Getting into shape for the new year is one of the many goals people make after the Christmas holidays. Tabula Rasa, which means blank slate, relates to January: a new semester, new classes and new classmates, pretty much new everything. Also, exam time probably tired you out or left you skimping on sleep and the occasional workout at the gym. Between studying, writing and memorizing in first semester, make 2016 Tabula Rasa and implement these strategies to teach focus, accountability and fire up some motivational energy.

And remember you may be one of those people who love to push past pain thresholds at the gym, or you may be the opposite, but listed are some pointers that everyone on the spectrum of fitness can learn from.

SMART goal setting

We're taught this acronym in school, but it applies to everything. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely/tangible. Even though short term fixes last only a short time, think short-term measures instead. These shortterm measures add up and can provide benefits. Plus, they lead into long-term learned behaviours.

While going to bed earlier at night and waking up an hour earlier in the morning may not be something you can do right off the bat, it is a learned trait through repetition. Waking up at 7 a.m. a couple of times a week, progresses to waking up at seven three times and then goes up from there.

Drinking more water throughout the day, making your own meals, fitting in a power walk and taking the stairs are examples of small measures that seem irrelevant, but add up throughout each week, each month and so on.

But getting back to SMART goal setting, according to writer Grace Derocha on A Healthier Michigan's website, there are a few specific strategies to incorporate into 2016 to help you start the year off on a fit note.

Specific

Use who, what, where, when, which and why as part of your fitness outline.

Who is involved? Are you planning on training by yourself or with a group or a buddy? Doing an aerobics class or joining a spin class is encouraging and breaks the monotony of doing everything on your own.

Jenna Circelli, a Fanshawe Fitness and Health Promotion graduate in 2011 and a personal trainer and fitness instructor at L.A. Fitness in Kitchener said, “It's important to find people who like to do the same thing as you, [whether] it's a fitness class or playing squash.”

What do you want to accomplish? Are you trying to get in shape? Drop a few pounds? Run a marathon? Or just get to the gym two to three times a week?

Where will you be training? At a gym? Going outdoors for a run? At a pool or squash court? At the hockey rink?

When (identify a time frame). How long are you planning on taking to get into shape? Are you training for an event? When will this event take place?

Which (identify requirements and constraints). Do you have children? Are you in school fulltime? When are your classes?

Why (list the benefits and positive factors when you reach this goal). Here is where a reward system is helpful and fun. I like to buy a new pair of jeans or a new shirt when I've committed to making fitness a part of that particular season. Or maybe buy an item from Lululemon or Under Armour. A new sporting bag might just be the motivation you need to keep you in good spirits and keep all your stuff together.

Measurable

Use measurements as a way to keep motivated and on the right track. Are your pants feeling snug? Are you building lean muscle and losing fat? This is where apps can be a great benefit to download. Think myfitnesspal. com or dailymile.com as ways to track food you are eating, as well as the minutes you are exercising or the miles and kilometers achieved while training. No need to run marathons, power walking on your break or joining a yoga class count as exercise too.

If you are more athletic and looking to take your fitness up a notch, according to Tech Times Magazine writer Nicole Arce, “For the serious fitness enthusiast who takes his/her fitness beyond the smartphone, the FitBit and Jawbone UP are two of the best smartband fitness trackers that monitor more than just eating habits and exercise routines.”

Attainable

“When you identify the goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways to make them come true,” said Derocha. “You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.”

Keeping that in mind, consider your financial situation and how long you are planning to be in school. Being a student limits how much money you can spend on a new bike or hiring a personal trainer to help you get in shape. However, if you plan on purchasing a trainer to help you, try to minimize costs elsewhere. Intention comes into play here and hiring a trainer could be a beneficial step.

Danielle Hamilton, supervisor of health and wellness at the Centre Branch YMCA in London, said that the biggest element of getting into shape in the new year is “being intentional about what you are going to do. Intention is with anything; exercise or any habit that you are hoping to form.”

According to Hamilton exercise almost always gets pushed off for something more important. But she said if clients book times in advance with themselves, it's an appointment; and therefore, adherence to the exercise appointment is almost doubled.

“One of the biggest things that I do with clients, even when they are not training with me, is that they have to work out at a certain time on certain days because then they are accountable for those days. It becomes a routine.”

Exercise helps tremendously with school, Hamilton said. It reduces stress, gives a person energy to go about their day and is one of the biggest stress reducer out there. In addition, it makes a person more focused to go about doing work.

“Another good tip is [working out in small amounts]. Especially if you know you have a big block of studying or something to do, do the exercise in the middle of it,” Hamilton said. “It breaks it up and it also makes you more focused when you come back into it.”

Circelli said to write a list of why you want to get into shape in the first place. On days that you are too tired, it is a gentle reminder about forming lifestyle habits. Not doing something for a couple of months, but attempting to change your lifestyle.

You can attain any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them.

Building goals and reaching them builds self-confidence. “You see yourself worthy of these goal and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them,” Derocha said.

Realistic

A goal should be realistic and you should be the one who determines how ambitious the goal should be. Derocha wrote in her article that every goal should have substantial progress. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simple because they were a labour completed with love.

“Finding something you like to do and more importantly, starting off slowly,” Circelli said. “So it might just mean doing something for 20 minutes, or breaking it down even smaller, like five or 10 minutes, multiple times during the day.”

What can make fitness resolutions stick, said Hamilton, “is being creative in the kitchen and making food ahead of time to put in glass dishes or Tupperware. This saves money and the urge to reach for fast food.”

“On a day off cook a big batch of something,” Hamilton said. “So if you have a slow-cooker, make a big chili or if you like soup, make that. That way you have it in your fridge, ready to go.”

Circelli, said that a 50-pound weight loss needs to be realistic. You want to set yourself up so you don't fail.

And think about working out at home when possible. Circelli said whether it's just going up and down steps while listening to music or cleaning your house vigorously, they both count as some sort of heavy exercise.

Timely/tangible

You need to have a concrete vision for your goal. Not applying a deadline to a goal, as with anything, gives “no sense of urgency”, Derocha said.

Remember, forming a routine when it comes to fitness is not something that happens overnight; it's a series of steps, sometimes small or big that lead to a destination. You will find the process enjoyable, if not frustrating at times, but you are increasing your health and longevity.

Overall, your goals will be met, a new hobby will be formed and maybe you will try your hand at taking your fitness and exercise to another level, such as a competition or race. What was once dreadful or antagonizing, is now something that you set aside for yourself.