Joshua Thompson presented a SMART goal to exercise at least 5 days per week for 8 weeks. He succeeded in weeks 1, 5 and 7 but failed in the other weeks due to lack of routine, family issues, and lack of workout partners. However, he established a weight lifting routine in week 6 and feels stronger and fitter. He plans to restart his goal with his new routine and lessons learned.

1. Wellness Choices
Presentation: SMART Goal
By Joshua Thompson

2. My Goal
 Specific: I want to exercise at least 5 days a week. I want to do
this so that I can be in great physical condition.
 Measurable: The difficult part will be staying motivated if I miss a
few days. To resolve this, each week will be a new start.
 Attainable: Planning my schedule to accommodate enough
exercise, eating and sleeping will be essential.
 Realistic: I know I can do this, because I did as an
undergraduate. Preparation of food and adequate sleep will help
me find the motivation that I will need.
 Timely: The more I succeed, the better my body will feel. I will
give myself reinforcing rewards when I succeed and after eight
weeks, I hope to have established a long-lasting habit.

3. Reinforcing Factors
 I have a passion for living health living which
includes exercise.
 My best friend, even though he lives States
away, is a great motivator when I need one.
 Weighing myself and using my appearance
became a motivation to workout more and
harder.
 Listening to Tony Robbins on the ‘’power of
momentum’’ and the ‘’power of questions’’
proved to be very inspiring.

4. Barriers That I Encountered
 Sometimes, there was no one present, when
I went to play soccer.
 Once I forgot my identification and was too
lazy to run home and get it.
 Once, the gym was closed.
 I had family problems which kept me from
succeeding week 2.
 I had a funeral to attend, which kept me from
succeeding week 3.

5. Results: Activities Performed per Week.
 Week 1: Lifting, Yoga, Lifting, Lifting, Jogging
 Week 2: Yoga, Lifting, Lifting
 Week 3: Yoga, Soccer, Lifting, Yoga
 Week 4: Soccer, Yoga, Yoga
 Week 5: Soccer, Soccer, Yoga, Yoga, Abdominals
 Week 6: Jogging, Yoga, Lifting, Lifting
 Week 7: Lifting, Yoga, Lifting, Yoga, Yoga, Lifting
 Week 8: Lifting, Lifting, Yoga, Lifting

6. Analysis:
 Success: weeks 1, 5, 7
 Failure: weeks 2, 3, 4, 6, 8
 Weeks 2 and 3 were failures because of
family issues.
 Week 4 was a failure because my friends
stopped playing soccer for two weeks, which
is something I overcame week 5 with the help
and motivation of my best friend.

7. Positive Results
 I did a lot of research the first 5 weeks. Week
6, I started an organized 3-day/week lifting
program. I have succeeded in maintaining
this program, and hope to build onto this
success.
 I have become much more flexible from my
yoga workouts, which has helped alleviate
chronic back and neck pain.
 I have started to gain some cardiovascular
conditioning from soccer.

8. Retrospective Thoughts
 Lacking a routine made it hard to continue this SMART goal.
Deciding on a weight lifting routine simplified this dilemma in
week 6.
 Recording my progress has definitely given me motivation to
continue this goal. Just being able to look back at how poorly I
did is motivating. I plan to restart this goal with my newfound
lifting routine and scheduled soccer/yoga sessions.
 I discovered that regularly communicating with my highly
motivated friend, who works out every day, proved to be an
unexpected strong reinforcing factor.
 I observed that I only worked out on two weekends. These two
weeks made up 2/3 of my success. Clearly, If I want to succeed,
I need to workout on weekends.

9. Conclusion: Failure or Success?
 Failure: I failed to achieve this SMART goal,
by not completing the minimum required
number of workouts per week, only
succeeding three weeks.
 Success: I succeeded in establishing a
weight-lifting routine and hopefully a workout
habit.
 Success: I feel much stronger and fitter than
when I started. I can now use what I learned
to improve my next eight weeks of training.

10. Personal Response
 I feel that even though I failed 5 out of 8
weeks, I have built a strong habit, and have
grown accustomed to my new environment. I
believe that when I record my progress over
the next 8 weeks, I will succeed more than 3
weeks, if not all. I am glad that I was
presented with this opportunity to record my
own actions, from which to study and hope to
build a strong commitment to fitness with the
new skills I have learned.