My 2013 goals, part 4 of 30.

Original photo by Rance Costa

Day 4 of Chalene's 30 Day PUSH is selecting a SMART health and fitness goal.

SMART stands for Smallest, Measurable, Achievable, Rewarding, and Time-sensitive.

Smallest:  Take your health goal and chop it up into a time frame of 2 to 4 week blocks.

Measurable:  An outsider should be able to evaluate whether or not you have achieved your goal, beyond simply taking your word for it.

Achievable:  Goals must push you, but they must be attainable, healthy, and aligned with your priorities.

Rewarding:  Identify any positive side effect of accomplishing this goal.  List all the benefits and rewards, no matter how small, associated with hitting your mark.

Time Sensitive:  Each goal should have a measurement and a time-specific deadline.  When you set a date to achieve your goal, you give yourself a deadline.  With a deadline, you become more focused.

OK, back on day 1 of all of this, there were things that I listed as my "intrinsic priorities". These things make me who I am.  I don't need to be held accountable in order to pursue them.  One of my intrinsic priorities is working out.  I LOVE working out.  So, health goals in that area are easily achieved.  Plus, I've done a LOT of different things like bicycle racing, triathlons, surfing, climbing, hiking, camping, etc.  I've done enough that I know what I like and what I don't.

On my list of 10 goals from day two, I originally put down surfing my SUP as one fitness goal and the P90X diet as another.  With surfing, I can challenge myself to surf in bigger/heavier surf.  With the P90X diet, I get a cleaner way of eating; maybe a better definition is a nutrition plan.

So, the SMART surfing plan for me is to surf at least one day, every weekend, for a whole month (weather permitting).  That way, I will be sure to get a variety of wave sizes and conditions.  In this way, I will become better at knowing which boards to bring and ride in all of those varying conditions.

The SMART P90X plan would be to follow the nutrition plan for four weeks straight, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and all of the snacks between. 

Like Chalene says in her PUSH book, goals are easier to track and follow if they are broken down into smaller chunks.  Or, to be cliché: the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.

Here's to bite-sized pieces of elephant!!