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You made your resolutions with the best of intentions — but it can be awfully hard to change both recent habits and years-long patterns of behavior. Want to keep your goals from becoming nothing but empty promises?

We have some practical suggestions for making your best intentions a part of your daily life.

Stay fit and healthy: Find a friend to work out with, take a walk at lunch, join a gym. Fitness trackers help you to monitor your health, and some involve an online community, so you can keep each other motivated.

Lose weight: Make healthier choices by including more fruits and vegetables in your diet and eliminating unhealthy foods. Portion control is important, too. Sadly, metabolism shifts over time, so you will need to eat less as you get older.

Get organized: Take a few minutes at the beginning of each day to make a list of your priorities. At the end of the day, review your activities to see how you’ve done and what you will need to add to tomorrow’s list.

Save more, spend less: Make a budget to stay on track financially. Our state affiliate’s website offers help.

Enjoy life to the fullest: Travel more, read more, make time to do the things you love.

Social networks — the real ones — are important! Spend more time with family and friends, get to know some new colleagues or neighbors. These networks can add years to your life and much joy.

Quit smoking: Get support! Here is a program that is free and uses nicotine medications.

Drink less or stop entirely if drinking has become a problem. This simple four-question test at can help you identify if you’ve developed a problem.

Read additional resources on the above topics.