It's a new year and many of you probably already have your race schedules for 2011 planned. Is your goal to run a marathon or complete a triathlon or century ride? Do you have a time goal associated with your event or is your goal to qualify for Boston, Kona, upgrade your cycling race category or even bench press a certain amount?

Your goal might also be health-related. It could be to exercise five times a week and to get your blood pressure under control without medication. Or maybe it's to drop 10 percent of your body weight or to lower your cholesterol within the next six months.

No matter what your goal is, it is important to set smart goals, which are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. More importantly, you need to create a plan to reach a smart goal.

The first and most important thing will be to schedule your workouts. Many people find that exercising first thing in the morning ensures that they get their workout done. As a result, they also find their energy levels are higher throughout the day. Not a morning person? You still can be successful as long as your lunchtime or evening workout is a permanent fixture on your schedule and not prone to being skipped due to family and social commitments.

The biggest issue most people have meeting long term goals is losing sight of their goal. It is important to set mini goals within your goal and to have regular benchmarks or some other metric that show you are making progress toward your goal. For a running goal, that benchmark might be building up a long run to a specific distance while also reaching a specific pace for a shorter run. On the bike, it could mean increasing your cadence while riding up a hill or reaching or holding a specific wattage or pace during a time-trial.

Peter Drucker, the self-described social ecologist who is called the Father of Modern Management said, "What gets measured, gets managed." There are a number of online programs that allow you to track your workouts and even your diet if you are so inclined. A simple written journal works well too. You should track the date, time of day, workout and any times or splits. Most importantly you should track how you felt before and during the workout. When looking back at your workout log you might find that some of your best workout occurred on days you didn't think you'd have a very good workout. That can help you get started on days where you might not be motivated.

OK, my goal next year is to run a 3:45 marathon at the Colorado marathon in May and qualify for the Boston marathon. Post your Smart goals on 360 Wellness Solutions’ Facebook page and keep us up to date of how things are going. We’ll give you a shout out as well as words of encouragement and help keep you on your path toward meeting your goal.