Disclaimer: The information in this article is general in nature and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health professional before starting any exercise programme or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Useful activity goals turn a result you care about into actions you can complete. These ten tips draw on current government guidance, expert consensus and physical activity research. They cover the full process, from choosing a goal to reviewing your progress.
1. Choose a goal that matters to you
Start with your own reason for being active. It might be joining a social game, walking further or preparing for a 5km event.
A joint expert consensus from Sports Medicine Australia and the Australian Psychological Society recommends personally chosen activities that support enjoyment. A meaningful reason is easier to use when making weekly choices.
2. Record your starting point
Measure what you can do now before setting the target. Record a normal week's sessions, minutes, distance or attendance.
Victoria's Better Health Channel advises people to check first so the goal matches their current ability. Your starting record also gives you something honest to compare later.
3. Make the result specific
Write one outcome another person could check. Get fitter is vague. Walk five kilometres without stopping by December is clear.
A 2024 review included 13 studies and 1,208 adults who were not active enough. Interventions using specific goals increased physical activity overall. The authors described this as initial evidence and called for research on more goal types.
4. Break it into weekly actions
An outcome describes where you want to go. Weekly actions describe what you will complete next.
For a 5km goal, an action might be three planned walks or runs each week. Set actions that fit your timetable and current capacity.
5. Start small and build gradually
The Australian Government's 2026 adult guidance says to start slowly and build up where possible. A smaller first step gives you a workable baseline.
Increase one part at a time, such as duration, frequency or difficulty. This makes it easier to see what changed if the plan stops fitting.
6. Schedule each session
Name the day, time and place for each action. A planning review of 41 trials found that action and coping plans improved physical activity overall. Results varied, so planning is useful support rather than a guarantee.
Walk after work leaves several decisions open. Walk for 20 minutes from the local park at 6 pm on Tuesday is ready to follow.
7. Prepare one practical back-up
Choose a back-up for the barrier most likely to interrupt your week. If rain stops your walk, name an indoor option. If work runs late, nominate another day.
The back-up should preserve the action where possible. It should not double every missed session onto tomorrow.
8. Track one useful measure
Record the measure that answers your goal. This may be sessions, minutes, distance, repetitions or attendance.
Keep the record simple enough to maintain. A diary, calendar tick or basic activity log can show whether the target and schedule still fit.
9. Review the record and seek feedback
A 2024 review covered 19 studies and 3,261 adults. Physical activity programmes with feedback performed better than programmes without it. The studies were varied and often brief, so the best feedback format remains uncertain.
ABC Everyday writer Jennifer Wong used her record during a 10,000-step challenge in Sydney's 2021 lockdown. She began from a daily average of 2,398 steps, recorded 5,792 on day one and none on Tuesday. On Wednesday, she used 20-minute blocks and reached 10,121 steps.
Her weekly record does not prove a method works for everyone. It shows how numbers can reveal that a target, schedule or approach needs changing.
10. Add the right support
Support works best when it solves a defined problem. A friend can meet at a set time. A coach can check technique or help adjust the plan.
If company or instruction would help, start with local groups. Ask organisers about timetables, costs, equipment and beginner sessions.
Set a first review date before you begin. At that review, keep what worked and change one weak part. Your next week then starts from evidence, not another guess.
