As 2014 begins, many people are looking to achieve the goals they’ve set as part of their New Year’s resolutions.

For those who have vowed to get fit in 2014, knowing how to find the proper motivation can help.

“The second week of January is definitely when we see people, you know, the influx of people once the kids are back to school and things have started to settle in a little bit, we get a lot of people,” says Dartmouth-based personal trainer Laurissa Manning.

While promising at first, Manning says newly-dedicated gym-goers don’t always last.

“Then, by Valentine’s, they’re gone,” says Manning. “So, that’s when we try to do extra things to try to motivate people and keep them going a little bit longer.”

Dr. David Mensink is a psychologist at Dalhousie University. He says understanding the different kinds of motivation can help you stick to your resolutions.         

“Positive motivators are things you really want to do,” says Mensink. “You’re really keen and you want to achieve these goals. Negative is you’re doing it to prevent something bad from happening.”

When it comes to fitness, Mensink suggests taking the focus off the negative, such as exercising to avoid weight gain, instead ensuring you are doing something positive that you enjoy.

“Maybe running isn’t the best thing for everybody, but I could work out in the gym on the machines,” says Mensink.

Manning agrees and always encourages clients to find their favourite workout.

“January is the perfect time to sample lots of different classes or just different activities and find something that you like. If you are a person who doesn’t like anything, then stick with it at least for six to eight weeks and then sometimes, it grows on you after a while.”

Rewarding yourself for tiny accomplishments is a good way to stay motivated toward achieving your goal. It is also important not to get discouraged if you have a setback.

“Part of rewarding is being able to look beyond, ‘well I fell off, I said I was going to do this and I didn’t do that’ and that is OK. I’ll stick with my plan and I’ll reward myself when I do it,” says Mensink.

“Sometimes, it’s just enough of a reward to see the actual results of your hard work,” says Manning.

Both Manning and Mensink say it’s also important to set smaller goals that are more realistic, rather than larger, ambitious goals.

Writing goals down, sharing them with others and reviewing them regularly can also keep you on the right track.