KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 — If you are a regular at the gym, you will find yourself standing in longer lines at the workout stations or queuing at the showers this time of the year. New sign-ups and attendance spike at popular chains such as Celebrity Fitness, Fitness First and True Fitness this time after the New Year.

But this “new-year-resolution-to-get-fitter” phase lasts a mere few months. By mid-year, the crowds would dwindle.

Yes, sticking to a New Year resolution is hard; going to the gym regularly is even more difficult, especially when you have to juggle work, family, friends and other interests. So how do you stay resolute?

For new gym members, it is important to see initial results, such as weight loss in the first few months, says Ming, a certified personal trainer at Celebrity Fitness. Otherwise they will lose motivation.

“Most of the time they do not see results because they do not know how to work out the right way, and they need someone to guide them,” he said. “Getting a personal trainer or a workout buddy gives the motivation people need to achieve their fitness goals.”

It is important to set realistic goals.

Chan Su Ling agrees. She trains at Brazilian Jiu Jit Su six times a week, three times a week on strength conditioning. 

“Instead of saying stuff like ‘I want to lose weight’, see how you can lose weight and then go from there... like increase time spent in gym by X amount,” she said. “Normally what I do is make goals/resolutions every month. That means I have 12 for the entire year. Twelve is a lot less scary than one impossible one.”

For those who do not want to sign up for a personal trainer or get a gym buddy, the Fitocracy website turns fitness into a social game. Whenever you work out, you earn points and unlock achievements. This can be motivating. It is also a support group; members encourage each other on “lazy or excuses day”.

Interest in a sport or exercise helps. Getting gold medals in Brazilian Jiu Jit Su pushes Chan to train. Find something to interest you, be it dance, yoga, basketball or anything that will help you work up a sweat.

Ming suggests buying clothes in a size that you want to fit into. When you have a physical goal that you can see, you are more likely to want to work hard towards it.

Experts say that a fit body comes from 70 per cent diet and 30 per cent exercise, but going on a fad diet is not going to promote long-term weight loss.

“When someone diets, their muscles shrink and they lose their basal metabolic rate,” says Ming, who has been working in Celebrity Fitness for the past three years. “They may lose some weight in the beginning but once they stop dieting, they bounce back to their initial weight. It is all about portion size and not about dieting.”

Well, Chinese New Year is coming up, and there will definitely be more feasting. Time to make that fitness resolution and stick to it!