Now that you've made those New Year's resolutions to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle, the hard work has begun — actually following through on your goals. Professional trainers agree that one of the biggest roadblocks to actually meeting your fitness goals is knowing how to set them the right way. By doing so, you'll greatly increase your chances of sticking with them and seeing them to completion. Here are some goal-setting tips to keep in mind.

1. Set Specific Goals
Setting a vague goal of "I want to lose weight" is great, but it doesn't really get to the heart of the matter. But saying you want to lose 10 pounds in six weeks is a specific goal and follows the SMART goal guidelines — it's Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound.

2. Set Realistic Goals
By setting unrealistic goals, you're setting yourself up for failure. An example of an unrealistic goal would be to say you're going to lose 20 pounds in a month. A realistic goal would be to say you want to lose 20 pounds, but you're going to do that at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds a week — what the average person can expect. At that rate, you'd realistically lose 20 pounds in 10 weeks.

3. Proper Planning
Mark on your calendar realistic workout times that work for your schedule, or times of the day when your energy is highest. That way unexpected "plans" won't sidetrack you from getting your workouts in.

4. Eating Enough
Although you may think that skipping meals will help you lose weight, you have to eat if you want to reach your fitness goals. Specifically, you need to consume at least the number of calories not only to perform the basic functions of survival, but also to find the right number of calories for your activity level.

5. Life Balance
There's more to reaching your fitness goals than simply working out hard several times a week. You also need to factor in proper sleep, a balanced diet, and managing your stress levels.

6. Strength Training
Don't make the mistake of focusing only on cardio. That's part of the puzzle, but another piece is strength training, which helps build lean muscle. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories you burn and the faster your metabolism becomes.

Working with a personal trainer like Ralph Roberts will help you reach your health and fitness goals. Contact Ralph today.