Routine is the enemy of progress. Keeping your body guessing is a great way to maximize your workout efforts — and results.

Trying new things pushes us outside the comfort zone and helps us build on our fitness. Try these new things this year to push your fitness to a new level:

Classes. There's no better way to break out of your comfort zone than to have someone else push you!

Weight room. The machines in your circuit aren't doing you any favors. Hit the weight room for full body fitness.

Personal training. Even a couple of sessions with a personal trainer can make a huge difference. Use your sessions to get a baseline of your current fitness, set goals and learn fundamental movements. Any trainer worth their fee will put together a workout plan you can follow on your own. Consider revisiting the trainer every four to six weeks to stay on track.

Keep a log. When you keep track of your workouts, you'll better see the patterns that are helping — or hurting — you reach your goals.

Stretching! We're often so pressed for time that our workout ends without attention to proper stretching. Get the most out of your time by targeting the muscle groups you used in your workout.

Melissa Gerharter MS, RD is co-owner of Joust Strength and Fitness of Ann Arbor, joustfitness.com. She is also a personal trainer and an adjunct lecturer at Eastern Michigan University. She can be reached at Melissa@joustfitness.com.