Be SMART with your resolutions

Happy New Year to everyone and what a perfect time to start afresh, with renewed enthusiasm and positive feelings. How many of you have been soaking up the fantastic summer weather, lazing around at the beach, or just daydreaming and making resolutions for 2018 like kicking that smoking habit, losing those extra kilos, or improving your health and fitness?

How many of you make these resolutions — with good intentions — and then as soon as life gets back to normal, your resolutions are put back on the shelf? Sadly this is where they stay until 2019 when you dust them off and try again.

Why not try something different this year? Choose one goal, just one focus, just one. Now let's focus on achieving that one thing until you have it nailed. It's good to have a list, but let's not try and smash them all out in the first month. Instead let's take one and make a start for January.

Feeling better already, like suddenly there is a hint of success in the air? Great, so what's the goal? What's the one thing you really want to make happen?

The next step is to work out a plan to keep you on track and achieve this ONE goal. Here's some help. Start with the SMART acronym. Be Specific with your goal. How will you Measure whether you are heading in the right direction? Is your goal Achievable and Realistic? Lastly have you Timed it, that's working out when will you have reached your goal?

So get writing, be specific with how you will achieve your goal and by what date you will be celebrating. If it's a short term goal, say three months, then get to it, achieve it, reward yourself, build on that success and make another one. By making just one resolution at a time and writing it down, you are half way there. I have every faith that you will achieve it. Let me know how you get on, and if you need any help with your plan then it would be great to hear from you.
Have a happy and fun New Year.

Angela Hewson is director of Her Fitness and a qualified personal trainer.