If you have ever set a fitness goal and quietly forgotten about it three weeks later, this guide is for you! By the end of this blog, you’ll learn exactly how to set SMART fitness goals that move you and your fitness journey forward.
Every fitness journey is unique, and there’s a whole world of advice available at your fingertips on the internet, social media, and from family and friends. One person might tell you to lift heavier. Another says focus on increasing the number of steps per day. Social media promises fast transformations. A new diet is trending. A viral exercise suddenly comes on the scene. With so many different ways and means of exercising, it can all feel extremely overwhelming.
However you train with us, whether that be in our physical women’s only gym in London or through the Body by Ciara female only fitness app, in this blog we will break down what a fitness journey is, what SMART goals are in simple terms, and guide you step by step through setting achievable goals so you can flourish here with us at Body by Ciara.
To understand SMART goals and how they can be used to benefit your fitness journey, we must first define what a fitness journey is.
A fitness journey is the ongoing process of improving your strength, health and confidence in a way that fits your real life. It’s not about twelve week sprints, or short term quick fixes. A true fitness plan is about a long term commitment to feeling better in your own body.
For one woman, a fitness journey might start with walking into a women only gym for the first time, feeling nervous but determined. For another, it might mean returning after a break, rebuilding strength and trust in her body. For someone using a female only fitness app, it could look like training at home between work and family commitments while staying connected to a supportive community.
Every journey looks different. What connects them is intention. And that’s where SMART goals come in.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time bound. Instead of saying “I want to get fit”, you define exactly what that means for you.
Specific
Specific means clear. Rather than “I want to tone up”, you might say I want to increase my lower body strength.
Measurable
Measurable means trackable. As an example, you could measure this by increasing your squat weight or completing three lower body sessions a week.
Achievable
Achievable means realistic for your current stage of your fitness journey.
Here at Body by Ciara, our team of amazing instructors with decades of collective experience in fitness and personal training are happy to advise on what goals might be achievable for your fitness journey.
Relevant
Relevant means aligned with your lifestyle and priorities.What exercises are most relevant to achieving your specific goal?
Time bound
Time bound means setting a clear timeframe for your goal.
Inside a women’s only gym in London like Body by Ciara, our trainers help you turn vague ideas into structured plans. Through our female only fitness app, you can also follow guided programmes that help you progress towards fulfilling your SMART goal.
Start by asking yourself what truly matters to you. Is it strength? Energy? Confidence? Fat loss? Performance?
By working out in a women only gym, you are in a uniquely tailored environment designed to remove distraction, worry and comparison. Our gym space instead allows you to focus inward.
If your goal is to feel confident lifting weights on the gym floor, your SMART goal might be to complete a structured strength programme for eight weeks.
If you are training through our female only fitness app, your goal might be to complete three guided workouts per week for twelve weeks to build consistency around a busy schedule.
When setting a SMART fitness goal, the detail matters because by clarifying the goal, you are setting yourself up for success. When your goal reflects your unique circumstances (schedule, ability, and focus), you are less likely to become demoralised.
With your goal defined, the next step is building structure around it.
Consistency beats intensity. Research consistently shows that moderate regular training produces better long term results than short bursts of extreme effort.
If your goal is strength, training three times a week at our women’s only gym in London may be ideal. If your goal is building routine, committing to three structured sessions per week on our female only fitness app in the comfort of your own home can create momentum without overwhelm.
At Body by Ciara, our women only gyms and our female only fitness app programmes are designed to remove guesswork from your fitness journey. You’re not left wondering what to do next. Instead, the structure is there, allowing you to focus on doing your very best in every workout.
A common trap many face when starting on their fitness journey is tying their progress to scales or mirrors as a vanity metric. When determining if you are making progress to your SMART goal, you also need to consider your performance, energy and confidence.
- Are you lifting heavier in your gym in London sessions?
- Are you completing more reps with control?Do you feel more energised during the week?
- Are you showing up consistently at your women only gym or on your app workouts?
Measuring your progress on a regular basis keeps motivation grounded in evidence, not emotion. SMART goals allow you to review, adjust and move forward with purpose rather than guesswork.
For example a plateau in the weight you are lifting in barbell squats might indicate the need to adjust your training, nutrition, or SMART goal timeframe. Rather than becoming demoralised at the metric itself, instead consider what this is telling you, as it might signal that there are other factors to consider. You could increase the frequency of your training, identify what foods might benefit progress towards your SMART goal, or completely revisiting your SMART goal to determine if it was achievable within the time frame you had set yourself.
Here at Body by Ciara, when you train in women only gyms that prioritise coaching and community, feedback and progression are built into your experience.
This guide to setting SMART fitness goals exists to simplify a part of the fitness journey that often feels overwhelming. Setting SMART fitness goals is incredibly important at any stage of training, as it turns vague ambition into clear direction. It gives your workouts structure. It gives your time purpose. It gives your effort meaning.
Your fitness journey matters because it shapes how you feel in your body, how you carry yourself and how you show up in your life. Whether you are searching for “women only gym near me”, training in a women’s only gym in London, or looking for flexibility through a female only fitness app, having clear goals transforms your experience.
If you are ready to train with clarity and confidence, start your fitness journey with us here at Body by Ciara. Download the Body by Ciara female only fitness app today, and join a community built to help women grow stronger together!
Sign up for Body by Ciara here and choose the option that fits your lifestyle!
Whether you are looking to participate in our in person workouts at our women’s only gym in London, or workout remotely with our female only fitness app you can use anywhere, Body by Ciara gives you access to it all.
Join the squad. Train with purpose. Build strength that lasts!
Want to learn more about Body by Ciara? Speak to our team by using the form below, and we’ll get back to you.