No matter how determined we are to make positive life-style changes, our New Year’s fitness resolutions frequently lose energy by mid-winter. Firm intentions to diet, exercise or quit smoking frequently melt down before the first spring thaw. An understanding of your Sun sign can help keep you on track and increase your chances of success.

Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn Resolutions

The cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn) begin new activities with great enthusiasm, but may have trouble following through. If you're a member of this group, your inclination is to jump right in with enthusiasm, do a double workout, go on a 600-calorie diet and quit smoking all at the same time. You'll do fine too, until the novelty wears off or you experience a little success. Then you're likely to become bored and completely lose interest.

To succeed in keeping your New Year's resolutions, you must rediscover your motivation and begin again, sometimes on a daily basis. Positive affirmations and frequent variation in routines work best. If you're a cardinal sign, try exercising in different settings and alter your low-cal diet frequently.

Vary your routine and substitute competitive sports activities for some workouts. You'll also find inspiration when you compete against another individual. Find a smoking-cessation buddy and put money in a mutual pot each week. If one of you begins smoking again, the other wins the pot!

Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius Resolutions

Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius) have lots of staying power. They will adopt positive behaviors if convinced of the benefits. If you belong to the fixed sign group, you are more likely than the other signs to keep your New Year's resolutions.

However, since change is not your forte, you may have difficulty abandoning well-entrenched bad habits. Your lunch may be a lovely tofu salad followed by a double chocolate ice cream sundae, and you'll be tempted to power walk straight over to the tobacco shop. Once positive results are canceled out, you may easily become discouraged and forget about tofu forever.

Make a conscious effort to eliminate some negative behaviors for several weeks before trying to integrate your New Year's resolutions into your daily routine. During this period of release, frame your affirmations in positive terms. Your subconscious mind will accept the affirmations, "I am smoke free!" or "I relinquish my negative diet!" and help you discard negative habits.

Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces Resolutions

Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces) are flexible enough to try a wide variety of approaches to keeping their New Year's resolutions. Not surprisingly, if your Sun falls in one of these signs, you're a natural generalist with many interests and options for self-improvement. Unfortunately, your adaptability can sometimes undermine your good intentions.

You may do so many different things for such short periods of time that it's difficult to achieve the effects you desire. When this happens, you give up and move on to a new interest. The key to making successful life-style changes for you is to focus on a limited number of target areas, not twenty. Begin working on one resolution at a time. Should this be exercise, get your walking program up to speed first, then sign up for an aerobics class several months later.

Also review your daily routine carefully. If necessary, eliminate some activities to allow ample time for your health maintenance program. Stick to your routine long enough to see results. Mutable signs that smoke should adopt a natural diet at least three weeks before quitting and perform only moderate exercise until they're smoke-free.

This is the year you can do it! Happy New Year!