Personal goal setting is an important part of any weight loss regimen. In fact, it is just as important as keeping track of the calories you consume and the exercises you perform. When setting your personal goals, it's important that you come up with fitness goals that are challenging but achievable.

Before you can set any fitness goals for yourself, it's important that you ask yourself this question first: What do I want to achieve from my fitness program? Do you want to lose weight and improve your physical appearance? Do you want to lose weight because of a health condition? Do you want to increase the muscle mass in your body? Do you want to improve your fitness, endurance, flexibility and strength? Even if you have several reasons for getting fit, you need to determine your main objective. Not only will your objective keep you motivated, but it will also help you decide on the physical activities that are in line with your goal.

Have you tried personal goal setting in the past but you were still unable to lose weight? Chances are your fitness goals were too unrealistic. Setting goals that are difficult or downright impossible to attain is a sure-fire way of setting yourself up for failure. For instance, let's say that you are trying to lose weight in order to look your best for your best friend's wedding. "Lose 20 pounds before the wedding" seems like a good fitness goal, but is it realistic? If the wedding is within a month, then your goal not very achievable (or safe).

Instead, come up with a goal that you can incorporate in your everyday routine. For instance, make the decision to go running at least three times a week and stick with it. Once you have successfully achieved this goal, you can start adding more goals to your fitness plan.

Working towards fitness goals also becomes easier when you keep a journal so you can track your progress. Aside from your fitness goals, some of the details that you should include in your fitness journal are: your dietary habits, the exercise you perform, the number of times you work out in a week and the duration of your exercise. When you fail to reach a certain goal, do not get frustrated. Instead, write down the reason for your failure. This will allow you to know and solve the problems that stand in the way of your fitness.

The road to fitness is a long and challenging one and it's only right that you should reward yourself each time you make progress. However, if your idea of a reward is a big chocolate cake then you might want to make some adjustments. Instead, set up rewards that are enjoyable but are not related to food. For instance, go to a day spa and enjoy a massage after completing your exercise for the week. Or, buy that luxurious handbag or pair of shoes that you've always wanted to buy.