Blog Every Day in July: Day 24, Health and Fitness Goals

As promised, I am going to take the time and spell out my short and long term health and fitness goals.  When I was an RA, we had to do this training module about setting SMART goals.  SMART stood for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.  Basically it means that in order to have successful goals, you have to make sure they are specific, realistic, and that you have a timeline for completing them.  This is maybe one of the only modules that stuck with me after being an RA, and I still use this model of goal-setting when I set my personal goals.  This time is no different.  So here they are, health and fitness goals for my fall semester of my senior year of college.

1.) Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
Short term: Since I currently only get 2-3 servings a day at this point, I am going to say that by the end of July I should be getting at least four servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
Extension: By the middle of August (the 25th) I should be getting at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
Long term: By the end of September and onwards, I should be getting at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day more than half of which are vegetables

2.) Work on eating six times a day, with three main meal times and three healthy snacks.
Short term: By the end of the first week of August I should be eating three meals a day with three snacks, and incorporating carbs mainly during meal times and having either protein dense snacks or fruits/veggies as snacks.
Extension: By the end of August I should be eating three meals a day each consisting of 1-2 servings of vegetables, protein, and a carbohydrate while also eating three snacks between meals consisting mainly of protein dense foods or fruits/veggies.
Long term: By the end of September I should be eating three meals a day each consisting of 1-2 servings of vegetables, lean protein, and a complex carbohydrate while also eating three snacks between meals consisting mainly of protein dense foods or fruits/veggies.

3.) Drink lots of water.
Short term: By the end of the first week of August I should be drinking at least six 8 oz glasses of water a day, accompanied by no more than two 8 oz beverages that are not water (coffee or tea).
Long term: By the end of the third week of August I should be drinking at least eight 8 oz glasses of water a day, limiting myself to no more than one non-water beverage (coffee or tea) and eliminating all soft drinks or juices.

4.) Get into the habit of meal planning.
Short term: By the end of August, have a list ready by every Friday night for grocery shopping, including meal foods and snacks for the upcoming week.
Long term: By the end of September, have time set aside every Friday morning to plan out meals and snacks for each day of the upcoming week and writing up a grocery list for the weekend.

5.) Cut back on eating out.
Short term: By the middle of August, cut down the number of times eating out to four times a week (WHICH IS STILL A LOT) and make sure that three out of those four times, health-conscious choices were made (meaning choose grilled over fried, vegetables over starch, and water over soft drinks).
Long term: By the end of September, cut down the number of times eating out to twice a week, including both fast food or eat-in restaurants.  Wawa is not an exception.  Neither is Saxbys.

6.) Get used to counting calories.
Short term: By the end of August, be tracking the number of servings of each food group (fruits/veggies, protein, carbs, dairy, etc.) eaten daily.
Long Term: By the end of September, be tracking the calories consumed each day as well as physical activity done.

7.) Work out more often.
Since I'm actually more available to work out during the summer, my long term goal is to be going to the gym or using a workout DVD at least four times a week by the end of September, and to have time scheduled out for working out.  I also need to find an accountabilibuddy by the middle (15th) of September.


I think this covers the basics.  A lot of the short term goals with extensions are habits that I would like to start forming before the semester begins.  I still haven't stepped on a scale out of fear, but I'm going to set a date for myself to step on the scale.  August 1st is when tracking my progress will begin.  Wish me luck!