If you've never really worked out consistently, or you've been out of a fitness routine for a while, you can't expect to go from zero to 60 and run a marathon — or even a mile.
"All too often trainers hear people say things like, 'I want to lose 25 pounds for an event in six weeks,' or 'I don't exercise, but I want to get healthy and work out with you five days a week,'" Victoria Nolan, an NASM-certified personal trainer at Suite Time Fitness in Houston, told POPSUGAR. "It's much easier to stick to a new routine if you set small, manageable fitness goals with a larger end goal in mind. Seeing and tracking progress is a great motivator."