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Every year as the ball drops, the masses resolve to stop smoking, eat healthier, regularly go to the gym and a plethora of other good intentions to make the upcoming year trump the previous one.

But just one month into 2011, many people who were gung-ho about not letting their resolutions slide have likely let the ball drop.

The crowds at the gym are beginning to dissipate, smokers are still sucking ’em back, and hangovers strike with a vengeance on Sunday mornings, despite vowing New Year’s Eve was the last bender.

Through his research, clinical psychologist Dr. Alan Eastman has found that a whopping 98 per cent of people who venture to make a resolution, do not follow through after a mere three weeks.

“There’s thought processes going on in our mind that we don’t know about. Unless you do hypnosis, we only know what’s going on in the conscious mind,” says Eastman, who specializes in hypnosis therapy.

Eastman believes people have the best of intentions when setting goals, but subconsciously block themselves from achieving them. This often comes from conditioning that has become so engrained throughout a person’s life that they don’t realize it still affects them.

People may also set the resolution bar too high without knowing how to reach it, which Eastman says can set them up for failure.

“To achieve goals like that or New Year’s resolutions, you really have to sit down and write them down, think about them, and list all the other small steps that you would need to take,” he says. These steps need to be kept somewhere they are visible to act as a reminder, he adds.

Amy Boyer, a certified personal trainer and owner of Evolve Fitness and Bootcamps, often sees people setting unrealistic goals for themselves in January. She advises old and new clients against New Year’s resolutions.

“Fast forward a month when situations have changed. In February, I have clients start to rethink how they are living and write down three or four small goals broken down over the long term. It puts things into perspective very quickly,” she says.

Boyer adds that a positive mindset is crucial to successful goal setting, and is just as important as taking the necessary physical steps. She says people need to surround themselves with positive peers, quotes and other encouraging reminders of their goals.

“We all have so many options and opportunities, but we have to be willing to put in the work that facilitates change. If it were easy, you would have done it already.”

If people do set resolutions and get derailed, it’s not impossible to get back on track, Boyer says, adding it shouldn’t be viewed as a failing.

“Information is power and if we pay attention to strategies of those around us who are making it work, we can take pieces from that to form our own fitness plan,” she says. “Don't give up the minute something doesn't work out for you, learn from it and try again.”

Some people steer clear of setting a resolution altogether, as hectic schedules and demanding obligations are too often a recipe for New Year’s resolution disaster.

Matthias Cox is one of those people.

“I used to make the ordinary resolutions, but now I just try to live my life like that year round. Who says you have to wait until January to start a diet or stop smoking,” Cox adds.