Every Jan. 1, millions of Americans vow to lose weight and get in better shape this year. Since this resolution is the perennial favorite, it doesn't seem like most of them are successful. Rather than not trying hard enough, many people fail because they try too hard and set unrealistic goals. To be successful, you can't think of exercise as an unpleasant chore to get through, but as a way to improve your overall lifestyle. The best way to do this is to find activities that you really enjoy, and make doing them a priority.

The recommended level of physical activity for healthy adults is a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate activity at least five days a week. Moreover, those 30 minutes do not have to be done all at once. Even adding three 10-minute bouts of exercise every day can have noticeable health benefits, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. This is good news, because small changes are easier to stick with than huge ones. Setting aside a large chuck of time to do something you may not really want to do is a recipe for failure. Instead, promise yourself to do something for just 10 minutes. (Then do it again a few more times each day.)

Going to a gym is sort of the default way most adults approach exercise. This is great for some, but many people really, really hate this idea. That's OK—there are still plenty of other ways to be active. The goal is simply to log those 30 minutes of physical activity every day. The easiest way to fit fitness into your schedule is to be able to exercise at home. A treadmill or elliptical is a great way to squeeze in activity 10 minutes at a time. Rollers or trainer kits can convert your regular bike into an indoor workout tool. For extra incentive, choose a TV series you've always wanted to watch and promise yourself to only watch it while exercising. For real inspiration you can even watch shows on climbing Mt. Everest or training for the Tour de France while burning calories. (www.thesufferfest.com, anyone?) For more variety, check out the classes available in the local adult education catalogs. These offer relatively inexpensive introductions to a variety of activities. Just in Harvard and a few surrounding towns you can choose from aerobics, weight training, different types of yoga, Pilates, martial arts, fencing, and several genres of dance. If no class schedules work for you, look through the DVDs available through our library and interlibrary loan. There are dozens of titles to choose from. It's free, so experiment with yoga, belly dancing or boot camp-style training videos and see what you might like. Thousands more are available on the Web.

In addition to regularly scheduled exercise, commit to trying out different activities like snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. Harvard is filled with beautiful trails to play on. Head out to the woods instead of going to the mall. Go bowling instead of going to the movies. Get a friend to buy a membership to a local indoor pool with you, and meet there instead of going out to dinner. Spend an afternoon at an indoor rock-climbing gym as a fun family or social activity (www.centralrockgym.com).

Lifestyle changes must also apply to diet. Small steps can go a long way here too. Need to decrease your caloric intake? Increase the fruits and vegetables in your diet. Try substituting them for some of what you normally eat. Slice a banana or put ½ cup of berries into your cereal bowl before adding anything else. Replace half the meat in your lasagna with diced mushrooms or chopped spinach. Eat tomato soup instead of clam chowder. Add chopped broccoli or peas to a side dish of rice or pasta. Choose marinara instead of cream sauce. Toss some frozen berries, a bit of sugar and low fat milk into a blender and have a fruit smoothie instead of a bowl of ice cream. Eat an apple just before supper every night. None of these requires any difficult changes but, over time, can have real impact on your overall health.

Be sure to consult your doctor before starting any exercise program. For more fitness information visit http://sitzmarkfitness.health.officelive.com.