You start every year the same way - gung ho about a new fitness plan that will make you slim, trim and toned. But in just a few months, your enthusiasm fizzles out and you're back to your old, inactive self.

It's common to "fall off the wagon" when you're trying to make a major change like getting active, quitting cigarettes, or eating healthier. That's because it's easier and more comfortable to go back to the old, familiar way of doing things. But sticking with a healthy change is well worth the effort.

Barriers To Staying Active

Boredom is one of the main reasons people ditch their fitness routines. Let's face it - doing the same thing over and over gets old fast.

Another reason is lack of time. But if you really like doing something, you'll be more likely to make time to keep it up - and be less likely to get bored.

One of the first rules of sticking with a fitness plan is choosing an activity you enjoy. Maybe dancing lifts your spirits every time you do it. Or perhaps you love to walk because it's easy to do and gets you outdoors.

You can lose interest in even the most enjoyable activities, though, if you do them a long time. That's why varying your fitness routine also helps you stick with it.

After years of jogging and loving it, Anne Brown, 55, started to lose interest. She no longer looked forward to her daily workout. Even the music on her CD player couldn't distract her from how bored and unmotivated she felt. She started skipping days and shortening her route just to get done quicker.

Finally Anne decided to switch gears. She replaced jogging and alternated days of power walking and yoga. She became excited about exercise all over again.

If you start getting bored with your workouts, try something different or add something new. Instead of jogging every day, do it every other day. Cross train by alternating with strength-training exercises, swimming, or biking. Not only does it make your routines more interesting, it gives the muscles you use all the time a rest and works others you don't use as often.

Challenging Yourself

Sometimes a new challenge can also jump-start a fitness routine that has grown tired. Training for an athletic event, such as a triathlon, walk-a-thon, or bike-a-thon, helps you set goals you can work toward. It also can get you motivated about physical activity again, especially if you haven't been feeling results from your old routine anymore.

You can challenge yourself in other ways, too. If you walk, try a harder route - one that's longer or has more hills. If you're into strength training, add more weight or try weight machines you haven't used before.

Getting Into Social Fitness

Some people are more likely to stick with something when they have others to encourage them. A friend or group can serve as a support network, helping you achieve your fitness goals.

Having an exercise buddy also makes you accountable to someone besides yourself. You're more likely to follow through on your workout when someone else is counting on you.

And besides keeping you from getting bored, working out with others can be lots of fun. Going to a health club several times a week gives you an opportunity to make friends you look forward to seeing each time you go. Walking with a friend or coworker can give you a chance to catch up or get to know someone better.

"The [health] club is a social outlet," says Nancy Powers, 50, a mother of three who takes classes three times a week and walks once a week. "You make friends - they'll call to see where you are if you don't show up."

Rewarding Yourself

You might consider spending time with a friend as one of the "rewards" of your physical activity plan. But you can reward yourself in other ways, too. Treating yourself to something special each month - or every other month - can be a great incentive. It could be a fitness video, music CD, pedometer or other gadget, water bottle, or workout clothes - whatever you look forward to.

Try these other tips for sticking with it:

• Pace yourself. If you go at it full guns, you'll burn out. Or you'll hurt yourself, get discouraged, and quit. Prepare yourself for the long haul, start out gradually, and build up by adding small challenges as you go along.
• Be flexible. If your busy schedule means you can't manage a half-hour walk, break your workout into three, 10-minute walks. You'll be more likely to keep it up if you feel less pressured.
• Track your progress. You can see how far you've come and motivate yourself to keep going by recording your progress with a log, chart, or journal.
• Don't make excuses. Make physical activity part of your regular routine, just like going to work or brushing your teeth. Set aside time to do it. If it's raining, have a routine you can do inside - walk at the mall or work out to an exercise video. On your business trip, do calisthenics and stretching exercises in your hotel room or take walks between meetings.
• Spice it up. Make your routine more interesting by adding some lively music or a book on tape.
• Find daily opportunities for fitness. Use your legs more and the elevator and car less. Rake your leaves, wash your car, walk your dog. Doing these things yourself will add small spurts of activity to your day but also keep being active front and center in your mind.
• Make a lifetime commitment. Get married to fitness. Don't approach your routine as something you'll do until you lose 20 pounds or flatten your stomach. Tell yourself that fitness is now a permanent part of your life. Quitting isn't an option.
• Remind yourself of the benefits of being fit. Make a list and review it every time you start to lose your motivation.
• Remember that to stay fit, you have to stick with it. You don't want to lose the benefits you've gained. And it doesn't take long. Within four weeks of stopping exercise, highly trained athletes are likely to suffer a quick decline in aerobic endurance. This decline, though more moderate, also occurs in the average exerciser, according to Richard Cotton, chief exercise physiologist at the American Council on Exercise. And muscle size will begin to decrease within less than four weeks of inactivity.

Maintaining her fitness level is what motivates Barbara Boots to stick with her fitness plan. "Once you reach a certain level of fitness, you want to keep it up," says Boots, a 53-year-old fitness devotee who has been at it for more than 20 years.

Plus working out just plain feels good. "I feel so good when I'm done [working out]," says Boots, who mixes up her routine with yoga, tennis, walking, cycling, and strength and balance work. "Physical activity makes you feel great, physically and mentally."

If you stick with your fitness plan for awhile and then stop, don't give up! Maybe you need a break or to regroup. Remember that people often start and stop a change many times before they stay on track for good. The important thing is to not quit!

AARP Resources

Change Can Do You Good
With patience and persistence, you can stick with it.

Training For A Sports Event
Training for a sports event is a great exercise motivator.

Additional Resources

Keeping Your Resolution
Keeping your resolution to change requires replacing old habits with new behavior.

Tracking Your Progress
"Exercise: A Guide," by the National Institute on Aging, NASA, and the U.S. Public Health Service, has excellent daily and monthly record sheets for tracking your progress.

Books

Find these books online at Barnes & Noble.com.

The Ten Hidden Barriers to Weight Loss and Exercise: Discover Why You've Failed Before & How to Succeed Now
Lynette Menefee, Daniel Somberg, Daniel R. Somberg, New Harbinger Publications, April 2003

ACSM Fitness Book: A Proven Step-by-Step Program from the Experts
American College of Sports Medicine Sta, Human Kinetics Publishers, March 2003