Although many make the New Year’s resolution to lose weight or to get in shape, it's not always as easy as it may seem. But there are a few tools and motivational programs to help with the challenge.

One tool that can help those looking to eat healthier in the New Year is the USDA’s food tool MyPlate. In June of last year, First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack unveiled the MyPlate to serve as a reminder to help consumers make healthier food choices. MyPlate is an icon with the intent to prompt consumers to think about building a healthy plate at meal times and to seek more information to help them do that by going to ChooseMyPlate.gov. The MyPlate icon emphasizes the fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and dairy food groups.

“This is a quick, simple reminder for all of us to be more mindful of the foods that we’re eating and as a mom, I can already tell how much this is going to help parents across the country,” Obama said of the tool.

Vilsack added that with so many food options available to consumers that it is often difficult to determine the best foods to put on our plates when building a healthy meal.

“MyPlate is an uncomplicated symbol to help remind people to think about their food choices in order to lead healthier lifestyles,” he said. “This effort is about more than just giving information, it is a matter of making people understand there are options and practical ways to apply them to their daily lives.”

MyPlate has replaced the MyPyramid image as the government’s primary food group symbol as an easy-to-understand visual cue to help consumers adopt healthy eating habits consistent with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

The site also has an online tool that consumers can use to personalize and manage their dietary and physical activity choices. SuperTracker can help you plan, analyze and track your diet and physical activity. The SuperTracker can help assist individuals as they make changes in their life to reduce their risk of chronic disease and maintain a healthy weight. SuperTracker offers consumers the ability to personalize recommendations for what and how much to eat and amount of physical activity; Track foods and physical activity from an expanded database of foods and physical activities; Customize features such as goal setting, virtual coaching, weight tracking and journaling; Measure progress with comprehensive reports ranging from a simple meal summary to in-depth analysis of food groups and nutrient intake over time; and Support family and friends by adding their individual profiles.

The site also offers tools on how to eat better on a budget, nutrition tips and more.

The federal government also offers a list of simple dietary guidelines for Americans that include:
• Enjoy your food, but eat less.
• Avoid oversized portions.
• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Make at least half your grains whole grains
• Compare sodium (salt) in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower
numbers.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

The state of Alabama hosts a yearly program to encourage Alabamians to lose weight and exercise more. Scale Back Alabama is a 10-week program in which teams of four people, including a team captain, compete to see if all team members can lose at least 10 pounds or about one pound per week. Teams must maintain all four original members and each member must lose 10 pounds during the 10-week contest. Registration began Jan. 21 and runs through Jan. 27.

Participants can register as private or public and must be 18 years of age or older, live or work in Alabama, cannot have had surgery for weight-loss within the past year and must weigh in and out during the specified weeks. The program ends on April 30 and three eligible team names will be drawn to win prizes. The first team will win $1,000 per team member, the second team will win $500 per team member and the third team will win $250 per team member.

Sisters Olivia Ward and Hannah Curlee from the TV show "The Biggest Loser," will be the spokeswomen and role models for the 10-week contest. Each week all participants will receive a health tip through email with additional encouragement from the sisters.

For more information on the contest, visit scalebackalabama.com.

Complete Nutrition, a local nutritional supplement retail store, offered five tips to ensure your fitness objectives are met successfully and safely this year.
1. Set realistic goals: Be honest about your timeframe: The most important thing in any fitness plan is to do it in a healthy way. Plan for weight loss or gain to happen slowly and steadily.
2. Choose a date: Just like in horseshoes and hand grenades, timing is crucial when it comes to fitness regimens. Consider what's going on in your life before you set your start date. But once you do, make it definitive. If you have work, school or relational issues that may make your goals difficult to reach, try to resolve them before you begin.
3. Progress is key: Focus on meeting your goals, not the after picture, and you'll achieve them. Make daily plans to meet them.
4. Track your progress: Before you begin, establish how you're going to measure your progress. Is it on a notebook, an iPad? Be consistent, and you'll find satisfaction watching those daily accomplishments add up.
5. Reassess and amend: Frequently evaluate where you stand compared to your larger goals. Are you on pace to reach them? If not, consider whether they were realistic in the first place. Rather than continue to over- or under-perform in relation to your expectations, it may be time to revisit tip No. 1.

Find a place to get fit that works for you

If you're looking to join a local gym to meet your fitness goals, check out some pricing information on a few.

Fitness for Women
720 East Glenn Ave., Auburn
$40 sign up fee and $9.95 per month
Buy one year for $199 and get one free

Fitness Together
2021 S. College St., Suite D, Auburn
Promotion through Feb. 14 - small group personal training gift cards for new clients that include a rate of $149 per couple for two weeks of small group personal training (includes three times per week sessions), and a $50 dinner gift certificate.

Healthplus Fitness Center
1171 Gatewood Dr # 101, Auburn
Offering free sign up fee for the month of January
All inclusive monthly fee is $53 a month

Max Fitness
189 East University, Auburn
Promotion on Monday, Jan. 30 - one day sign up fee of $5
Monthly fee is $19.95 a month

World Gym
1655 South College Street, Auburn
Promotional rate through Jan. 31 - $59 sign up fee and $9.95 per month
Usual rate - $19.95 per month
3-day no commitment trial