Short-Term Goals

After you have identified your long-term goals, divide them into short-term goals that cover perhaps 2 to 4 weeks. Some call these short-term goals objectives'the steps one takes to reach a goal. In the golfing example, one cannot make dramatic improvements in endurance in only 2 to 4 weeks. An intermediate long-term goal (reached in perhaps 3 months) can be to walk 9 holes at a comfortable pace. A short-term objective can be doing something toward that goal: Walk 2 times a day, for 10 minutes each time, at a moderate pace. You can further fine-tune this goal by using the information in the chapter on aerobics to determine the heart rate you should reach during your walks.

A person can achieve the goal of flexibility within a short-term period. The goal can read as follows: Achieve and maintain shoulder range of motion to within approximately 10 degrees of normal for all motions. Here is a less objective but still useful goal: Be able to point both arms toward the sky and touch the middle of the neck and back with each hand. Using methods described later, you can determine your baseline (starting level), for both shoulder flexibility and general endurance, and can then reevaluate each at an appropriate time. As you will see, the way you assess your baseline and response to exercise can range from very subjective to objective, depending on the type of feedback that is most helpful to you. Doing a baseline assessment will help you transition from the preparation stage to the third stage' action'during which an individual starts doing or modifies his or her behavior.

Regardless of your goals and method of measuring progress, there will be times when you do not make progress. You may reach a plateau or even have a small setback - especially as you get older and because of the intermittent nature of arthritis. People may joke about telling the weather by a specific joint, but it highlights the day-to-day variability that sometimes occurs with arthritis (as with some other diseases).

One young man told me he only has shoulder symptoms when it is damp outside. I have low back problems that sometimes flare up, causing pain in my thigh. During those times, I switch from jogging to walking and decrease the amount that I lift during my strength-training sessions. As the symptoms subside, I slowly progress back to jogging and increase my weights. My goals haven't changed, but my timeline for specific objectives sometimes needs to be adjusted. It is wise to listen to your body.