MOSES LAKE — It’s so common it’s become a January cliche, the New Year resolution that this is going to be the year when everything changes. This will be the year to establish a regular exercise regimen and develop healthier eating habits.

Yes, this is the year – and then the sun comes out and it gets warmer and the days get longer, and it turns out a person can only eat so much fish and steamed broccoli. So the challenge is making it easier to stick with the goal once the first resolution fades.

Local fitness center managers said the most successful way to approach it is to recognize it’s going to take a while to get to the goal. “Most of the time it’s a long-term commitment. And it’s a lifestyle change,” said Jose Zambrano, manager at the South Campus Athletic Club in Moses Lake. And long-term results start with small steps. “It’s good to take it slow,” Zambrano said. “It’s not going to change overnight.”

Jeff Dalrymple, manager at Anytime Fitness in Moses Lake, said he went hard-core lifestyle change. “I used to be 285 pounds,” he said, and he worked to get his weight down. "I changed everything," he said, and he got his weight down to 165 pounds over the space of nine months. “And I was angry the whole time.”

His perspective changed after a serious traffic accident, he said. When he got back to the gym he had learned, he said, that small changes will add up over time.

Dalrymple included one cheat day in his healthier diet, he said. “And that cheat day was decadent when I first started,” he said, but over time he didn’t want the decadent foods as often.

When deciding to join a fitness facility, “the first step is research,” Zambrano said. It’s crucial to find a place where it feels like the staff and other patrons aren’t judging. “If people don’t feel like they’re having fun when they’re working out, or they don’t feel welcome, they won’t stick with it,” he said.

Most fitness facilities (including South Campus) will let people come in and look at the place, Zambrano said. “It’s a little intimidating, especially on the first day,” he said. Dalrymple said a staff member conducts a tour for new gym members, explaining what the machines do – and just as important, “show(ing) you how not to use them. I didn’t know everything when I walked in, and I remember that feeling."

Fitness center patrons shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions, Zambrano said, both before and after they join. Trainers and other fitness center patrons will have advice when the workout has become boring or hit a plateau.

Zambrano recommended hiring a trainer, if possible. A trainer costs more, but can provide information, encouragement and ideas, he said, and the benefits will be lifelong. Some fitness facilities will make payment arrangements for trainer services, he said.

Both Dalrymple and Zambrano said one way to make it easier to stay with the fitness program is to work out with somebody else. “Have a buddy do it with you. Have a friend to rely on,” Dalrymple said.