Do you have trouble sticking to your goals? Then it's probably time for a new approach. Keep the pounds off for good with these weight training, cardio and clean eating tips.

Get Outside The Box

• Take a new fitness class. Changing the skills you work on – for example, learning a new Zumba move this week, practicing your lotus pose next week – will improve the way your brain processes all the movements, researchers report in a recent issue of Neuroscience.
• Experiment with a new vegetable, such as maca, a radish-like root vegetable. “It’s a rich source of steroid-like compounds that promote quick regeneration of fatigued muscle tissue,” explains Brendan Brazier, author of Thrive (Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2008) and formulator of the plant-based health food company Vega. “If you add maca to your diet, you’ll be able to lift more weight and recover faster.”
• Train like a triathlete – even if you never plan to enter a triathlon. A new study published in Radiology has found that the combination of swimming, cycling and running is the best for heart health.
• Try mornings. Set a fit tone for your whole day by performing a light cardio warm-up and just 15 minutes of body-weight exercise in your bedroom before getting on with the rest of the items on your “to do” list.

Shake Up Your Weights Routine

• Start your workout with a different exercise than usual. Simply switching around the order of your regular routine can stimulate both your muscles and your mind, according the American Council on Exercise (ACE).
• Save your favorite move for last. You’ll be a lot less likely to quit midway through a workout if you’re looking forward to an exercise you enjoy.
• Beat boredom. Instead of relying on machines, add in a combination of dumbbell, resistance-band and body-weight moves to hit your muscles from multiple angles, using different modalities.

Make It Social

• With your BFF. Try out each other’s gyms by looking into free guest passes. A change of scenery (and different equipment!) can be refreshing.
• With your guy. Sign up for a calorie-blasting winter sport such as snowboarding or skiing, or check out the local skate rink or toboggan hill.
• With your sister. Sign up for a 10K, join a soccer league together or make a fitness bet – who can do more pull-ups (loser makes the protein shakes). Whatever gets your competitive juices flowing.
• With your coworker. Hit the treadmill together on your lunch break. Cover your display screens, set the timer for 30 minutes and see who burns more calories. Winner treats the other to a clean lunch the next day!