It's Friday night and your friends have invited you out for happy hour. But you have a spinning class tonight at the gym. Do you immediately put aside your plans to exercise and join in the fun?

Studies show that the majority of us do unless we have developed a great deal of motivation and will power.

"Commitment and hard work also play major role in helping an individual stay healthy for life," says fitness trainer and certified Lifestyle and Weight Loss coach Elinor Lucas.

Elinor explains that it takes time to form a new habit and stick to it and it's important to be patient with yourself in the beginning.

Getting in shape and staying that way involves finding the exercise you enjoy and sticking with it.

"The statistics on exercise drop out show that 50 to 65 percent of new and returning participants drop out of a physical activity regime within the initial three to six months and more than half of that dropout occurs within the first several weeks," Elinor points out.

In the beginning many new participants to exercise find they are spurred on by an initial weight loss. But then sooner or later, we all want a chocolate bar, the extra glass of wine, or the plate of calamari your friends are savouring at dinner.

Elinor suggests that people who need to lose weight should keep a food diary, which she does, to keep track of their diet. The results about what you consume in one day can be startling.

"A great idea with dieting is to save a few calories for the evening," she suggests. Most of us do tend to snack at night when we are tired or out socialising with friends and family.

Another tip to keeping on track is to make a standing date with a friend or a group to exercise. This builds motivation since you are receiving support from people who consider exercise an important part of life.

You can also go online to find healthy lifestyle community such as spark people — www.sparkpeople.com — a site with three million members who post exercise minutes, weight loss goals, and download diet plans for free. Users can also send messages to virtual trainers, dietitians and health experts for support.

Of course anyone who took part in the 2009 Live Healthy Bermuda 100 Day Challenge has access to their website for the rest of the year and can utilise the information and tools on the site to stay motivated.