When people come into my practice or approach me at the rehab center, they often miss one big thing: a concrete goal.
They’ll ask what the best exercise for their issue is. How to get rid of a pain. How to lose weight. How to recover from an injury. But few arrive with a clear, specific goal.
And when I ask what their goal actually is, frustration often follows.
Don’t get me wrong — wanting to lose weight, be pain-free, or return to daily life is fine. But the moment you reach a goal like “be pain-free,” you’ve actually reached your destination. You pat yourself on the shoulder, say “job done,” and you’ll probably stop training. I’ve seen this over and over. I can usually predict who will drop off just by listening to how they describe their goal.
Think about it: you started exercising because you were in pain and your goal was to stop being in pain. Once that’s achieved, why continue? Unless you create another goal, your journey ends. Same with losing 20 kilograms — mission accomplished, old habits creep back, and the weight returns. You feel puzzled and frustrated, but the problem was never the effort: it was the goal itself. You aimed to achieve being pain-free or thin, not to stay pain-free or maintain a healthy weight. Different goals. Different outcomes.
I keep short-term, changing goals every year. After I ran a half-marathon this spring — my major training aim — I fell into a bit of a hole. I’d reached my target; my motivation evaporated. Then I set a new one: crack 42 kilometers and run a full marathon. After that, another goal will appear, because I also hold a long-term aim in my head: to run, lift, move freely, and be independent as I age. That long-term “why” is what keeps me moving. The short-term goals give direction and purpose; they keep motivation alive.
From a physio perspective, it’s way easier to work with someone who has a concrete goal. If a patient says, “I want to go skiing again,” or “I want to play football,” or “I want to get up from the floor without pain,” I can design a recovery plan that actually works. Not just because I know which exercises are appropriate, but because patients with specific goals are far more likely to follow the plan.
That’s why I’m intentional about exercise selection. To choose the right exercises I need a clear goal. Otherwise they could just ask Google for a random exercise sheet and wing it.
Sometimes it’s on us, the physios — we don’t always ask the right questions. But often it’s the patient who shows up without a concrete goal. If you don’t know what you want, how can anyone help you meaningfully?
Think of it like this: if you walk into a travel agency and say, “Take me somewhere,” you won’t get a helpful itinerary. I once did that and left with nothing — angry at the agent at first, then embarrassed. She only knew me for five minutes. Why would she guess where I should spend my time and money? It’s ridiculous to expect someone else to plan your trip without direction — the same applies to rehab.
🧪 Let’s Experiment
Your progress depends less on the exercises you do —
and more on the goal that guides them.
Thinking about a concrete goal is part of your progress. If you skip this first step, the rest won’t fall into place. Take a moment now to set the direction you actually want to go.
🎯 Try This:
Before your next appointment, choose one concrete goal you want your physio sessions to move you toward.
Ask yourself:
- What do I want to be able to do again?
- Why does it matter to me?
- How will I know I’ve reached it?
You can use the SMART framework to guide your thinking. You don’t need to check every box from the start—treat it as a helpful roadmap, not a rigid rulebook.
- S — Specific 🎯
Go beyond “get rid of pain.” What exactly do you want to do without pain? Lift your child? Get up from the floor? Walk 30 minutes? - M — Measurable 📏
Avoid vague outcomes. Choose something you can track: time, distance, reps, or a functional task like “carry groceries without discomfort.” - A — Achievable 💪
Be realistic. Ask your physio about your prognosis, what’s possible, and what you need to do to get there. - R — Relevant 🧭
Is this something you genuinely want — or something you think you should want? A goal that isn’t yours won’t last. - T — Time-bound ⏰
Set a deadline — and make it gentle. Try a 3-way-goal:
Minimum: the baseline win
Realistic: what you expect
Ideal: the dream outcome
This way, progress counts even if the ideal stays just out of reach.
🧠 Final Thought:
The clearer your goal, the clearer your path — and the easier it becomes to stay motivated long after the pain fades or the injury heals.
Keep it simple, stay curious, and keep learning—you’ve got this.
Take care,
Carina 🦊
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