5 Strategies for Successful New Year's Resolutions

You know how it is: As soon as you have finished clinking your champagne glass for a New Year's Eve toast you're thinking about resolutions to make the coming 12 months better than the previous ones. The new year can be a great time to invest in yourself with fresh goals and new habits -- if you set your resolutions wisely. The American College of Sports Medicine offers five strategies to create new year's resolutions that will help you transform your life.

1. Schedule your workout time. The end of one year and the start of a new can be exciting -- and stressful! Ease your tension by developing a plan that includes time for workouts and time for fun. According to a study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, consistent exercise -- even a 30-minute walk on a regular basis -- coupled with stress-reducing techniques can boost your mood and help reduce body weight.

2. Be true to yourself. We all have our own reasons for exercise, and you increase your chances of success when you identify why physical fitness is important to you. Are you trying to lose weight, get "ripped," train for a marathon, or adopt a generally healthier lifestyle? Each of those goals requires a different approach to fitness, and you'll be more successful if you identify what's most important to you.

3. Play to win. A study conducted by the American College of Sport Medicine showed that motivation to be physically active was higher when sports were involved. You can enhance your motivation and have a lot of fun by adding a sport to your normal fitness routine. Basketball, volleyball, soccer and even roller derby are great team sport options that will improve your physical fitness and give you an opportunity to hone your competitive instincts.

4. Keep it short. Researchers found that people who worked out three times a day -- for just 10 minutes per session -- were more likely to remain physically active than those who trained for 30 continuous minutes. Try shaking up your usual routine with brief, intense workouts like CrossFit, interval training or sprints.

5. Break down your barriers. There are plenty of potential roadblocks to starting new exercise habits: time is tight, gyms are expensive, maybe you're unsure about how to get started. The American College of Sports Medicine offers a free assessment to help you determined your exercise barriers and break them down.

Explore all of our Workouts A-Z to find plenty of inspiration for your 2010 new year's resolutions and then visit the American College of Sports Medicine for more free workout tools.