Setting and reaching your fitness goals

About 70% of U.S. adults don't get the recommended amount of overall physical activity. For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity.

In general, aim for about 30 minutes of aerobic activity most days of the week. This should be at a moderate level, such as a fast-paced walk. For even more benefits, aim for about 60 minutes of aerobic activity most days of the week. Aim to incorporate strength training exercises at least twice a week.

If you're not at that level of activity yet, keep it in mind as you think about your long-term goals. And keep in mind that any activity is better than none at all.

Activity trackers provide immediate feedback about your activity level. So, they can serve as a strong motivator to keep you moving. And they can help you track your progress over time.

Use these tips to integrate an activity tracker into your daily routine:

• Establish a baseline. When you first get your tracker, wear it throughout the day for about a week. Go about your routine activities at home or work. At the end of the week, add up the total number of steps for each day and divide that total by 7. This gives you an average number of steps to use as a baseline for setting your step goals.
• Set short-term step goals. Once you know how many steps you generally take on an average day, you can set some short-term activity goals. If you take 2,000 steps a day set a short-term goal of adding 1,000 steps a day for two weeks. You can add the steps all at once. Or break your walking into short chunks of time. When you meet a short-term goal, add a new one.
• Set long-term step goals. Think about your overall fitness and activity goals. Your short-term goals are the building blocks to these long-term goals. A long-term goal may be walking 10,000 steps a day, or about 5 miles (8 kilometers), several times a week as part of your new daily routine. Some studies suggest that walking 7,000 steps a day may be enough to prolong your life. Or your goal might be to walk briskly for 30 minutes, five days a week. You may also want to set a goal of walking faster as your fitness level improves.

• Track your progress. To see how you're doing, monitor your progress over time. Some trackers have a memory function to track steps on a weekly or monthly basis.

  If your tracker has that function, you can choose to use that feature. You can record your steps in a log of your own making, too. Or upload the information digitally to your computer or mobile device. Tracking your progress can help you see whether you're meeting your goals and when it may be time to set fresh goals.