Setting Personal Goals: Track & Fitness Fun

When you want to get better at something, just saying 'I want to be better' isn't very helpful. A better way is to set SMART goals. It's an acronym that helps you create clear, powerful goals you can actually reach.Specific: What exactly do you want to achieve?Measurable: How will you know when you've reached it? (Think numbers!)Achievable: Is this goal realistic for you right now?Relevant: Why is this goal important to you?Time-bound: When will you achieve this goal by?Using SMART goals turns a vague wish into an actual action plan!

Sam wants to get faster in the 50-meter dash. His current best time is 8.5 seconds.A vague goal: 'I want to run faster.'A SMART goal:S: I want to improve my 50-meter dash time.M: I want to lower my time from 8.5 seconds to 8.2 seconds.A: A 0.3-second improvement is challenging but possible with practice.R: Getting faster will help me feel more confident in P.E. class.T: I will achieve this by the end of this 6-week unit.Sam's Final Goal: 'I will lower my 50-meter dash time to 8.2 seconds in the next 6 weeks by practicing my starts twice a week.'

Jenna is working on her soccer skills and wants to get better at juggling a soccer ball. She can currently do about 5 juggles in a row before the ball drops.A vague goal: 'I want to be good at juggling.'A SMART goal:S: I want to increase the number of times I can juggle a soccer ball consecutively.M: I want to be able to do 20 juggles in a row without the ball dropping.A: Going from 5 to 20 is a big jump, but possible over a month with daily practice.R: This will improve my ball control for soccer games.T: I will reach my goal in 4 weeks.Jenna's Final Goal: 'I will be able to juggle a soccer ball 20 times in a row within 4 weeks by practicing for 10 minutes every day.'