A new year, a new start. To start off fresh, you need resolutions. People use this time to reflect on their past year and say what they are going to do differently this year. Many make their resolutions about their health and dieting. In fact, about a third of resolutioners aim to lose weight making it the number one resolution of Americans. Staying fit trails closely behind in seventh place, according to usa.gov.

One of the hardest things to do is stick to your resolutions. By the end of January, 64% of resolutioners are still staying strong. After six months, the percent decreases to 44. Even frequent gym members notice the overcrowdedness in the first month and less and less people coming in afterwards.

According to WebMD, you should create realistic plans to stick to your resolution. If you know that something isn’t possible for you or your schedule, change it. Nothing is worse than setting goals and then realizing you can’t achieve them. Another tip is to divide your resolutions into mini-goals. If you were trying to achieve the goal of doing five reps, or repetitions, of a workout by the end of January, start with weekly goals. Set a target of two reps for the first week and slowly increase it as the weeks go by. Eventually you will have accomplished your resolution.

However, I think the most important aspect of succeeding your resolutions is believing in yourself. Believing in yourself will take you places you never thought you would be. Without that voice in your head that tells you that you can, nothing is possible. Fitness takes just as much mental strength as it does physical.

New Year’s resolutions are a great way to start completely new for the coming 12 months. Sticking to resolutions, especially fitness related ones will assure confidence, health and satisfaction for the rest of the year.