Although winter is more than half way through, January and February really drag on; going to work and coming home in the dark is depressing. With the onset of winter we are all looking forward to Christmas and New Year and this is uplifting. Once this is over we are on a big downer as the credit card bills come in, the scales have gone mad and spring suddenly seems a long way off.If you are a competitor on the Grand Prix circuit then the period is broken up with competitions at Cambridge and Manchester, and by the time Nottingham comes around the daffodils are out and things start to look up. But there are a lot of people who use the machine but don't compete as well as those that use the machine as a weight management tool. For many of these, the start of the year has two meanings: the beginning of a calendar year and also the time when they start regimes with great intentions that will be dead and buried before the first warming rays of spring sunshine.When you look at the population as a whole it can be divided into four almost equal groups. The first group are people who have a balanced lifestyle eating healthily and exercising regularly. They are motivated by a pride in their appearance but also see healthy living as an investment in a longer healthier life.The second group are what I call the train to eat group. This group train regularly so that they can enjoy a good binge on food and drink. They reason that, as long as they are not overweight, they will enjoy the same benefits of a longer healthier life as the healthy lifestyle group. This rationale will keep them going to the gym and many will move into group one, but for the others they will end up like all chancers and lose out in the long run.The next group are the dreamers. They believe they lead a healthy lifestyle but this is far from reality. They are full of excuses for not delivering when it comes to healthy eating or an exercise routine, there is always some reason for letting it slide. I'll diet after I've finished all the chocolates I got for Christmas and they are always going to start tomorrow. They believe that they will still be able to enjoy a long and healthy life when they do start their regime, tomorrow.The final group just couldn't care less. They are not interested in healthy eating or exercise. They take no notice of health warnings on the news and just haven't given a thought to their future health so they won't be reading this anyway.We have choices, but it is difficult to stick to a regime, especially if you have a busy lifestyle. Often the reason for giving up is setting unrealistic targets, of which a failure to meet forms an enormous barrier. To help you stick to your New Year resolutions we are giving away a Stick With It programme designed by a team of top psychologists to help you through the initial 90 days. Research has shown this is the most difficult period where most people give up but, if you can get through this, you could be in for a lifetime of healthy living. All you need to do is send a stamped addressed A4 envelope to us at Concept 2, Vermont House, Nott'm Sth and Wilford Ind. Est., Ruddington Lane, Wilford, NG11 7HQ and we'll do the rest.