10 Realistic Fitness Goals, Recommended by Personal Trainers

Whether you're looking to maintain a consistent workout routine, improve your endurance, or build muscle, there's a goal for everyone on this list—no matter their fitness level.

With the first month of 2022 behind us, many may be losing steam when it comes to sticking to their New Year's resolutions. Why? Because people either set unrealistic goals that leave them discouraged or fail to hold themselves accountable through tracking their progress, Lindsay Ogden, a NASM-certified personal trainer at the health club chain Life Time, tells Health.

Therefore, the key to setting yourself up for fitness goal success is devising them with the SMART method in mind. This tried-and-true approach creates goals that are:

Specific: The goal is clear and defined. For example, "workout three times a week" rather than "exercise more."
Measurable: There's a way to track your progress, which could be logging the weights you lift or the distance you run each week.
Attainable: This goal can be feasibly reached within the set time frame. Very few people could train for a marathon in two weeks, but many could over a couple of months.
Relevant: There's a "why" driving your motivation to reach the goal. Maybe you want to feel stronger, more flexible, or manage an underlying condition.
Timely: The goal has a deadline whether it's four weeks or six months.

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