Goals

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Goals

This is a new page that I am working on. My Physical Therapist thought it would be a good idea to show people what realistic goals look like. I am still working on it so have patience with me and come back later when I have had a chance to look back at some of the goals that I set back in the beginning.

Walking:

When I first started my exercise program I couldn't walk across the room without being out of breath and having to sit down. I had almost lost all hope of ever getting back into any kind of shape. I had been working out regularly on my Bow Flex weight machine. But aerobic exercise is a key element for regaining a normal life.

I started out walking for five minutes at a time. I walked down the street in my neighborhood just to my next door neighbors house and back the first day. Each time I walked I would go one more house down and gradually increased my distance and time. One house at a time started to build up after a while and before I knew it I was walking my entire neighborhood. My walks reached a point of one mile and I accomplished that in about 40 minutes. While I was starting this gradual process, my PT gave me a couple of exercises to do. First I did a stretching exercise to loosen my hamstring muscles. I would also do deep knee bends. I started by doing one set of ten and have built up to three sets of ten since then. Another exercise my PT had me do was a tummy tuck. This was accomplished by contracting my stomach muscles upward pulling my tummy towards my chest as I exhaled, and then holding it there for a couple of seconds. I started with one set of ten and built up from there. Those exercises really helped me build a foundation from which to support my body better while I was walking. It made the walks less strenuous on my body because my back and stomach muscles helped support me better. It all starts with just one short trip to the neighbors and back. Anyone that can function as a biped can do it!

Swimming:

I started swimming because all of the walking was inflaming my knee. So I had to switch my aerobic exercise over to swimming. I go twice a week and in the beginning I started off with ten laps in the pool. I started adding one lap each time I went. I have now built that number up to 30 laps twice a week. That takes me an hour each time out and that is long enough to be in water. So until I can get my time under one hour I will continue to swim 30 laps at a time. However, when the time comes that I can reduce my swim time I will increase my laps so that I will continue to swim for an hour each time out.

Golf:

I started out just hitting balls at the driving range once a week and gradually built up to several times a week. Then, I started playing the par three course near my home once a week. I am now playing the front nine on the big course near my home and occasionally I play both courses in the same week. I am working toward playing eighteen holes on the big course by the middle of July, 2003. I want to be able to play in my family golf tournament that month.


	Welcome to Hughdini.com \| home Goals \| Activities \| Weight Training breakdown \| Walking details \| Swimming Details \| Exercise log \| Golf \| Daily Journal Excerpts Goals This is a new page that I am working on. My Physical Therapist thought it would be a good idea to show people what realistic goals look like. I am still working on it so have patience with me and come back later when I have had a chance to look back at some of the goals that I set back in the beginning. Walking: When I first started my exercise program I couldn't walk across the room without being out of breath and having to sit down. I had almost lost all hope of ever getting back into any kind of shape. I had been working out regularly on my Bow Flex weight machine. But aerobic exercise is a key element for regaining a normal life. I started out walking for five minutes at a time. I walked down the street in my neighborhood just to my next door neighbors house and back the first day. Each time I walked I would go one more house down and gradually increased my distance and time. One house at a time started to build up after a while and before I knew it I was walking my entire neighborhood. My walks reached a point of one mile and I accomplished that in about 40 minutes. While I was starting this gradual process, my PT gave me a couple of exercises to do. First I did a stretching exercise to loosen my hamstring muscles. I would also do deep knee bends. I started by doing one set of ten and have built up to three sets of ten since then. Another exercise my PT had me do was a tummy tuck. This was accomplished by contracting my stomach muscles upward pulling my tummy towards my chest as I exhaled, and then holding it there for a couple of seconds. I started with one set of ten and built up from there. Those exercises really helped me build a foundation from which to support my body better while I was walking. It made the walks less strenuous on my body because my back and stomach muscles helped support me better. It all starts with just one short trip to the neighbors and back. Anyone that can function as a biped can do it! Swimming: I started swimming because all of the walking was inflaming my knee. So I had to switch my aerobic exercise over to swimming. I go twice a week and in the beginning I started off with ten laps in the pool. I started adding one lap each time I went. I have now built that number up to 30 laps twice a week. That takes me an hour each time out and that is long enough to be in water. So until I can get my time under one hour I will continue to swim 30 laps at a time. However, when the time comes that I can reduce my swim time I will increase my laps so that I will continue to swim for an hour each time out. Golf: I started out just hitting balls at the driving range once a week and gradually built up to several times a week. Then, I started playing the par three course near my home once a week. I am now playing the front nine on the big course near my home and occasionally I play both courses in the same week. I am working toward playing eighteen holes on the big course by the middle of July, 2003. I want to be able to play in my family golf tournament that month.