!
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