I’ve just got back from Mexico, where I spent the last week hosting a fitness retreat and training an amazing group of women.

We also shared a lot of laughs and adventures, too. It was such an incredible experience to be working with these women.

For some it was the kick-start to their fitness journey that they had long been looking for, for others it was an opportunity to really focus, push a little harder and see if they could take their fitness to the next level.

By the end of the week, each of them in their own individual way had achieved at least one of their personal goals, whether it was to lose some weight, conquer a physical fear such as swimming in the darkness of a cave, cut down on eating refined sugar and control their cravings, quit smoking, abstain from alcohol, or even just learn to relax a bit better and sleep more.

I couldn’t be prouder of their success and hope that the healthy habits they have learnt and developed during the fitness retreat will remain with them for a long time to come.

Making your habits stick can be tricky though. If only we had an infinite supply of willpower to break the bad and uphold the good, then we’d all be walking around happy, virtuous beings.

But in our busy, stressful lives where our attention is demanded by so many things, like work and family, our willpower is tested often and depleted as the day goes on.

It’s no surprise that many of us can be ‘good’ with our diet and exercise plans during the day, but come the late afternoon and evening all good intentions are thrown out the window, as we struggle to summon the energy or enthusiasm for the gym and instead reach for a convenient, less-then-healthy snack or meal.

Habits are things that need to be worked on and developed over time, just as your body takes time to adapt and yield results through training and healthy nutrition.

The problem is often managing expectations for quick, overnight results. Just because you didn’t eat any refined sugar today and you exercised doesn’t mean it will be easy to replicate these actions day in, day out. But as we all know, consistently taking these actions are the crucial difference between successfully achieving your long-term health and fitness goals, or not.

The good news is there are some strategies you can implement that may help the process of making your habits stick.

Firstly, I would recommend creating a firm routine and schedule based around the new habit you’re trying to develop. For example, if you know that you’re lousy at working out later in the day and are likely to ditch the gym altogether, schedule time in the morning or at lunch for your sweat session.

Be specific about the timing and be consistent throughout the week so that your mind and body get used to the pattern of training at this time — eventually it’ll seem like second nature to hit the gym then.

Also, block the time out in your planner or set yourself a reminder. Treat it like a fixed appointment. If you had an appointment with your doctor or an appointment to get your hair done, you wouldn’t just not show up, would you?

Place the same level of importance on your time to work out — after all, it is time that’s helping to make you fitter, healthier and generally more awesome.

Scientifically, it’s been proven your willpower depletes throughout the day, so just being mindful that this is happening can go some way towards preventing you from self-sabotaging any new habits you’re trying to form.

When you get the urge at the end of another long day to reach for something sugar-laden or to pour yourself that second glass of wine, gently remind yourself that you’re only doing so because you are generally lacking in willpower and self-control, it’s not that you necessarily really want or need a sugar hit or that second glass.

Try shifting your mindset to questioning how you are feeling and see if this doesn’t strengthen your resolve.

Eliminating excessive options and keeping things simple is another strategy I’ve found to work when forming healthy habits. As we’ve seen, willpower and self-control can deplete, and so when faced with too many options we can sometimes become overwhelmed and experience mental fatigue, which leads us to making bad choices.

Take food for example, I suggest that you don’t overcomplicate your diet.

In studies it’s been found that the most successful dieters who keep the weight off long-term stick to a simple diet plan that doesn’t change much from week to week. While they may eat a variety of foods to ensure that their nutrition bases are covered, the types of foods and meals don’t change all that much. So keep it basic — just as you establish a routine for exercising, create a straightforward plan with repetitive actions.

If you have a few go-to healthy meals that you really enjoy, make big batches of these so you can rest assured that you always have something nutritious to grab when your willpower starts to wane.

Changing your environment is perhaps an obvious tactic but it’s largely overlooked. On numerous occasions I’ve had clients tell me that they can’t stop snacking on chips, so I say to them don’t buy the chips in the first place. Don’t have them in the house, don’t have them in the office and don’t keep a secret stash in the car! This ties back into how your willpower works, but if it’s out of sight, it tends to be out of mind, so don’t give your mind the satisfaction of breaking your new healthy habits.

Tracking your progress will likely help to motivate you to stick with your new habits, too. Tracking keeps you accountable and sends a message to you and those you’re sharing your new habit development with that you are serious about making a positive change.

How you track your progress is up to you, but I would recommend tracking on a daily basis, as we know that consistency is crucial. For me, I journal and physically write down and check in that I’ve taken steps that day towards making my healthy habits stick. But you could track on your smartphone — there are some really great apps designed to keep you accountable, such as HabitForge and Rootein, or mark it off on a wall calendar or a white board that is in a visible place at home.

Lastly, just a have a little faith and really believe you can change and make it stick — I believe you can!

• Becky Wright is a qualified personal trainer, nutritional therapist and international bikini fitness champion. She has worked with clients worldwide, including royalty. Contact her at www.inspirefitnessretreats.com or becky@inspirefitnesscoaching.com