Smart and realistic goals

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While you should definitely set goals if you want to lose weight, doing so is a more complicated undertaking than you might expect. Overly optimistic goals tend to increase the risk of failure, and avoiding any real challenge when setting your goals is more likely to lead to inertia. So what is the smart approach to setting goals? Consider the SMART strategy.*

Specific: Take a moment to define your goal and determine how you plan to reach it. Set a time by which you would like to reach your goal. Example: From now on, I would like to eat one piece of fruit every day.

Measurable: In order to know whether you've reached your goal, you’ll have to be able measure your progress. Example: If you want to jog for 30 minutes, take a stopwatch with you to keep track of your jogging time.

Attainable: Your goals should be reasonable and attainable. Do you really have enough time and everything else you might need to implement your plan? Example: You want to prepare a meal that matches your diet. Do you have the time and all the ingredients?

Realtistic: Set goals that you are able and prepared to reach. Example: Is it realistic to plan on spending two hours every day riding your bike, jogging or flying a kite when you're completely out of shape?

Trackable: Keep a record of your progress. For instance, by recording what you eat and your physical activities in a diary. This will allow you to keep track of your progress and help you stay motivated as you work towards your goal.

Given optimal conditions, the BodyCode programme will allow you to achieve weight reduction of 8 to 12 percent within 7 weeks. You will lose most of this weight in those otherwise uncooperative zones, namely, your stomach, hips, derriere, upper arms and thighs.

* The SMART strategy was developed by experts at the renowned Mayo Clinic in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The strategy is primarily oriented to men and women who would like to lose excess weight.