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Now is the time to set a precedent for success in keeping your fitness-related New Year’s resolutions.  To that end, consider these tips for how you can continue to stick to your New Year’s resolutions all year long.

Whether you’re setting out for the first time with a fitness-related New Year’s resolution, or you’ve been down this road before there’s always two paths you can end up on: Making exercise a year-long (lifelong!) habit, or abandoning your efforts until the next new year rolls around.

Now is the time to set a precedent for success.  The simple trick to making a fitness New Year’s resolution last is to accept that getting and staying in shape won’t always be easy.  But the numerous rewards are worth it.  To that end, consider these tips for how you can continue to stick to your New Year’s resolutions.

Do Away With the Term “New Year’s Resolution”
The term “New Year’s resolution” is notoriously associated with broken promises and half-baked attempts at self-improvement so avoid uttering these words in relation to your big exercise plans.  New Year’s are so strongly tied to the month of January- that it’s no wonder they hold little-to-no merit by February or March.

Make Small Goals Out of Your Big Goal
You might have a big goal to work toward, but stopping your goal-setting there could set you up for failure.  After all, a large goal that might take months to achieve could begin to feel too daunting or devoid of payoff. 

In addition to your main goal, create smaller ones that, when met, provide an immediate feeling of accomplishment and indicate your progression.  These smaller goals could be simple ones that bring you closer to your bigger goal.  Here’s an example of an effective small goal: getting to the gym three days this week and working out there for 45 minutes.  Each gym visit, and the progress you track along the way, gives you something to cross off your list in the moment, which can feel more motivating over time than if you were just focused on a single long-range objective like, say, losing 50 pounds.

Hire a Personal Trainer
There’s no better way to commit to exercise than by hiring a personal trainer.  He or she can help you reach your goals faster.  And when you don’t feel like going to the gym (which will happen), you’ll go anyway because your trainer is there, waiting for you- not to mention you’ve already paid for the session.  Having a personal trainer on your team, even if it’s just once a week or once every two weeks, help set you up for success.