The key to staying committed to getting in shape is creating an exercise habit. Here's a perfect program to make that happen.

Was "getting in better shape" atop your list of New Year's resolutions again this season? Then we've got the workout to keep you on the fitness fast track.

The exclusive eight-week program, designed by Michelle and Phil Dozois of Breakthru Fitness Studio in Pasadena, Calif., is loaded with the key ingredients for creating an exercise habit. Easy-to-follow moves eliminate the intimidation factor and set you up for workout success. Quick results keep you coming back. After four weeks, when your body and mind are ready to up the ante, you'll progress to more challenging variations on the moves you've been doing; by keeping boredom at bay and fostering progress, you'll see more tone and definition and feel more energetic. Consider this your New Year's secret for staying on track. In just eight weeks, your body and mind will practically crave the feeling that exercise can give you and it's something you'll want to stick with for good.

Strength For Phase 1, do 2 sets of 8-12 reps. Increase weight by 5 percent, beginning with the 5th workout, and then every 3rd or 4th workout. For Phase 11, do 3 sets of 10-15 reps, upping the weight as you progress. Rest 1 minute between sets. PHASE l/1 Machine chest press Sit, back against pad, knees bent, feet flat. Contract abs. Hold handles wider than shoulder width; press forward until arms are straight over midchest [A]. Bend elbows out and back to 90 degrees [B]. Return to start. Suggested weight: 20-40 pounds PHASE ll/1 Incline dumbbell press Lying on an incline bench adjusted at 45 degrees, hold dumbbells over midchest arms straight, palms forward. Bend elbows out and down to 90 degrees [shown]. Press back up. Suggested weight: 5-15 pounds in each hand. Muscles worked. chest, front of shoulders and triceps PHASE l/2 Seated stack row Sit erect, knees bent, feet flat, abs tight, chest lightly touching pad. Grasp handles at shoulder height, palms facing in [A]. Pull elbows back and toward rib cage [B]. Slowly straighten arms. Suggested weight: 20-50 pounds PHASE ll/2 One-arm seated cable row Sit on a stability ball facing a low cable machine, single handle attached, knees slightly bent, f ee t flat. Bend forward at hips, hold handle in one hand; sit erect, arm extended, palm facing in. Squeeze shoulder blades together, bend elbow back to rib cage [shown]. Straighten arm; do reps. Switch arms. Suggested weight: 15-25 pounds. Muscles worked. midback, rear shoulders and biceps

PHASE l/3 Leg press Adjust the back pad of a leg press machine to a 45-degree angle, then lie with your back against the pad, abdominals tight. Place feet on foot plate about hip-width apart, toes pointing forward. Press plate away with legs straight and unlock safety rails [A]. Keeping body weight toward heels, bend knees to a 90-degree angle [B]. Use hip and thigh muscles to straighten legs. Suggested weight: 45-175 pounds PHASE ll/3 One-legged leg press Sit on leg-press machine with one foot on the foot plate, in line with your hip. Place the other foot on the floor in front of the seat. Do this exercise like the regular leg press in Phase 1, but using one leg at a time [shown]. Suggested weight: 45-135 pounds. Muscles worked: buttocks, quadriceps and hamstrings PHASE l/4 Shoulder press Sit with your back against the pad, abdominals contracted, chest lifted. Grasp handles with overhand grip, elbows bent at 90 degrees and facing forward. Use your shoulder muscles to press the handles up and straighten arms [A]. Slowly lower until your elbows are even with your shoulders [B] and repeat. Suggested weight: 5-25 pounds PHASE ll/4 Dumbbell shoulder press Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand, elbows bent at shoulder height, palms in. Keeping abdominals tight, press dumbbells upward, straightening arms [shown], then lower dumbbells until your elbows are even with your shoulders. Repeat. Suggested weight: 5-10 pounds. Muscles worked: front and middle shoulders and upper back

Balance & Stability For Phase 1, do 2 sets of 15-20 reps. For Phase 11, progress to 3 sets of 15-20 reps. PHASE l/5 Stability bridge Lie on your back, knees bent, heels touching the floor, toes lifted, arms at your sides [A]. Use your hip, thigh and torso muscles to lift your pelvis until your body forms one line from your shoulders to your knees [B]. Slowly lower yourself to starting position. PHASE ll/5 Stability ball bridge Lie on your back, heels on top of a stability ball, knees slightly bent, arms at your sides. Do the same bridge exercise as i n Phase 1, maintaining your balance by pressing your heels down onto the ball [shown]. Slowly lower to starting position. Muscles worked: buttocks, hamstrings, quadriceps, abdominals and spinal erectors PHASE l/6 Rolled-towel knee pull Poll up a thick beach towel. Lie on your back with rolled towel along length of your spine, arms at sides, palms down. Lift and bend knees at 90 degrees, so your lower legs are parallel to the floor [A]. Contracting abs for stability, bring hips and knees in toward ribs, maintaining balance on towel [.B] Slowly return to starting position. PHASE ll/6 Rolled-towel alternate knee pull Lie on the towel in same position as in Phase I [A], but with hands just below your knees. From bent-knee position, pull one knee toward chest, extending other leg at about a 45-degree angle as you inhale [shown]. Exhale and switch legs. Continue to alternate for all reps. Muscles worked: abdominals and spinal erectors

Stretch & Relaxation This is the cool-down part of your program. Each move includes instructions on stretching times and reps. PHASE 1/7 Seated glute stretch Sitting on the edge of a bench, extend one leg in front of you while crossing the opposite ankle on top of your thigh, near the knee [A]. Keeping your back long, bend forward from your hips until you feel a stretch in your lower back and hips [B]. Hold the stretch for 20 seconds and repeat on the other side. PHASE 11/7 Seated glute stretch Hold the same stretch you did in Phase I for 30-40 seconds on each side. Muscles stretched: buttocks, hip rotators, lower back and hamstrings PHASE 1/8 Pilates saw Sit on the floor with your legs open in a comfortable "V" position, your arms out at shoulder height, and your palms facing forward [A]. With your abdominals tight, sit tall and rotate your torso to face your left leg, reaching forward with a long back to slide the outside of your right palm slowly down the outside of your left thigh to reach for your left pinkie toe [B]. Pause briefly, then slide your palm back up your thigh, returning to upright position. Rotate to face the other leg; repeat. Do 4 reps on each side. PHASE 11/8 Pilates saw Do 6 reps of the same stretch you did in Phase I on each side. Muscles stretched: hamstrings, torso and backs of shoulders

STICK-WITH-IT STRATEGIES FOR FITNESS SUCCESS
By Angela Haynes

About this time every year, many of our self-improvement resolutions center around changing our lifestyle habits. Yet even when we have the best intentions, our resolutions are often circling the drain by about Feb. 15, as we revert to ingrained behavior patterns.

Sure, we'd all be fit, healthy and energetic if we could just get into the habits of exercising regularly and eating nutritious foods, and break the habit of downing a pint of Rocky Road in front of the TV instead of taking an afterdinner walk. But why is it so difficult to cultivate good new patterns and break bad old ones? "Humans were designed to habituate," says Roger Walsh, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the University of California, Irvine. "Our brains are wired that way." It's habitual behaviors like eating and sleeping, after all, that keep humans surviving as a species.

While these two behaviors are instinctual, most of our habits are learned, often in childhood and from repetition. It's been said that a habit is like a sheet of paper: Once it has been creased, it tends to fall into the same fold. But even if your habits are as plentiful as folds in a triple A map, you can learn new ones.

Just don't attempt to change them all at once. A grand scheme to quit smoking, drinking, eating junk food and being a couch potato simultaneously is likely doomed to failure. Pick one habit and focus on it. Decide which will be most encouraging to you: to master the hardest or the easiest one first. When that habit is entrenched, tackle the next one.

Also, be specific. Instead of vowing to "eat better," for example, determine to eat more fruits and vegetables daily for a month, then to have wellbalanced breakfasts and then to make menu plans.

Set yourself up to succeed
First, arrange your environment to support your desired new habit, and remove sources of temptation that perpetuate the old one. If you're trying to quit eating so much ice cream, for example, don't keep any in the freezer. Ask your friends and family for their support. Or, if you suspect they might not bolster your efforts or even sabotage them, keep your plans to yourself. You might want to "bribe" yourself by setting up a system of rewards. Do whatever it takes to stack the odds in your favor.

You'll also have to be staunchly resolute until you've established your new habit. "Make no exceptions for the first month," Walsh says. It's easy to convince yourself that just one cookie, just one missed workout, doesn't count. Psychologists say it's like dropping a ball of yarn you're trying to wind: It quickly unravels. Only when you've broken your habit of eating a pint of ice cream every night is it safe to enjoy an occasional serving.

Reinforce your new habit
It isn't the act of starting a habit that counts; it's the routine. Doing something new can be hard at first, but with repetition it becomes easier and, eventually, automatic. As a bonus, you'll likely reach a point when this new activity is no longer difficult, it's actually enjoyable. You'll look forward to having fresh fruit for dessert instead of regarding it a poor second choice to ice cream.

Making substitutions can help you during this stage because many habits are attached to other activities - eating while studying, for example. You might be most inclined to slip when you find you can't concentrate on your books without snacking. So instead of trying to give up eating completely, switch to fruit or air-popped corn. Changing habits is not about deprivation. But be mindful when substituting one habit for another. Although the end result is for habits to become automatic, while you're in the process of changing you must think about them: It's when you are not paying attention that you're most likely to lapse.

The moment you wake up is a great time to reaffirm your resolution to change, Walsh says. Throughout the day, when temptations prod you to backslide, stop, relax and take a few deep breaths. Consider the consequences of your actions, then do what you know is best for you.

Angela Hynes is a free-lance writer based in Los Angeles.

KEEP YOUR WORKOUTS FROM WANING
by Tracy Teare

To stay on track with your exercise, top fitness experts offer these hints: Be Specific. Determine what you're going to do, when and where you'll do it and keep these factors consistent. "Don't leave any wiggle room when building this habit," says James E. Loehr, Ed.D., mental-training guru for athletes, of LGE Performance Systems, Orlando, Fla. "Wing it, and it'll take much longer to anchor"

Create a Compelling Atmosphere. "Make exercise more fun and doable," Loehr says. Find a location where you feel comfortable and that you can get to easily; choose a time that suits you; pack your gear the night before; obligate yourself by arranging to meet a friend; bring rousing music.

Goal-Tend. Focus on the process, not the outcome. "Set weekly mini-goals, such as to work out three times, rather than to lose 5 pounds," says Phil Dozois, co-owner of Breakthru Fitness Studio. "The results will motivate you to continue."

Celebrate Successes. All the little victories - finishing 20 reps when last week you could only do 15, graduating to Phase ll - bring you closer to your overall goal. Track them in a journal and reward them with new clothes or a foot massage.

Get Support. Share your workout plans with co-workers, friends and family. Once the word is out, you'll feel more obligated to follow through. Better yet, recruit a workout - partner to cement your commitment and keep your spirits up.

Be Realistic. Don't expect to nail this overnight. The "acquisition stage" lasts 30-60 days. Plan for that and it'll be here before you know it. - T.T.

Tracy Teare is a Shape contributing editor.