Health

5 Ways to Stay Motivated
By Michael O'Shea, PARADE

New Year's resolutions can become distant memories by the end of February. Here are five ways to keep a good thing going.

1. Wear a Pedometer
Studies suggest that exercisers who wear one of these little gizmos stay more active than those who don't. Pedometers attach to the waistband of your pants and count the number of steps you take throughout the day. Experts agree that you should shoot for 10,000 steps daily. "It's a concrete way to measure how much activity you've done and to get you to step it up when you're falling short," says Suzanne Schlosberg, author of The Ultimate Workout Log.

2. Ink It, Don't Think It
"Maintaining a log that lists your workouts makes you more committed to exercise," says Schlosberg. It's common for people to overestimate how much they exercise, so a log keeps you honest and psychs you up by charting your successes. And what if you have skipped a few workouts? Writing it down can guilt you into sticking to your routine the week after.

3. Partner Up
"Finding someone to work out with is a powerful tool to get yourself off the couch," says Jillian Michaels, author of Winning by Losing: Drop the Weight, Change Your Life. A partner forces you to be accountable to someone else when you don't want to exercise-and also makes a workout more fun. Can't find a partner? Ask an e-mail buddy to send you reminders to get moving during the week.

4. Be a Morning Person
Exercisers who work out in the a.m. are more likely to do it regularly. "At 6 or 7 at night, working out is the last thing on your mind-you want to eat dinner and spend time with your family," says Schlosberg. Morning exercise provides additional motivation: You feel energetic the rest of the day and have a sense of accomplishment knowing that your workout is done.

5. Treat Yourself
"Rewarding yourself after meeting a goal will help you stick with working out," says Michaels. If you've hopped on the bike or walked a mile three times a week, find something-other than food-to reward yourself with. "It could be a manicure and pedicure, a new dress if you lost 5 pounds or just some private time in a bubble bath," adds Michaels. Tailor the reward to the size of the goal you've achieved.