Plan your lifestyle changes to succeed.

Setting goals and following them is one of the surest ways to succeed. The most effective goals are SMART:

Specific. A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six "W" questions:
Who: Who is involved?
What: What do I want to accomplish?
Where: Identify a location.
When: Establish a time frame.
Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
Measurable. Establish concrete criteria for measuring your progress. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask yourself......How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?

Attainable. Find out if you are capable of reaching the goal. Make sure you have the ability, skill, health and discipline to achieve your goal.

Realistic. Decide if you really will use your ability, skill and discipline to achieve your goal. Do the required behaviors fit or conflict with the other priorities in your life?

Attainable and realistic can often be confusing. So let me give you an example. You decide your goal will be to go to a gym three mornings a week from 7-8:30. If you have the physical ability and the gym membership, this goal is attainable. However if one of your top priorities is having breakfast with your family, the time conflict may make this goal unrealistic.

Timed. A goal that is tied to a time frame creates a sense of urgency and promotes personal accountability.

Some well constructed SMART goals sound like:
• Add two weight-bearing exercises to my fitness routine this week.
• Replace my Monday-Friday fast food lunch with a large salad dressed in balsamic vinegar for the next four weeks.
• Barbeque or broil - but not fry - all meat until the end of the month.