But judging by the statistics that emerge every year about just how few resolutions actually stick, it’s fair to assume that many of those new habits didn’t make it past February.

One reason why our fitness-related resolutions often don’t have staying power, according to certified personal trainer Emily Decker, CPT: “When you’re making a goal, and not taking the body into account, if the goal doesn’t work out, the body is usually the first place we go for blame. But we didn’t ask what the body wanted in the first place.”

For this reason, Decker recommends looking inward rather than outward if you’re considering a change. “There will be a lot of things being sold to you in the next couple of weeks,” she says. “I would pay more attention to what your body is asking for. How is it that you want to feel?”

While the right New Year’s resolution will be different for every person—that is, if you choose to make one at all—Decker and fellow personal trainer Michael Ulloa, CPT, have some suggestions that may surprise you. And whatever you do, says Ulloa, “don’t start the year thinking you’re going to overhaul everything at the same time,” he says. “That’s usually when things are short-lived.”

1. Cleanse your fitness social media diet

Ulloa generally isn’t a fan of diets or cleanses. But there’s one New Year’s cleanse he does endorse, and it involves taking a look at what kind of fitness-related messaging you’re getting from your social media feeds. “I think people underplay how important social media is in the longevity of any fitness or nutrition goals,” he says.

In addition to making sure any fitness influencers you follow have the credentials to back up the information they’re sharing with you, Ulloa recommends noticing how their content makes you feel. “Before I did this, I was following so many accounts that didn’t motivate me, didn’t make me feel good about my body, didn’t provide any positive impact to my life,” he says. “Think: Is this serving me in the way that I want it to?”

Once you’ve unfollowed the accounts that don’t align with your fitness goals, Ulloa suggests making an effort to follow fitness educators “who are part of a different demographic or look a different way than the mainstream fitness industry tells us we have to look,” he says. “I don’t want just white, straight, slim fitness influencers on my page, because that’s when we start thinking that’s what health and fitness has to look like. But healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes.”

2. Ditch the “all or nothing” mindset

We’ve all been there: You’re following some sort of training plan, but end up skipping a day because you’re not feeling it. Instead of picking it back up the next day, you either feel like you’ve already failed and give up entirely, or double down by trying to make up your missed workout. For Decker, this kind of behavior is indicative of an “all or nothing” mindset that she says doesn’t really serve our fitness goals or our bodies.

“When we’re approaching movement with a sense of walking a middle path, it can take it out of a very cerebral place of, ‘this is what it looks like when I’m on track, and this is what it looks like when I’m off track,’” she says. “The body doesn’t know when we’re ‘on track’ or ‘off track.’ So if we commit to walking a middle path, we’re training the mind to be more flexible, and getting that body memory of doing movement, even if it’s a little bit of movement. Anything that puts us in perfectionist categories can take away from the ultimate intention, which is just to move the body.”

Similarly, Ulloa warns against the fitness challenges that are popular in January that may have you hitting a certain number of steps every day, or following a prescribed daily workout plan. “If you’re starting off your fitness journey with something that is quite rigid, that can actually have a negative impact,” he says. “Before you know it, you’re hating movement, and you can’t wait for it to end. I’m always of the opinion that we should start conservative and think about what we can sustain long-term.”

“The goal isn’t to be perfect at this new thing, but to approach it with humility and curiosity and as a way to connect more to yourself.” —Emily Decker, CPT

3. Try something new

Incorporating a new form of movement into your fitness routine can have benefits for both your body and mind, says Decker, especially if you approach it with a beginner’s mindset. “The goal isn’t to be perfect at this new thing, but to approach it with humility and curiosity and as a way to connect more to yourself,” she says.

Plus, having variety in our fitness routine can ensure that we’re moving through different planes of motion and keeping our bodies balanced. For instance, if walking or running is your main form of exercise, consider adding kickboxing or yoga, says Decker.

4. Create a “starting line” ritual

Sometimes, the most challenging part of a workout is getting to the beginning of it. To give yourself the boost you need to get to the starting line of your workout, Decker recommends adding some form of pleasure or joy to getting out the door. “Maybe you’re going to have your delicious sports drink or iced coffee that you’re going to take out the door with you, or as soon as you get in your car you’re going to listen to this song,” she says.

5. Stop sleeping on walking

“There’s a weird trend in the fitness industry at the moment of people criticizing walking because it’s not seen as enough,” says Ulloa. “A lot of times we glorify things like CrossFit and Hyrox that are really intense. I want to encourage people to stay away from that kind of advice as much as possible because walking is one of the most beneficial things people can do, and most people are not walking or moving their body enough in general. If you just increase the general amount of movement you’re doing, that is one of the best barometers of health, so definitely start with that.”

6. Find your fitness community

“Community is so important,” says Ulloa. “But when we say ‘community,’ some people start to panic, because maybe they don’t like exercising in big groups or around other people.”

While your fitness crew might look like a run club or the regulars at your yoga class, it can also look like meeting a friend for a weekly walk, an online community where you can celebrate your wins, or a personal trainer who you can learn from. “There are so many ways to make exercise more enjoyable, more sociable, and more sustainable,” he says. “Having someone keeping you on track, your chances of success are so much higher.”

Decker agrees, and encourages trying out different movement communities to see what feels like a fit. “It’s not about ‘how do I get myself to stick to this thing forever,’ but ‘does this feel like the place where I can challenge myself and be supported?’” she says.