Thinking S.M.A.R.T for the new year

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - The new year is only a few days away, and a new year comes with new goals. Here’s a few goals among some local people:

“To save money so we can go on more trips.”

“Maybe exercise more, go walking.”

“I want to spend less money.”

“My new year’s resolution is probably to find more birds. I’m a big bird guy around here in the Mankato area and I’m always looking to find a new cool bird that can be spot around here on the wildlife.”

For many, sticking with new year’s resolutions can be challenging and hard to sustain. That’s why experts say to think S.M.A.R.T.: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-oriented.

Zach Erickson, wellness director for the Mankato YMCA shared information on exercise sustainability, “I always like to ask my clients, you know, ‘can you for see yourself sustain this a year from now?’ And if they say, ‘no,’ okay, that’s probably not sustainable. You should probably go another route. I likely will push them in a different direction.”

And if that new year’s goal slips away, experts say it’s never too late to start again - just alter the goal or pick a different way to achieve it.

“Just kind of controlling the variables that I can control and not dwell on the ones that I can’t,” said Erickson.

Happy New Year!

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