The end of the year always seems to bring a mix of various emotions. As we approach the last few days of 2018, I’m filled with nostalgia remembering all the good times this year, mixed with anticipation for a brand new year. These feelings often lead us to a place of self improvement, as we feel motivated to create a resolution for self improvement.

Creating a New Years Resolution is one of the most common practices of the New Year.

I’m a list person for sure – I make lists every single day, often multiple times a day. I make grocery lists, to do lists, workout lists, book lists, movie lists – you name it, I’ve probably made a list for it. (See, I just made a list right there!).

One of my favorite lists to make are those that help me accomplish a goal – specifically, a fitness goal.

As 2019 approaches, many people find themselves wanting to improve their health in some capacity. This frequently comes in the form of a fitness resolution – setting a goal to lose weight, get in shape, increase your endurance, start running, or any other variation.

Related: 3 Genius Strategies to Achieve Your Fitness Goals

The start of a new year brings plenty of time for reflection, goal setting, and self improvement.

While many of us set New Year’s Resolutions with the greatest intentions, we often find our motivation fading away as the year progresses. More often than not, we end the year with failed New Year’s Resolutions, and our fitness level no better than it was when the year began.

Related: 5 Ways to Overcome Low Motivation

Setting a New Year’s fitness resolution is a great goal. But in order to make it happen, you’ll need a realistic action plan.

A game plan. For lack of a better way to describe it: a list. Setting a resolution is an excellent first step.

Creating a fresh New Year’s Resolution always leaves me feeling excited and ambitious to begin. That excitement lasts me a few weeks – sometimes if I’m lucky it even lasts me until mid February – but at some point it becomes inevitably more challenging to continue making progress.

So what happens when that excitement fades away? More often than not, the desire to achieve our resolution gets fades with time, until we slowly decide that it’s not worth the effort and forget about it all together.

Until New Years Eve comes around again, when we find ourselves in the exact same position: making excuses for the fact that we didn’t accomplish our resolutions once again.

This year, let’s change that. 2019 has all the potential to be your best yet. Whether you’re setting a New Year’s fitness resolution to run a race, build strength, increase fitness, or maintain health, no resolution is too small or big.

Here are some strategies to use when creating your New Year’s fitness resolution. Set yourself up for success in the New Year by taking the time to strategize and create a game plan. As time passes and you get closer to finally achieving your New Year’s Resolution, you’ll feel more motivated to continue.

The Ultimate Strategy for New Year’s Resolution Success

What to consider when creating your goals:

• Where is your current fitness?
• How long will it realistically take to accomplish this resolution?
• Will you need to accomplish other goals prior to achieving this big one?
• How attainable is this resolution (in a brutally honest and realistic way)?
• Is this something that can only be accomplished at a certain time of year?
• What will you gain from accomplishing this resolution?

These guidelines help evaluate your goals and make sure your resolution is realistic. Once you decide on a resolution that you’re excited about – write it down! Outline it with colors, make it fancy, and put it somewhere you’re going to remember and see regularly.

But don’t stop there.

Writing down your resolution is the easy part. Once its written down, it’s time to get started making an action plan. This action plan will help you stay accountable throughout the year, and is a crucial step for achieving your goals.

What to include in your Resolution Action Plan:

• A specific date for when you want to accomplish your resolution (at least a few weeks before the end of the year!)
• A month by month break down of what you’ll need to accomplish in order to achieve your ultimate, main goal
  • Begin with easy, simple tasks that will not be a challenge (i.e., sign up for the race, run 1 mile, create a calendar, write down your current weight, etc.)
• Create a checklist that you can use to track your progress throughout the year
• Set reminders in your phone calendar or planner on the same day each month for the rest of the year
  • For example, on the 20th of every month, create a reminder that’s titled “New Years Resolution”
  • This reminder will help you remember to get out your New Years Resolution action plan and evaluate your progress on a regular basis… If you’re not where you want to be, adjust your action plan or goals accordingly

I truly believe that we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. If you’re feeling discouraged by previous failures, remember that they key to achieving any big goal is breaking it down into smaller, actionable steps. Anything new feels overwhelming in the beginning – but simple, small tasks will help you stay on track and continue to make progress along the way.

You want to lose 50 pounds? Awesome! Break that down into 4.2 pounds a month, and then list out the strategies that you will use to lose those 4 pounds each month. Check back in every month to see what worked and what didn’t.

You want to run a marathon? Super! Research races, sign up for one, put the date in your calendar, and start a training plan 4 months in advance. Start out by running 4 miles, increase your long run distance each week, and before you know it, 26 will feel attainable.

Whatever your fitness goals are, you have the power to accomplish them! Let’s make 2019 the best one yet. Cheers!

More fitness resolution tips:

• 6 Tips to Create a Healthy, Fitness Lifestyle
• 1 Week Fitness Reset Challenge
• What to Know When Your Goals Feel Out of Reach
• 3 Genius Strategies to Achieve Your Fitness Goals