Want to stick to your New Year's resolutions? Start with small changes

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- With the new year comes new resolutions and for many people, that means improving your health.

"You want to do something you really know you can do," said personal trainer Rhonda Murphy. "Don't set yourself up for failure. If your goal is to lose weight how about you start with wanting to lose 5 pounds?"

Start by setting a number that's realistic for you.

"5 pounds is a big deal. If you lose it the right way you're losing fat," said Murphy. "I don't want you losing muscle or water, why even bother? If you're looking at losing 5 pounds of fat, that's exercising more and eating less."

When it comes to exercise, start by getting yourself to the gym for 30 minutes, just 3 days a week.

"What I try to do is get people to start out at least 3 days a week, shoot for 30 minutes," explained Murphy. "Why so little? 30 minutes you can get a lot done, but it's not overwhelming, it's not taking everything out of your day."

You can start to add on time to that at your own pace.

For nutrition, have a plan in place and try to make your meals ahead of time. If you need help, Rhonda recommends consulting a nutritionist or purchasing meal kits.

"It's portion-controlled and I feel like I'm doing something smarter because the fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and good proteins are already there," continued Murphy.

If you can't make it to the gym one day, not to worry, Rhonda recommends going for a walk, running or even stretching.