Are you looking to transform your body? Are you tired of going to the gym and wondering if you’re doing the right exercises to get the results you need? If so, then keep reading.

The human body is an amazing machine and is capable of equally amazing things. Unfortunately, most people lack the guidance to unlock their own full potential. With the SMART goals and proper instruction, you (yes you!) can reach your health and wellness goals.

Throughout this series, you’re going to learn what it takes to reach your goals in a healthy, maintainable way. So what’s all this goal talk? Don’t worry about that just yet. First let’s get your baselines.

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What are my weight loss plan baselines?

Your baselines are going to be your benchmarks for setting your goals. We will start with 2 types: Biometric baselines and Strength baselines.

The biometric baselines that we will be concerned with will be body weight and body fat percentage. Attaining your body weight is as simple as stepping on any balanced scale. Your body fat percentage may be a little more difficult. The easiest way may be to use a handheld scanner, which uses bioelectric impedance to measure your body fat. Most machines are relatively accurate and will provide a good figure for benchmarking. The second way for gathering body fat data would be to have your physician or qualified healthcare worker to use calipers to manually measure your body fat. Regardless of what you choose, having readings for your bodyweight and body fat percentage are critical to benchmarking your progress.

I heard my friends talking about BMI, what’s that?

BMI is short for Body Mass Index. It is a formula, constructed by insurance companies to predict the likelihood of obesity caused illness among populations. The formula uses a person’s mass and height to determine a person’s relative health. Originally, BMI was used primarily to view deviations in population health and was not meant to assess an individuals health. However, it was often used because of it’s simplicity. In fitness, this is not the most reliable benchmark, because it fails to take into account what a person’s body consists of in regards to percentage of muscle or percentage of fat.

So now you’ve got your biometric baselines. How will we measure our strength baselines? Let’s use the basics – pushups, over-head squats, and plank. We’re going to use these exercises for 2 main reasons – one is that they involve most major muscle groups, and two – they will challenge your body. To find these baselines, start with one exercise and accomplish as many repetitions as you can, with good form in one minute. Once your form breaks, that’s your baseline.

Now that you have all of your baselines, we can set SMART weight loss and workout goals. What’s a SMART goal? A SMART goal is:

– Specific- Don’t be ambiguous. You want to lose weight? How much weight?

– Measurable- We’ve got our baselines, now we can measure progress.

– Achievable- Let’s push our limits, but still set attainable goals. Realize you need to be committed!

– Realistic- Can this be done, under the best circumstances; What am I willing to sacrifice for my goal?

– Time-Bound- Give yourself a time limit, it makes you accountable.

Setting SMART goals will help you focus in on what you’re trying to achieve. When you have a clear goal; it’s easier to formulate a plan to get you to your final destination. These are the first steps to your leaner, healthier you challenge. Our time-bound goal is 30 days! Are you in? Check in with me when you get your baselines, either by commenting below or on Twitter and stay tuned for the next part of the series!