If you’re like millions of Americans, you not only made resolutions for a better 2009, you pledged to lose weight before the year comes to an end. If so, good for you!

As many have come to find out, however, keeping that resolution isn’t always so easy. Here are a few tips that will help you stick to the resolution and have you in shape by the time your neighborhood pools open this spring!

Set Attainable Goals

It certainly won’t do anything for your confidence if you are aiming for unreachable goals, because you will inevitably fail and quit trying. The easiest solution? Set ambitious goals that you know are possible. Sure, it would be great to shed 40 pounds by mid-February, but results like that are extremely rare and, if not carefully monitored by a physician, can be dangerous.

Set Benchmarks

Since the biggest goal in your weight loss is often months away, figure out ways to measure your success as you go. It’s easy to lose motivation when the results are so far away, because the goal seems abstract. It is much easier, however, to challenge yourself to a certain number of exercise sessions each week, or see how many days each week you can stick to a low-calorie diet. Another great way is to set goals for weight loss every couple weeks or by month. Breaking the bigger goal into smaller ones helps you actualize the efforts you must take each day and you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment each time you meet them, further reinforcing your positive behavior.

Reward Yourself

Find non-food rewards to indulge in, and don’t allow yourself to stray from them only once you’ve met a benchmark goal. Some examples may be a shopping trip, new book, or massage only when you’ve exercised 5 times in the week.

Tell Everyone You Know

Telling friends and family about your goals creates a sense of accountability that will help motivate you to accomplish it. It’s much harder to fail several people’s expectations than just your own, and you may even get an extended support network to help you out along the way.

As you probably already know, aerobic, or “cardio” workouts are an essential tool for any weight loss program. Recent studies, however, indicate that incorporating anaerobic workouts, like lifting weights, can help you reach your weight loss goals as well.

Every muscle in the human body requires energy to move, and when you work out, you lose weight by using more energy to move more muscles. Weight training helps burn more calories by building muscle mass, so the tissue being exercised by lifting weights becomes bigger and stronger.

Larger muscles require more energy to move. Therefore, when you workout with increased muscle mass, you are actually burning more calories during your workout than you would with smaller muscles.

Incorporate weight training into your cardio workout by carrying a set of dumbbells, or use a “circuit training” method that alternates aerobic and anaerobic exercises for the maximum fat-burning effect. An example of a circuit training workout might include five-minute sprints between pushups, abdominal crunches, and weight lifting exercises.

By maximizing your workout, you can spend less time achieving the body you want. An additional bonus of weight training for weight loss is that your everyday movements like going to work, preparing dinner, and the rest will also be burning more calories per hour as your increased muscle mass requires a few extra calories as well. So be sure to incorporate weight training as a part of your workout plan to achieve weight loss results a little faster.

Exercise doesn’t have to cost a lot. Here are some easy ways you can get your daily exercise without busting open the piggybank:

Jumping Rope

You can usually find one of these handy workout aides/childhood toys for just a few bucks, yet the quality of the exercise is hard to beat. You’ll be sweating in no time with this intense, beneficial cardio workout that you can do in your living room.

Resistance Tubing

These are essentially large rubber bands with large workout upside. You can usually find them for less than $10, or spring for a set for less than $20. There are countless videos (or internet resources or cable shows, for even cheaper) that will teach you how to use them. You’ll get a great anaerobic workout and increase your flexibility as well. Added bonus: they’re low-impact workouts; so if you have knee, ankle, or other joint problems, this is an excellent option.

Dumbbells

Another $10 or so fix from your local retail store, dumbbells can provide a great anaerobic workout or increase the efficiency of your walk or run. Their versatility makes them excellent low-cost, high-value choices.

Walking

Sounds simple, sure, but leave the house once a day and go for a walk. Not only will you be working off a few extra calories that your couch can’t burn, but many find daily walks to help relieve stress as well, further helping you lose weight.