BATON ROUGE - Exercising and getting fit top new year's resolution lists for many as January rolls around.

But before the end of March, huge numbers of people have already fallen of their fitness path.

Gus Tuttle sees them every year. Newcomers tend to set unachievable goals, and when they fall short, they quit. 

"Don't set these astronomical goals that you can't really attain," said Tuttle, who works at Spectrum Fitness. "Take it easy. One step at a time."

Another reason people give up is that  they don't hold themselves accountable. In that case, Tuttle said, you may want to consider a personal trainer who works specifically with you on a schedule you set. Having someone else watching makes exercisers more likely to finish all those reps and not cheat a little when they get tired.