The art of goal setting is meant to plant an inspiring vision in our minds and make self-discipline seem like child play. Since one in three Canadians say that a lack of self-discipline prevents them from being more active, the art of goal setting seems an important one to master.

There are intellectual reasons for being active. Apart from the better known physical and mental health benefits of physical activity, new evidence indicates that being active also makes sense from an economic perspective. The Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute recently calculated that roughly $24 billion in Canadian health care costs could be saved if the 40 percent of Canadians who are now inactive became active. Intellectual reasons are not enough for adopting and maintaining an active lifestyle though. The heart needs to be in it too. That's where goal setting comes in handy.

Here are six steps for setting inspiring goals:

1. Determine what you want
   What do you want to enjoy or feel from physical activity? Relaxation? Closeness to nature? Companionship? Write it down. That's your goal. Now for the specifics: Which recreation activities could provide that?
   
   
2. Set realistic goals
   Setting the high-jump mark three metres high wouldn't ensure that you could jump that high. If anything, it would demotivate you before you even started! Similarly, you may need to disregard the stringent fitness advice that may be ideal for physiological reasons but with which you won't stay because it requires uncomfortable amounts of effort. Learn to reach more modest, achievable targets first.
   
   
3. Focus on the doing
   Choose process goals over product goals. In a process goal, you focus on doing physical activity. In a product goal, you focus on the performance, the end result. An example of a process goal would be: "Walking to work three times this week." Here, success depends on your involvement rather than your performance.
   
   
4. Give yourself a time limit
   If you don't find an activity very motivating at first, give yourself some short-term objectives. A weekly goal may give you many occasions to successfully reach a goal. This will build your motivation. If you find short-term goals intrusive, set longer-term goals (e.g., six weeks).
   
   
5. Make it convenient
   There is a wide range of activities available, some less structured, some more structured. Activities that require less equipment, less money and less commuting may be most convenient. Keep your activities close to home or office whenever you can — they will require less effort.
   
   
6. Make it regular, yet flexible
   To maintain regular physical activity, people with time constraints may prefer flexible scheduling to stringent scheduling. Select a few convenient times — during lunch, right after work — and do something at one of those times every day. Have a plan to replace your missed sessions.

The stronger your goal setting skills, the greater your "staying power" will be. Unlike athletes, who focus on winning, recreational enthusiasts have the opportunity to indulge in the playfulness of physical activity. Enjoyment provides a vision that convinces the heart, and goal setting keeps that in sight.