Lack of motivation can sabotage even the best workout plans.

Without motivation, boredom quickly follows, leading many people to eventually throw in the towel. At the point where you begin to feel as if you are just going through the motions, rather than allow this to continue, make sure you have a Plan B for fitness.

When it comes to ways to stay fit, there are literally hundreds of options available, so you never need to settle for exercise that doesn't inspire you to meet your fitness goals. Proper planning should include regular intervals during which one or more aspects of your current routine are changed.

For example, boredom can sometimes set in because workouts are too long. If you are forcing yourself to do a full hour workout thinking anything less won't provide good results, think again. Put quality over quantity if you have been spending too many hours in the gym.

On days when you feel burned out or are pressed for time, rather than give up your entire workout, do exercises that use multiple muscle groups all with one movement.

Pushups, for example, work the chest, shoulders and triceps; stair climbing or lunges work the hips, glutes, calves and thighs. Pulling exercises work the back, shoulders and biceps. When alternated with cardiovascular exercise and modification of portion sizes, managing weight also becomes much more realistic and doable.

Add new ideas and challenges, and the time you spend exercising goes by much faster because you are having more fun.

How often should you change your workout? The answer depends on your personality and your goals.

For instance, some people are more methodical and structured in their thinking and do well sticking to the same basic strength-training exercises, but they change things like the number of repetitions or sets they do, or they may add minutes to their cardio workouts instead of changing the type of machine or aerobic class.

Other people get bored in just a few sessions. When this happens, they quickly find excuses for skipping workouts. For these people, working different muscle groups on different days of the week and doing a different cardio class or machine each time, keeps the routine from ever becoming too predictable and stale.

Tips

• Having a workout partner can be extremely helpful if you lack accountability and support. There will be days when you won't feel like driving to the gym, or are just looking for an excuse to miss a workout. On those days, a training partner can be especially valuable. If possible, try to find someone who shares your same interests and fitness goals.

• Another way to help improve mood and avoid exercise burnout is to listen to music while you work out. One study looked at 41 women who were overweight to moderately obese participating in a 24-week weight-loss program that included exercise, group meetings and diet. Each walked alone at least twice weekly, and participated in a group walk once a week.

Half of the women listened to music, while the others did not. At the end of the study, both groups lost weight, but those who walked to music lost significantly more weight and body fat.

In addition, those with music also had more success rate when it came to adhering to the program, with fewer of them dropping out of the study. Uplifting music helps to keep you moving, takes your mind off the monotony of working out and is a distraction from negatives like fatigue.

If your gym does not have music, you can bring your own. One product that helps to keep you motivated is Yamaha's BODiBEAT, the first music player that automatically synchronizes music to match the pace of your workout. It comes with a small heart-rate monitor and software that automatically categorizes each downloaded song by the number of beats per minute. Great for running, walking and dancing, the BODiBEAT also tracks distance, time, pace and heart rate for workouts.

The iMuffs by Wi-Gear allow you to listen to music wirelessly, with near-CD-quality sound up to 30 feet away. The controls let you pause music, change volume, skip tracks and seek music right from the headphones.

If paired with a Bluetooth phone, the iMuffs automatically pause your iPod and ring in the headphones, allowing you to talk through an integrated microphone. Models are available to accommodate both newer and older versions of iPods. More information on these products can be found at www.yamaha.com/bodibeat and www.wi-gear.com.

For safety, when exercising with headsets on, volume should be set to a level at which you can still hear outside noise.