Living an active life is a journey, not a destination. Still, people can find it motivating and useful to set goals for themselves and what they hope to achieve. 

Goals can be short-term (like daily or weekly goals) or long-term (like monthly, yearly, or longer). It’s good to have a balance of both so that you can notice and celebrate short-term progress while also working towards longer-term goals. 

Examples of short-term exercise goals for seniors:

• Tomorrow, I will take a 15-minute class with Alicia. 
• This week, I will make sure that I find shoes that are comfortable for me to walk in. 
• This morning, I will brush my teeth while balancing on one leg.

Examples of long-term exercise goals for seniors:

• In six months, I will be able to walk 1 mile without pain. 
• By next summer, I will be strong enough to play catch with my grandkids. 
• In a year, I will have enough energy to sit and play the piano.

Your goals can come in many different forms, but there are three things to consider when you’re making them. For goals to actually work, they should be realistic, specific, and important to you.

What makes these three aspects of goal-setting so important? How can seniors set exercise goals and stick to them? Let’s take a look.

1. Goals should be realistic

Goals are meant to be motivating and empowering. It’s good to set a goal that challenges you, but by setting a goal that is too hard to achieve, you could be setting yourself up for failure. For example, if you have a difficult time walking for 10 minutes, it’s probably an unrealistic goal to want to be able to walk five miles in a month. Progress can happen, but it doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s important to give yourself something within reach to strive for. If you’re just starting out on your exercise journey, or recovering from an illness or injury, it can be hard to figure out what’s realistic for you. You can take a few weeks to see what your new normal is, and make goals from there. Or, you can speak with your health care team about realistic goals, and work on a plan together.

2. Goals should be specific

A useful goal is:

• Clear
• Well-defined
• Time-bound
• Measurable

People often fall into the trap of setting goals for themselves that aren’t actually specific enough to be actionable. For example, goals like “I want to improve my balance” are very vague. It’s not clear what that improved balance would look like, or when the goal has been achieved. A better, more specific goal would be something like, “In 6 months, I will be able to stand on one foot for 10 seconds without losing balance.” 

Some more examples:

Vague goal: I want to be more active. 

Specific goal: I want to do two Bold classes per week during the next month. 

Vague goal: I want to get stronger. 

Specific goal: I want to push my grandchild in their stroller by the time they visit me next summer. 

Vague goal: I want to get more flexible. 

Specific goal: I want to easily reach items on a taller shelf in six months’ time.

3. Goals should be important to you

When you’re considering a goal, always ask yourself, “what does this goal mean to me? Why do I want it and how much do I want it?” Having goals that are important to you is what makes them motivating.

For example, maybe you love gardening and what’s most important to you is being able to work in your garden five days a week without experiencing sharp pain in your knees when you bend down. That is a more meaningful and motivating goal for you than something like, “I want to be active for 30 minutes, five days a week because that is what my doctor says is good for me.” Think about what’s important to you in your life, like certain activities, staying independent, or spending time with loved ones. How can your goals help support those priorities?

When should I set goals for myself?

Goal setting is useful at any stage in your exercise journey, and any stage of life. If you’re new to exercise or coming back from a long break, it’s sometimes best to hold off on making goals until you have established what your baseline is. Make sure to check in on your goals frequently.

Most importantly, don’t forget to celebrate when you accomplish your goals, and don’t get caught up on any goals that you don’t quite meet—it’s all part of the journey.We're here to help you set and reach your goals. See you in class!