Did you know that 90% of the ladies who succeed at reaching their fitness goals and living a healthy lifestyle have one major factor in common? They set goals for themselves. The most successful of them achieve and maintain the desired effects they want for their body and lifestyle through SMART goals. This type of goal can go a long way in making your workouts effective, constant and motivational.

So what is a SMART goal? SMART is an acronym as well as an adjective. Webster's dictionary equates this word with intelligent, sharp and clever.  So how do you begin to set goals that are SMART? Use the acronym to set up your goals as follows:

S = Specific : If you set your sights on something specific you are more apt to stick with it. Instead of saying, "I want to lose weight", be more specific.  For example, "I want to lose 10lbs and  8% body fat." By making specific goals we give ourselves the ability to measure the end result and also give ourselves a tunnel to look down rather then a wide open plain where we wander aimlessly.

M = Measurable : Making your goals measurable enables you to measure your success as time goes on. Going back to our original specific goal, we can measure the ten pounds and 8% body fat that we are going to lose. Now don't think that making goals measurable means you should step on a scale everyday or measure yourself every week. Set predetermined points at which you'll measure your progress.

A = Attainable : Goals that are attainable are ones that YOU can reach. Not your next door neighbor, not the girl in the magazine ... but you.  Setting goals that are unattainable just leads to discouragement.

R = Realistic : Making your goals attainable goes hand in hand with making them realistic.  Most of us will never be supermodels so stop chasing after the desire to look like the airbrushed photo on the cover of Cosmo.  Consider the fact that genes play a big role in the way we look.  

T = Timebound : Time is a very important factor in the goal setting equation. Apply a realistic, attainable timeline to reach your goals. It's realistic and safe to lose 1-2lbs per week and 2-4% body fat per month. Losing more is unhealthy and will result in losing muscle tissue.

A very Specific, Measurable, Attainable and Realistic goal with a specific Timeline is the way to go. Have you thought about what your SMART goals are?