SMART goals…

Oct 3rd, my trainer and I came up with some goals for this month.
I hate goals. I have been told in work, in music, in fitness, in school, in everything I do, I need to set and reach goals. They have to be SMART goals:
Specific
Measurable (note the title of this blog)
Achievable
Reachable
Timely

I can set Specific, Measurable, Timely goals… but I doubt the achievability and reachability of any goal I set. I’m pretty sure the specific goal…to reach a certain weight, to lift a certain weight, to play a certain song on a certain instrument, to pass a class, to finish paperwork is possible, but NOT within the time limit. I believe that showing some change that can be measured is ridiculously easy, but having the measurement be CLOSER to the goal is a crap shoot. Why bother to set goals you have no hope of achieving? Why obsess on a time schedule that is impossible to keep? Why set yourself up for failure because your goal is dependent on the actions of something or someone outside your control?

So my goals, as set and approved by my trainer
1) Specific: lose weight, increase endurance and strength
2) Measurable: increments of 1 pound on weight loss, increments of 5 min on endurance, and increments of 5 pounds or 5 repetitions for strength
3) Achievable: given the nutrition parameters and the activities prescribed this is possible
4) Reachable: These are desirable to me. I know it would make me feel and look better
5) Timely: 1 pound/week, 5 min increase/week, 5-10 pounds and 10-15 repetitions increased over the month.

Here’s the situation: as we were pounding these out, it could be compared to Labor/Management relations in the NFL. She wanted me to go to losing 2 pounds a week, eating about 1300-1500 calories per day, doing cardio 5 times a week and weight training 3 times a week. I agreed on the 1300-1500 calories, and thought I could do the workout schedule, but 2 pounds/week? Not possible! I finagled her down to 1 pound/week. I wanted 2 pounds/month.

New Starting point 209.8 pounds, 30# on arm exercises at 15 reps, 40-50# on leg exercises at 15 reps, 20 min on bike on lvl 4

Oct 9 20 reps at same weights, and added treadmill for 15 min to bike at 20 min. This is good right? If you do that (see achievable) and eat about the same as when you were 209, weight should go DOWN. I’m up to 211. If ANYONE ELSE were to do this, they’d be down 2 pounds the 1st week and 5 pounds the 2nd week. WHY DOESN’T IT WORK FOR ME?!!! *Sobs*

I hate goals. About the only way I can do these goals at all is if I stop eating and live on water, and exercise 24/7.