Make it More Fun –  If it feels like you’re dragging yourself out the door for a less-than-enthusiastic run, get into a fitness class, join a team or check out a new DVD you can throw on in the comfort of your living room. There’s no shortage of variety in group fitness options these days. From spinning to Zumba, chances are, when you find something new that you really enjoy, you’ll stick with it.  If the gym makes you cringe, go online to collagevideo.com, where helpful reviews and detailed descriptions of each fitness DVD can help you choose exactly the right one for your needs.

Write It Down – Jotting in a training diary or a simple notebook gives you the big picture of the work you’re doing on yourself.  It can help you get bigger, stronger, leaner or more toned by allowing you to evaluate what’s working and adjust, if necessary. It also eliminates relying on sometimes-foggy memories of what you should be lifting or what route to run.

There are also online, membership-based  sites that allow you to track a variety of exercise routines with evaluations of different workouts that you can log in simultaneously. They also feature nutritional tracking to help assess the role your diet is playing in your health.  Sites like Fitness Journal and TrainingPeaks offer free trial periods to use the journals or a free basic template that you can upgrade to later. There are also Shareware and Freeware versions of journals that allow free trial periods. KeepandShare.com offers free printable workout logs as well.

For a portable, hand-written log of your exercise time, check out the BodyMinder Workout & Exercise Journal which received a top rating on About.com. This journal lets you track daily strength training and cardio workouts for up to 3 months and progress charts help illustrate your journey to your goals, according to About.com’s report.

Change Your Mindset – Thinking of your fitness routine as a lifestyle and not a “quick fix” solution is extremely important, according to Georgetown University’s Meghan C. Dimsa, M.Ed., C.S.C.S., Director of Fitness and Wellness at Georgetown University, writing on the college’s website.   Dimsa advocates setting goals that are personally attainable for YOU and YOUR life.  Whenever you reach a goal you’ve created for yourself (for example, I will do 20 minutes of cardio, 3 days a week), you become more confident and will get the motivation to continue with your program.