In the cardiff health club, in which I run a successful RCT personal training company, I see at first hand the goals in which people set. One of my cardiff personal training clients, who has never run before came to me and told me she had entered a half marathon in 4 months time and wanted to loose weight.

This Cardiff resident, has never run a single mile in her life and yet has entered a half marathon. This is an unrealistic goal and with her current fitness levels and being overweight she is destined to pick up injuries.

When you run 1 mile, you are theoretically doing hundreds and hundreds of single leg hops. This places a lot of strain on the knees, ankles and hips. So it is important that some conditioning takes place first.

So as a personal trainer in RCT, I'd recommend you sit down with a Fitness professional in your area and ensure that the goals that you set are; Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and you place a Time frame to achieve those goals. By sharing your goals with someone else, this will increase your motivation to achieve them and make them real!!

Running a half marathon in 4 months time, when you are an over weight non exerciser is not a specific goal and certainly not a realistic one. As a RCT personal trainer I'd recommend you consult a professional to ensure that the goals you set are not going to cause harm or injury.

Exercise should be progressive and gradually increase intensity; especially for those who are new to exercise.