Personal trainers and gym owners across the country have BIG smiles on their faces right now.

Why?

Because they know they’re about to get flooded with average folk making New Year’s Resolutions to drop that extra 20 pounds and finally get fit.

And they ALSO know that the vast majority of these new signups will show up for about a month and then disappear forever. Or at least until next year.

Now don’t get me wrong. I love goal-setting (when it works) and I like the idea of making plans to get in shape for the new year if it gives you a boost of energy and motivation.

So how can we set fitness goals for the year and actually stick to them? And ACCOMPLISH them?

Here’s 5 things successful goal-setters do that quitters don’t do:

1. Keep your goals PRIVATE.

The last thing you want is for the wrong person to find out that you want to improve your diet or take a few inches off your waistline. Because he or she will try to bring you down with negativity and get in the way of you developing new and good habits. Don’t even give them the chance.

2. Figure out WHY you want to accomplish your goal.

If you want to drop 20 extra pounds…think about why. And don’t think this is obvious stuff either. What you need to know is what personally motivates you and gets you emotionally involved. Is it because you want to look better? Have more energy? Attract a new mate? Re-attract and old one? Figure it out.

3. Use this reason to keep you going when things get rough.

Whenever you feel like giving up or taking it easy after a couple months have gone by and your goals lose their luster, remember your reason for making the resolution in the first place. Focus on that and your fire will reignite

4. Get around likeminded people.

This means avoiding your friends who overeat if you want to clean up your diet. And getting around active people if you want to exercise more. Like it or not, it’s a lot harder to accomplish something alone.

5. If you stumble a bit, shrug it off.

Don’t worry if you fall back into your old habits for a week. If you miss a couple workout sessions, don’t waste time feeling bad. Just get started again and treat it as a learning experience. If you eat bad for a week or two, pouting won’t do any good. Just laugh it off and get started again.

Arm yourself with these five strategies and you’ll get halfway through 2009, look back, and realize you’ve transformed your body for the better.