One of the most common resolutions people make to begin a new year is the decision to get fit. Most people join a gym. It's all good for a few months, but ultimately, many will stop going. If you are a long time gym member, you see this every year. The gym is packed for a few months, but it soon dwindles down to the normal crowd that has been working out at the same time on the same machines for years and years.

There is a simple solution for those of you who are new to a gym or workout program and who really want to stay with it. Experts will tell you to set small goals, get a workout partner, and do exercises you enjoy. That's all good advice, but it won't last long unless you learn what all of the 'regulars' in the gym already know. Make it a habit. Most of the 'regulars' in the gym, those who have been staying fit for years and years, are doing so because it's a habit. It's really not about results or how you feel (that is a beneficial side-effect of this habit) it's about NOT being able to miss a workout.

It sounds crazy, but those of you who workout regularly know what I'm talking about. If you make working out a habit, you WILL workout. You won't miss or quit, because you can't. It's a habit, and once you have it, it is very hard to break. If you do miss a workout, it will bother you the entire day, sometimes a week, even if your body needed the rest.

I don't want to workout on weekends or holidays, but I do because it's habit. So in my non-fitness expert opinion, the secret to staying with a workout or fitness program is to make it habit. How do you make it habit? That is where the small goals and workout partners come into play. They will help you stick with it even after you know you want to stop. In time, you won't even think about stopping or missing a workout.