The New Year is quickly creeping up on us. Do you have a New Years Resolution? Well, if youre like most Americans (88 percent in 2001 according to a General Nutrition Centers poll), you have at least one resolution. And, if you are like the majority of these promise-makers, your resolution is probably related to health and fitness. In 2001 (according to GNC), 55 percent promised to eat healthier, 50 percent resolved to exercise more, and 38 percent wanted to lose weight.

While resolutions are well-intentioned, unfortunately most people fail at keeping them. With all the hype surrounding these promises, its easy to get caught up in them without really taking them seriously.

We live in a throw-away society and even our resolutions, Im afraid, are not immune. However, especially for promises that include improving our health its in our best interest to not take them lightly.

So, whats the secret to successful resolutions? While you cant wave a magic wand and make your resolution come true, there are some easy steps to take to make it easier to fulfill your promise to yourself.

• Choose an obtainable goal. Resolving to look like a super model is not realistic for the majority of us, but promising to include daily physical activity in our lives is very possible.

• Avoid choosing a resolution that youve been unsuccessful at achieving year after year. This will only set you up for failure, frustration and disappointment. If you are still tempted to make a promise that youve made before, then try altering it. For example, instead of stating that you are going to lose 30 pounds, try promising to eat healthier and increase your weekly exercise.

• Create a game plan. At the beginning of January, write a comprehensive plan. All successful businesses start with a business plan that describes their mission and specifics on how they will achieve it. Write your own personal plan and youll be more likely to succeed as well.

• Break it down and make it less intimidating. Rather than one BIG end goal, dissect it into smaller pieces. Set several smaller goals to achieve throughout the year that will help you to reach the ultimate goal. Then even if you arent able to reach your final goal, you will have many smaller, but still significant, achievements along the way. For example, if your goal is to complete a 10K race, your smaller goals could be running a 5K in less than 30 minutes, adding upper and lower body strength training to increase your muscular endurance, and running 2 miles with a personal best completion time.

• Ask friends and family members to help you so you have someone to be accountable to. Just be sure to set limits so that this doesnt backfire and become more irritating than helpful. For example, if you resolve to be more positive ask them to gently remind you when you start talking negatively.

• Reward yourself with each milestone. If youve stuck with your resolution for 2 months, treat yourself to something special. But, be careful of your reward type. If youve lost 5 pounds, dont give yourself a piece of cake as an award. Instead, treat yourself to a something non-food related, like a professional massage.

• Dont go it alone! Get professional assistance. Everyone needs help and sometimes a friend just isnt enough. Sometimes you need the help of a trained professional. Dont feel that seeking help is a way of copping out. Especially when it comes to fitness, research studies have shown that assistance from a fitness professional greatly improves peoples success rate.

• Limit your number of promises. Youll spread yourself too thin trying to make multiple changes in your life. This will just lead to failure of all of the resolutions.

On average only about 20% of us keep our New Years resolutions. Unfortunately, some of the biggest failures are found in fitness resolutions. But dont let the statistics get you down. By following the tips above youll be better equipped to fall into the successful 20% category. If you need professional help with a fitness-related resolution, visit www.workoutsforyou.com for help.