February 7th is the dreaded Fitness Cliff. At least according to Gold’s Gym: They mined through three years of gym member check-ins at locations across America, and found that 38 days after the ball drops is when people start to give up on their New Year’s resolutions.

New Year’s resolutions are tough to keep. Habits are hard to break, whether you’re trying to cut sugar out of your diet or do some regular exercise every week.

Make exercise work for you. Don’t waste your time doing long duration workouts that aren’t necessary. If you find yourself spending over an hour in the gym so you feel like you’re getting somewhere chances are you aren’t training at an optimal level. By dropping the traditional cardio workouts and opting for high intensity workouts using weights you’ll be amazed how quick it can take to reduce body fat. Always practice strict form with at least 40 seconds of time under tension for each exercise. Experiment with different rest intervals. Make sure intensity stays within an ideal threshold by keeping workout time short.

It’s all about finding a solution. Where diet and exercise are concerned, don’t just assume that you’ll fall into new patterns without encountering roadblocks. Experiment and test different exercise programmes, adjust and modify meals if your body gives you the wrong feedback. If you keep fine-tuning your diet and exercise you will achieve your resolution and not be in the same position this time next year.