By: Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RD Date: 12/30/09

Many New Year’s resolutions come down to two things…eating healthy and getting fit. Teaching group fitness makes me a role model when it comes to staying active and fit…and being a registered dietitian makes me a role model when it comes to eating right.  Sometimes I don’t like being a role model because as many of us know…”the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”  Why is that? 

This year CAN be different.  A friend of mine just sent me something about setting goals I thought was excellent.  I had seen it before, but the reminder was spot on.  It was about setting S.M.A.R.T. goals.

Specific, significant, stretching

Measurable, meaningful, motivational

Attainable, achievable, action-oriented

Realistic, rewarding, results-oriented 

Timely, tangible, trackable

Internationally renowned business philosopher Jim Rohn says, “We want to set the goals that our heart conceives, that our mind believes and that our bodies will carry out.”   Writing down your goals will help set your course.  In my experience helping people lose weight and keep it off, tracking your progress is just as important, but the 2009 International Food Information Council Food & Health Survey indicates that very few people actually do it. Tracking your progress can help you stick with it when the going gets tough and you feel like giving up. You will “see and know” when you reach your target dates and/or interim goals, allowing you to revel in your achievements, keep motivated and stay the course.

If you have struggled with setting and achieving your goals in the past, that was then and this is 2010.  It WILL be different this year.

For more information on S.M.A.R.T. goals, click here.  I also found a great article on tracking your progress that suggests multiple and fresh ways to track progress toward any goal imaginable.