Research indicates that a staggering 70 per cent of our New Year resolutions center on health and fitness.

That's why health clubs and gyms always do brisk business in January, a sluggish time for many other enterprises. Memberships soar as festive over-indulgers guiltily hit the treadmill in a bid to work off those excess calories.

Yet many fall by the wayside within weeks, discouraged by a lack of instant weight loss or caught up again in their busy lives.

Hairdresser Terry Tatsuyoshi is typical: "I returned to my gym at the start of January last year after overdoing things at Christmas. I was disgusted with how much weight I'd put on and tired of feeling the waist of my pants (trousers) getting tighter."

Yet that initial determination started to wane as the weeks went by: "I got lots of bookings with my work, it was cold outside and I found excuses to go less and less," she admits. Undaunted, she has already signed up for new sessions this year, determined that this time it will be different...

Health and fitness experts agree that motivation is vital to getting the results you want. A healthy dose of determination is also essential.

One survey asked people who had successfully followed a fitness regime to reveal the motivation which spurred them to embark on it.

The top responses include: The desire to shape up for summer (specifically the thought of how they'll look in bathing suits); being unhappy with the way they feel and health concerns (being told by a doctor that they need to change their lifestyles or face potentially severe consequences.)

Motivation is the first step. Next comes finding the means to the end. Health experts urge us to identify a form of exercise we like (or at least can tolerate). It might be walking, riding an exercise bike while watching TV or working out in a gym at lunch time.

Many stress the importance of integrating exercise into the daily routine: walking up a few flights of stairs instead of taking the lift or perhaps parking a little further away from the supermarket and then walking the rest of the way.

Finding an exercise partner is another excellent way to ensure your resolve stands firm. By his own admission overweight, administrator Dan Mackay at first tried swimming to help shift some weight.

"It didn't work for me because although it is good exercise, I simply got bored going up and down on my own," he said. "I realized that walking was the form of exercise I enjoy most so I started to hike at weekends with friends. Walking while you talk is a great way to exercise without really thinking about the effort.

"I also find it's a great way to relax after the working week, get some fresh air in beautiful scenery and catch up with friends."

Groups such as BJ Hikers (regularly featured in our travel pages) offer such an outlet around the capital.

Others say they need to exercise every day for a sense of continuity. German Martin Wener said: "When you have a family it's easy to get caught up with your children. But I still try and make time for exercise because it makes me feel better about myself and helps me cope with juggling family and a working life.

"I like to play indoor football with work colleagues and run a little every day when I'm not doing that."

Wener is pragmatic about the role of exercise: "If you haven't done anything for months and then you expect to change the way you look in six weeks, you're going to be disappointed. Setting goals and being realistic is essential - as well as rewarding yourself in some way when you reach your goals. The most important thing is it should be fun."

(Beijing Weekend January 9, 2003)