If you've failed to keep New Year's resolutions before, make a promise to yourself that this year will be different — then follow through by making your goals obtainable and real.

If you've made a New Year's resolution to get in shape, you're not alone. One survey found every year about half of American adults resolve to exercise more in the year ahead.

If that's so, why is it only 20 percent of us can keep our resolutions and reach our goals?

"People who make resolutions are well intentioned, but it's hard to overcome the many pitfalls that block success," says Lynn Bode, a Kansas City-based certified personal trainer and owner of WorkoutsForYou.com. "Making resolutions that are unrealistic and not having a specific plan for achieving a worthwhile goal are some of the reasons they fail."

Here are some suggestions that will make it easier for you to count yourself among the successful promise-keepers.

• Choose an obtainable goal. Resolving to look like a supermodel isn't realistic for the majority of us, but promising to be more physically active is. Take a second look at your resolutions with an eye toward reality.
• Make it specific. Specific goals are easier to stick with than vague resolutions, such as "I will get in shape."

  Instead, make a specific plan, such as, "I will walk for 30 minutes on Tuesday and Thursday, and strength train on Monday and Friday."

• Create a game plan. At the beginning of January, write a plan that takes you through the whole year.

  "All successful businesses start with a business plan that describes their mission and specifies how they will achieve it," says Bode. "By writing your own plan, you'll be more likely to succeed and will have something to pull you through any slumps you reach in the months to come."

• Break it down. If you have a big goal, divide it into smaller goals you can achieve throughout the year.

  For example, if your goal is to complete a 10K race, your smaller goals could be running a 5K in less than 30 minutes, adding upper and lower-body strength training to increase your muscular endurance, and running 2 miles with a personal-best completion time.

• Ask friends and family members to help. Enlisting support can make a big difference between keeping your resolution or letting it fall by the wayside.

  "Making yourself accountable to someone who will remind you not to slack off is a big plus," says Bode. "It's even better if you can find someone who's already committed to a similar fitness goal so you can work together and inspire each other."

• Make it real. Be sure your action plan fits into your lifestyle. Do you really have the energy to go out for that evening exercise class? If not, find something you would have energy for at the end of a long day, such as walking the dog around your neighborhood for 30 minutes.
• Get professional help. Hiring a personal trainer to develop a program that will help you accomplish your fitness goals can be money well-spent. A half-dozen sessions spread out over three months will allow your trainer to monitor your progress, bolster your motivation and tailor your program.

  "Don't think that seeking help is copping out," says Bode. "Especially when it comes to fitness, studies have shown that assistance from a fitness professional greatly improves people's success rates."

Finally, "don't make too many resolutions," says Bode. "You'll spread yourself too thin trying to make multiple changes in your life, which can lead to failure. Instead, choose one or two that are really important to you and focus your time and energy on them."

Barbara Floria spoke with Lynn Bode, a Kansas City-based certified personal trainer specializing in Internet-based fitness programs for individuals and employers. For more information, visit www.workoutsforyou.com.

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