New Year's Day. Sigh. It's all about looking forward ... and bemoaning our burgeoning behinds. It's about uplifting motivation ... and depressing deprivation. It's a day for reflecting on the past year ... and promising to do better in the new one. And of course, it's a time for resolving, before self and others, to make 2007 the year we reach the goals that have eluded us in the past.

The most common New Year's resolutions seem to be: Lose weight, exercise more, eat better, get organized, quit smoking.

Those who succeed with their resolutions often use the acronym S.M.A.R.T. when establishing goals. It stands for: specific, motivating, achievable, rewarding, tactical.

Forget "I'm going to lose weight"; instead, say: "I will lose 12 pounds by my birthday, April 16." Edit "I will exercise every day and enter a body-building competition in the fall," to read: "I will work out three days a week, combining cardio and weight training, and will be able to bench-press 125 pounds by June."

During the past few years, I have written 80 fitness profiles. Each offers insight into what has motivated one individual to reach a specific personal goal. In looking toward 2007, I reviewed many of those profiles and found seven recurring ideas. Here they are, in the hope that they will help you succeed with whatever resolutions you have chosen for 2007.

Specific fitness goals are more likely to be the ones you actually can achieve

Reach Paula Rath at paularath@aol.com.