Be SMART

One of the first thing personal trainers teach their clients is to have S.M.A.R.T. goals.

S.M.A.R.T. is the acronym for:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-framed

If you follow these guidelines when coming up with fitness goals you will be better able to visualize where you want to be and as they say, when you can visualize something, it is easier to achieve.

Write down your goal, detailing the S.M.A.R.T. principles. For instance, your goal could be to lose 10 pounds of fat in 7 weeks. This goal, although fairly specific, still is not S.M.A.R.T. enough. Saying "I will reach my goal by working out 4 days a week and aim to lose 1.5 pounds of fat per week" is a better goal. This goal is measurable and allows you to check your progress and make changes as needed before it's too late.

If this is the first thing trainers learn in the PT handbook, then it's good enough for me.