By Martha Funnell, MS, RN, CDE

If you have ever been in or watched a race on TV, you have heard those familiar words: “Get ready. Get set. Go!”

When it comes to diabetes, you not only need to get ready and get set, but you also need to get smart—and get SMART before you go.

No, that’s not a mistake. It says to get “smart” twice. Why do you need to get smart twice? Well, the first get smart refers to learning all you can about diabetes and how to care for it. It also means being smart about yourself by figuring out what will work best in your life for managing diabetes. In other words, learn about diabetes and learn about yourself, so that you can make smart choices as you go through each day.

But there is another way to get smart, as well. In this case, “SMART” is an acronym for setting goals for making changes in your life. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-specific goals.

If you are like most people with diabetes, you may have decided to make some changes in your eating, physical activity, sleep or other habits to help manage your diabetes. The first step is to make sure that you are ready to make these changes. Be sure that you have made up your mind that these are actions you want to do and believe you can do.

The second step is to get set to make changes. Do you need to talk with others about your plans, buy special food or shoes or even get up earlier to have the time you need?

Once you are ready and set, it's time to be twice as smart and make a SMART plan.

Losing weight and getting more exercise are good overall goals, but a SMART plan can help you figure out what to do today.

How to make a S*M*A*R*T plan

Let’s say your overall goal is to lose weight. You know that your problem time is in the evening: You always eat in front of the TV. In the past, you have tried to stop eating at night or have tried to choose healthier food, but you just couldn’t stick with it. This time, you make a SMART plan. Your SMART plan might be:

S Eat popcorn instead of chips or ice cream while watching TV.

M  I can do this for three nights, if I know that I can eat like my family the other four nights.

A   I will snack on popcorn three nights a week for the next two weeks, and then add more nights to my goal.

R This will help me begin to lose weight and not feel deprived.

T I will do this for three nights out of the next .

So if you want to make some changes in your life,

Get Ready…

Get Set….

Get Smart ….

Get SMART…

and Go for your goal.