Is Fitness Your New Years Resolution? Here's Five Ways to Make it Stick.

As a long time gym member, I know that the rush usually happens in January - then dies down by February. Serious fitness enthusiasts usually see a new person enter the gym in January and assume that it's another one of "those New Year Resolutions thing". Sometimes it sticks, but more often than not, they're gone before Valentines Day.

Are you planning to get into shape after the Holidays? Here are five tips to keep those fitness goals all year long.

1. Get a buddy who will keep you on schedule.

Get a work out buddy and don't pick that couch potato friend of yours. Find a friend who's probably in better shape that you are, someone who will take ownership of your work outs and guide you through what you don't know, or someone who will just inspire you to get up and go to the gym, or go for a walk/run. If you don't have someone that fits the bill, you should seriously consider a personal trainer just to get you started. Most gyms have a very knowledgeable staff that can help you attain your goals, or at least point you in the right direction. They will work with you at your level and eventually you should be able to take off on your own.

If you can't find a buddy and a personal trainer is too expensive, try getting the gym's class schedule. You'll be working out in a group, and in January, chances are you won't be the only newbie in the group. Who knows, you might make a few good friends there!

2. Set very feasible short-term goals.

Do you want to do 25 pushups by the end of your first month? Maybe you want to be able to run for 25 minutes on a treadmill? Maybe your goal is just to go to the gym three times a week? Whatever goals you set, keep them modest. Write them down, and as you achieve your goals, give yourself a check mark! Nothing is more motivating than accomplishing goals.

Don't make your goals too lofty. If you were never much of a runner, don't expect to run a marathon after your first month at the gym. Keep it easy until you understand your body better.

3. Forget about weight!

Going with Suggestion #2, make sure you don't set "weight" as your goal. Fat weighs less than muscle, so if you actually take a good approach to fitness, you'll lessen your body fat percentage and increase your muscle mass which allows you to burn more calories in the long run and turns you into a leaner, meaner machine. Unfortunately it, sometimes translates into larger numbers on the scale.

Gaining two or three pounds each week isn't exactly a big deal, but it can be devastating if you're hopping on the scale every day. It's more demoralizing than anything. A more accurate way of seeing results is checking out your body fat percentage, or measuring the part of your body where you gain the most weight; for women, it's usually the waist.

4. Read and research.

If you want to be good at anything, you always need to do a little bit of research. Sign up for magazines and post the good nutrition articles on your fridge and post the at-home workouts where you're most likely to do them. Fitness magazines have lots of really good, motivating articles and blogs. They've also got invaluable advice about injury prevention, nutrition and how to beat the work out plateau.

If you ever hit a wall, sometimes we all need someone else's story to inspire us.

5. Define yourself.

Are you a mother? Are you a worker? Are you a student?

Fitness is a lifestyle. If you're serious about getting fit and getting that body you want, you must define yourself as an athlete. Throughout the day, you define yourself. I am a blogger, a writer, a soldier, a student, a fiancée and I am also a runner. Getting in shape and being in shape takes a lot of commitment. If you really want to get that body you've been craving you must begin considering yourself a true athlete, or at least a true fit freak.

Once you start seeing yourself in that light, you'll begin seeing your work outs as a more enjoyable experience, as opposed to this thing you have to do to get healthy and look good.