*Did you know less than a quarter of Australians who make New Year’s resolutions will actually keep them? This doesn’t have to be the case. 2015 can be your year!*

A study by the University of Hertfordshire in the UK found men and women have different ways of staying motivated. For men, setting specific goals, such as ‘lose five kilograms by April’, rather than just ‘lose weight’, is best. For women, telling your friends about your resolutions can help you keep them.

“Women benefit from the social support provided by friends and family,” study leader Professor Richard Wiseman said.

Whether your New Year’s resolution is to eat well, check your blood glucose levels more often, drink less, exercise more, read more, understand your diabetes better or to simply spend more time with family and friends – the key could be writing your goals down, telling your loved ones and making your goals SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time specific. Having a goal to simply improve your fitness is too simple. Try something like: “Be able to jog 5km in 40 minutes by Easter.”

Before making your resolutions ask yourself the following questions:

• What do I want to change and by when?
• Why must I make this change?
• What are the steps I need to take?
• Who can support me?
• How will I motivate myself?

We asked followers on our Facebook and Twitter what their New Year’s resolutions were, these were the most popular responses:

• Quit smoking
• Be grateful for what I have
• Cut down on iced coffee drinks
• Spend more time with family
• Get fit