Many people can tell you how to lose weight. But success comes from your own motivation.

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How many late Decembers have you spent furiously resolving to do this and not do that?

Need help sticking to your diet and fitness goals? Shame might be just the thing that keeps you on track.

Give Stickk.com a click and your dreams might become reality. Here's how it works: You'll sign a contract to meet a goal -- losing weight, running a marathon, quitting smoking even. Then you choose a referee, maybe your spouse, a best friend, or a colleague who agrees to track your progress. It's possible to pick yourself as the ref but site statistics indicate this is only 30% effective. Next: Enter in the e-mail addresses of all your supporters (heck, include everyone in your e-mail address book) who will send encouraging messages your way. If your progress falters, the site automatically notifies everyone on your support list.

If public embarrassment is key for keeping you line, this is your site, which happens to have a few other motivating moves you can make. You can commit a sum of money that is either returned to you or donated to charity should you make good on your plans. Slip up and your money goes to an "anti-charity" -- the NRA perhaps, if guns are a no-no for you. Just the thought of that might keep you focused, right?

Sound crazy? Maybe not. About 78% of users who designate a referee and earmark money are successful. Give it a try and see what you think -- it's free. Well, unless you mess up and lose your own money.

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I don't have a Garmin or other GPS device for running. One of these days, maybe, but for the moment, I don't. And so, when I run outdoors, unless I've already mapped out the the route, I don't generally know exactly how far I've gone. However, I do know how long I've run, which gives me an idea of distance.

This is a big difference from the way I run on a treadmill. When I have the numbers in front of me, I set a goal to reach a certain distance in a set amount of time. You'd think, then, that these indoor runs would be much harder, and more intense, but that's not necessarily the case.

It's typical to take considerably longer to run outdoors than indoors, especially if you run trails or other rough ground. And so, on your next outdoor run, try a new trail and just go by time. See what kind of workout you get. I find that I'm wiped after a long outdoor run, whether I've gone two miles or six. And unless you're training for an event of a certain distance, I think that's okay -- it allows you to run for the sheer joy of running. What do you think?

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Several years ago I was in the process of losing some extra pounds. I was working out every evening and had gradually progressed to a relatively intense routine. And then I hit that dreaded point most people who are trying to lose weight hit at one time or another... a plateau.

I increased my exercise, I reduced my calorie intake a bit further, I did everything I could think of to shake myself out of that darn plateau. Then, at the suggestion of my boss at the time, I added a second workout session in the morning. That did the trick! Better yet, I found that I enjoyed the morning exercise and stuck with it for a long time.

I think we all have fitness frustrations from time to time. Whether you're trying to lose weight or training for a specific event or just trying to reach a personal fitness milestone -- as rewarding as fitness is, some amount of frustration is to be expected. But, like anything worth doing, if you stick with it, you'll get through the frustrating points and reap the rewards. Self Magazine asked readers for their fitness frustrations and then experts offered possible solutions.

What are some of your fitness frustrations?

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My son has attended the same summer camp for two years now. Throughout the summer there are specialty camps kids can opt to attend. Last summer he signed up for an intense biking camp. At the beginning of the week, there were more than 30 kids signed up. By day three, the numbers had dropped to about 12. By the end of the week, only 6 kids remained.

On the first day of camp, the kids and their counselors rode a total of 10 miles. But the rides were short and they stopped at several fun locations to play and rest in between rides. Still, my very fit and athletic son needed to take a bath that night to relax his muscles.

The second day, the kids rode about the same distance, but with only one, longer break in between. It was a hard day, evidenced by the fact that more than half of the kids dropped out after day two. My son mentioned that he thought maybe he'd like to quit, too. But day three was too intriguing for him to give up.

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I've completed the first two weeks of my hundred push-ups challenge, and I'm happy to say that I'm still going strong. It's a challenge, to be sure, but it's really broken down into manageable sets and I haven't had any problems yet.

As I mentioned before, my husband is joining me in the challenge, and together we have faced a few location-based challenges (as you can see in the picture). After our vast two weeks of experience, I'd have to recommend that, if you have dogs or children, you take turns with the push-ups and keep them out of the way. Unless, of course, you like the extra challenge of 60 extra pounds on your back ...

Before beginning Week Three, I had to complete another exhaustion test, and I'm pleased to report that I was able to complete over 50 push-ups in a row, so I'm (sort of) half-way there (which is a good thing, because this week looks haaaard). Those of you doing the challenge, speak up -- how are you coming along?

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We're almost set for soccer to start in September. The Sweetie Pie is signed up, birth certificate faxed, volunteer coach appointed (my husband) and the hunt for tiny shin guards is about to commence. Shin guards. For a 3-year-old.

But, hey, it's a chance to get out in the back yard, run around and practice kicking goals into a mini goal sent by Gramma and Grampa as a Father's Day gift. It made for a great goal-kicking contest at her birthday party. Great way to wear down nine kids.

We also watch the bigger kids on the field down the street, and attempt to mimic their moves at the park. For my husband and I, it's more of a mental workout than anything. Getting into a toddler's head in an attempt to figure out the best way to convey the rules of a sport and work as a team. My husband's definitely got his work cut out for him as coach. I figure it's also a chance to start building the habit of exercise in our child. Every Saturday morning, we'll have soccer. Every Saturday morning, we'll have soccer.

I made a small goal in January to not have any sugary drinks (alcohol included) for one month. I've done that before -- made that goal in my head -- but I never stuck to it. This time, I did it differently. I wrote my goal down, and told my friends and family of it. Doing so made it seem real, whereas keeping the goal to myself before made it easy to fall off. Maybe it's all down to pride -- once I tell someone else about the goal, it means someone will know if I fail. And I don't want to look like a failure, especially when it's such a simple task.

So here's my suggestion: Write down your goals, whether they involved sugary drinks or not. You want to be making a better salary next year? Write it down. You want to have lost 20 pounds by next summer? Write it down. Once it's on paper, for someone to see (even if it's just you), it becomes very real and I would take a guess that you're 100% more likely to actually follow through.

FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

Got a life list? It's a type of list that spells out a bunch of things you want to accomplish before you die. I don't have one. There's nothing huge and monumental I want to take on before my time comes to an end. I'm not a skydiving, mountain-scaling kind of gal. I've already traveled to more countries than I care to count, and I'm pretty much living the life I want right now. But some people like to plan ahead for bigger and better days -- check out 43things.com for a peek at some life lists -- and I applaud them for it.

If you don't have a life list and want to create one, begin with healthy lifestyle goals. Pick things that focus on the development of your body, mind, and spirit. You'll find that setting goals, and checking them off one by one, is a great motivator.

Try making three columns. Start small, with maybe three to five goals for each category. For your body, you might want to reduce your sugar intake. For your mind, consider meditation. For your spirit, attend a private yoga lesson. When you complete these goals, scratch them off the list. Add more if you'd like. If you prefer the look of a finished list, wait until you've mastered everything and then begin again.

Here's to life lists -- and accomplishing all you set out to do.

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So you used a big event to motivate yourself to lose those last stubborn pounds, and whether it was a sleeveless dress for your friend's wedding or a vacation involving beaches and a swimsuit the whole deal has now come and gone and you're ready to relax.

What?! No!

Well relaxing is fine, as long as you don't relax yourself right out of that wonderful diet and fitness lifestyle that got you into this beautiful shape in the first place. If you're not careful you'll balloon right back to where you were, miserable and unhappy with yourself, giving up everything you've worked so hard for and perhaps worst of all finding yourself back at square one.

So stick to your guns, and remember that healthiness is a lifestyle choice, not a temporary fix. If you need some ideas on how to stay on track our friends at FitSugar have some good ones to get you started.

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In reading this article I was a little surprised at how realistic it might be to get in shape for something like a triathlon. I made a point not to say how easy it might be, because it obviously isn't. But realistic? Yeah, to me eight weeks is realistic. Even if it really takes more like 10 or 12 weeks that would be okay. For some reason I always had this idea that I'd have to train for years get in that kind of shape.

Maybe I'm ahead of myself, all I've done so far is read the article.

Anyway, if you're interested in this sort of thing I think this article is a good place to start. I personally like the author's way of writing in a non-intimidating and down-to-earth way. And remember that setting a goal for yourself, something to work towards, can be a very effective motivation for fitness and weight loss. Maybe signing up for a triathlon later this summer is just what you need?

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For you women out there, what are your core health fears and goals? Prevention magazine recently initiated a poll of over 2,000 women aged 20 years and older, and asked them just that -- among lots of other things.

They gathered information about all kinds of women's issues, which you can read about here, but the #1 goal for women of all ages is to lose weight, while the #1 top priority for all ages is happiness. I'm glad it's something positive, and not something like "battling obesity." Because after all, pretty much everything you want in life comes a little easier if you're generally in a good place.

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