A Smart Way to Reach Your Goals

Got goals? Make ‘em smart, says Dr. Mike Clark, Sharecare’s Chief Science Officer. He blogs regularly about health and fitness.

Whether your goal is to get fit, lose weight, reduce stress or simply sneak in a few more hours of healthful sleep each week, the key to success is making it Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely, Dr. Clark says. Saying “I want to lose some weight” is too vague to really get you moving, but saying “I want to lose 10 percent of my body weight to become eligible for the Dr. Oz Transformation Nation challenge”—that is SMART.

Specific: Setting a weight-loss goal like 10 percent gives you something specific to shoot for.

Measurable: Having a number goal—20 pounds to lose or reaching a healthy BMI of 27, for example—helps you measure how far you’ve come and how far you have to go.

Attainable: With almost two thirds of Americans overweight or obese, it’s likely that many people could stand to lose 10 percent of their weight!

Realistic: The Transformation Nation deadline for a final weigh-in is April 19, 2012. That gives you plenty of time to make a plan (check out Sharecare Fitness) for some great workouts and fitness advice and get moving.

Timely: Why not get healthier and lose NOW when you have the opportunity to try to win $1 million?! Now that’s really smart!

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