For many, this time of year is dedicated to working away at your New Year's Resolution. For some, they may have already given up, but for others, it's just the beginning of what can be a big change. 

Whether your resolutions involve, health, fitness, work, family or anything in between, it can be hard to stay the course and see your goal through the year.  Mandi Mazer is Personal Trainer and Nutrition coach at Iron Bar Fitness. She has some helpful tips on anyone with goals for 2019.

"For me, I'm a big goal-setter. I set goals every year, but the first thing I do before I set my goals is I look back to the past year and reflect on it. I write down what I was grateful for and what was really good that happened in that year," Mazer said. "So when you do go to set your goals, you're in that positive state of mind and not in a state of guilt. A lot of people go into a new year feeling guilty. They're like, 'I'm not where I want to be on January 1,' especially after the Holiday season."

Feelings of guilt and feelings of failure can often overcome people early on in the year. Thoughts of missing a day or failing their objectives for a few days in a row can dampen the spirit of people. 

"It's okay to fail. I don't think that's something many people think about," Mazer noted. "We're in a constant state of change, things happen in life. It's okay to fail and then get back into it. Then fail and get back into. That's not actually failing if you get back into it and I think that's the biggest mistake people make."

She wants everyone to stay positive about their goals, no matter how big or small they are. Getting down on yourself and quitting is what can happen before your year even really gets going.

Mazer has one important piece of advice that can be a difference-maker. 

"I tell all my clients and classes this, you have to write your goals down," she explained. "So many people say, 'I want to get healthy, I want to go to the gym, I want to eat right, I want to lose 10 pounds,' whatever your goal is, it's really easy to say that goal out loud. But then you have to come up with an action plan, how are you actually going to achieve that goal?"

The first step is to set up a realistic plan that will help you work toward your goal. Whether that comes down to chipping away once a week or setting some personal time aside every day to work toward your personal milestones. 

"I think that's where a lot of people fail, is when they don't have a plan written down. It's no secret, successful people write down their goals and you have to re-evaluate them. Whether it's every month or the six-month mark to see where you're at."

Getting into a new routine can be hard. Mazer points out it's much easier if you start out with a friend or other support. If you're getting into something new in 2019, it never hurts to ask or to reach out for help if you're struggling. This goes for working out, trying a new sport, learning to cook and everything else. 

Being healthy and getting fit is one of the more common goals made every year by people. Mazer says there is an influx of new people at the gym, but the hard part is sticking around. 

"One of the biggest things with health and wellness is you have to find something you love. Whether that's CrossFit, yoga, a spin class or swimming, whatever it is you have to love it. If you aren't happy doing it, it's going to be really hard to stick to it," said the personal trainer. 

The other part of a healthy lifestyle is what you're putting into your body. Mazer says processed foods are the first thing to avoid if you're trying to start fresh.

"It [health] starts in the kitchen. Eating a diet with clean animal-based proteins like steak, chicken, eggs, fish. Tons of vegetables and fruits. Getting rid of those packaged foods, the pop, the sugar and anything like that," she said. "That's the first thing people should do for their health, is cleaning out their cupboards and getting rid of the junk."

Armed with these tips and tricks hopefully 2019 can be a good year for everyone.