MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – It’s time to kick start those New Year’s resolutions to live healthier.

Many of us out there start strong, but then our fitness plan goes out the window after a couple months or even just a few days. Between jobs, families and whatever else keeps us busy, our health sometimes takes a backseat when it should be front and center.

We have some help for you to achieve your goals this year. We all want to work out more and exercise more often, but it’s more about living healthier in general and setting realistic goals.

Whether it’s at a health club or in your home gym, experts at Life Time Fitness in St. Louis Park said one of the keys is having goals that you can actually reach.

“You’ve got to start out slow. You have to have systematic steps in order to get to that long-term goal. It doesn’t happen overnight,” said Sarah Hankel with Life Time Fitness. “We need to be patient and positive and know that we’re moving in the right direction.”

There also has to be a sense of accountability when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. There needs to be a way you can track that you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing.

Hankel said a few keys are writing down your goals and making a commitment to some change happening. It always helps to meet your friends for a workout, but how do we make it fun?

Hankel says emphasize using your own bodyweight to emphasize making changes. The routine should include attending fitness classes and getting your friends to come along. Start out with doing lower-body exercises and then switch to upper-body. Hankel says it’s a short step towards a long-term goal.

Hankel says the most important thing of all is to do something you like when it comes to working out. If you try something you know you’re going to dread, you’ll have a tendency to quit early.