2015 is the year! You’ve resolved to make 2015 the year you lose those extra pounds, lead a healthier lifestyle or simply become more active. You’re not alone. These resolutions are quite popular. According to a survey of 1,000 people done by time management firm Franklin Covey, becoming more physically fit, losing weight and improving health ranked among the top 4 resolutions in both 2012 and 2013.  The survey also indicated by the end of January, 35 percent of people will have derailed from their resolution and that losing weight was the first abandoned resolution. Furthermore, the number of people who abandon their resolutions will have increased to 78 percent before the end of the year.

How do you keep from becoming a negative statistic? Consider these tips from fitness experts and those who’ve succeed in keeping their resolution on track to keep your resolution going strong well into the year. Heck, take it to the end of the year!

1. Make your resolution a processed based goal not an outcome-based goal. Clint Phillips, owner of Fit Chicago, explains, “Deciding to lose 15 pounds is an outcome. What process will bring that about? Exercising four times a week is a fine process-based goal.”
2. Re-assess your resolution. “Choose a resolution that is something you can do, rather than something you must avoid,” Philips recommends. He presents the example, “Vowing to start your day with a healthy breakfast is easier to do than cutting out all sweets.”
3. Create a contract with yourself. Michael Hanover, an ISSA and Sports Specific Certified Personal Trainer as well as owner of Fitness Hero Inc., encourages his clients to write down their goals, record measurements such as weight and body fat percentage and set specific deadlines. In essence they are creating a physical document that holds them accountable for their progress.
4. Find a hobby that makes you sweat. If you love doing something then it won’t ever be a chore. There are so many ways to get that heart rate up, tone and build muscles and burn calories beyond the conventional gym session that includes running on the treadmill and lifting weights. For instance, If you love to dance sign up for dance classes. NEIU offers Zumba dance classes multiple times each day Monday – Saturday, with the exception of Thursday.
5. Consider how those around you impact your success. According to 41 percent of the 1,000 people surveyed by Franklin Covey, sharing their goals with their friends and asking for their support was the most effective method for staying on track.
6. Seek professional assistance. In his 18 years as a personal trainer, Hanover has noticed a surge of new clients every Spring. “By March people who have made fitness resolutions haven’t seen the results they are looking for solo so they come to me,” Hanover says. If you’ve already fallen off track perhaps you should consider hiring a personal trainer.
7. Don’t underestimate small goals. Hanover has taken his clients from obese to fit, non-runners to half marathon completers, dependent on medications to completely pill free. But this happened over time, with the completion of small goals. “What if you could get 1 percent better every day?” Philips asks. Allow yourself small victories and through perseverance they will become enormous victories!