Every year millions of people start a New Year’s Resolution related to health and fitness. Whether it’s building muscle, losing a few pounds of fat, or achieving a personal best in a chosen sport, a lot of us will set goals. But how many of us actually achieve them, or even get close?

It’s no secret that life is full of distractions and interruptions, but there are some easy ways in which to give yourself the best chance of achieving your goals and finally sticking to your New Year’s Resolution.

Keep it simple
It’s great to have goals to work towards, but sometimes you can set too many. Try to focus on one aspect of your life at a time, as this way there will be no conflict or overlap between goals and you’ll have a clear sense of direction in your mind.

Have a structure/plan
Don’t just walk in to the gym and use whatever machine is available, or start running without plotting a route/length. Choose a realistic personal starting point and plan to improve each week. For example, if you can run one mile in 15 minutes on your start date, try to shave 30 seconds off that time each week. Alternatively, if you can bench press 20kg on day one, try to increase the weight a little bit each week until you hit 40kg.

Set a deadline – a goal is only good if you are capable of reaching it, but if you have no deadline, what is motivating you to push forwards? Choose a day to work towards and stick to it. This could be a milestone birthday, the day before your holiday or simply three months from your start date.

Take pictures
Try to focus on how you feel and look in the mirror rather than what the scales say. Take ‘before’ and ‘progress’ photos – seeing your transformation can be a powerful thing. Not only do pictures show how far you’ve come, but you may inspire others to start or continue their fitness journey.

Measurements can also be helpful for tracking progress. Since muscle is denser than fat, you may not see any difference on the scales, but the tape measure can tell a whole different story.

Focus on yourself
Ignore everybody else – this is your fitness journey and your body is unique. Forget about people who can eat whatever they want and still appear to be lean. Don’t pay attention to celebrities in the media who have “lost 2 stone in 2 weeks”. And stop comparing yourself to the fitness models on Instagram – a lot of the images you see are edited or the subject is tensing and looks different when relaxed. Instead, focus on yourself. It doesn’t matter if you achieve your goal in two months or two years – the point is that you keep going and do achieve it.

Plan rewards
Many people think rewards have to be food-related. For example: “If I do all my workouts and eat well this week, I can have my favourite takeaway on Sunday”. Instead, try planning non-edible rewards. How about a new outfit? This could help you stick to your goal of dropping a dress size. Or perhaps you love music and your favourite artist’s gig is three months away? You’ll be able to dance the whole night if you hit the 10k mark in your endurance training. Having a reward in your mind will help you to push yourself when you are struggling to find motivation.

Tell a friend
Telling someone what you intend to achieve can help to keep you accountable, as well as having some support. They can congratulate you on your milestones, and give you a nudge if you’re starting to slack.

Better still, try to partner up with someone who has similar goals to you. You can cheer each other on and pick each other up if either of you are struggling. A little bit of healthy competition can be good in pushing you beyond your goals as well.

Listen to your body
If it’s all getting a bit too much, take some time out – life can throw up many obstacles, and it’s OK to rest. If you lack energy or simply don’t want to work out, don’t worry. Pick yourself up the next day and start again – one missed workout or a ‘bad’ meal isn’t going to ruin all your hard work! At the end of the day, your physical and mental health is more important than losing half an inch off your waist.

So, will you be sticking to your New Year’s Resolution in 2017? I hope so!