On this all parties agree: Changing old habits isn't easy. We humans are lulled by the usual things: getting along on five hours of sleep a night; the mindless munching of too many gluten-free cookies; sidestepping our workout because we're too busy, too tired, too stressed. We know we can live healthier and feel perkier, but instead we are stuck in old habits. It's not right or wrong; it just is.

During the next few weeks, you're going to be inundated with reminders to make your New Year's resolutions for 2017. You're likely to decide to make all sorts of promises involving a healthier lifestyle: You'll eat smarter, get more rest, exercise with joy, download a mindfulness app and breathe to melt your stress at least once a day.

Right. As everyone knows, most of these woulda, coulda, shoulda promises die an early death. Personal change requires planning, focus and a strong belief in our ability to turn to the light. Most New Year's resolutions last as long as a family-sized bag of M&Ms. Without a strategy, we tend to plow back into processed foods, forget which gym we signed up with and spend a good chunk of winter watching the next 5 pounds pile on.

So what's your plan to make real change happen, first quarter, 2017? If you're in the wilderness here, I offer up the following:

1. GO INSIDE. No one else can decide for you what healthy lifestyle changes you want to make. If you're happy as an overweight person, but just want to get stronger and more agile, start there. If you're looking to quit sugary soft drinks and add organic chicken to your diet, that's good, too. The point is, lifestyle change is only meaningful if it's meaningful to you. You can't become green or lean because someone else wants you to.

So close your eyes, settle yourself, and dig deep. Is 2017 the year you sign up for those first 10 yoga classes? Buy a bike and ride to work? Banish all the toxic products under your sink?

Choose one or two goals and post them in a familiar spot that you visit all the time — your dresser, bathroom mirror or cookie jar. And what's so special about Jan. 1? You can start making your plans today!

2. FIND SUPPORT. Do not expect to go the lifestyle-change route alone. Some can fly solo, but for many it really does take a village. Remember reading a news story a while ago that your chances of getting fat ballooned if you hung around with fat friends? Apply that same principle to positive change: If you want to develop a passion for running, meditation or cleaner eating, get involved with people who are already there.

Some ideas: Find inspiring teachers. Join a club or take a class. Sign up for healthy-lifestyle magazines, and actually read them. Hire a trustworthy nutritionist (not a supplement supplier) who can analyze your individual needs. Partner up with an affordable wellness coach.

Few of us are experts in food and exercise. To make change happen more quickly, surround yourself with a flow of information and health professionals who appreciate and support the new direction you've chosen.

3. OVERCOME OBSTACLES. Change is not linear. What does that mean? It means three steps forward, one step back. You may or may not succeed the first time or even the fifth time you decide to quit smoking, exercise more, grow baby tomatoes on the porch. Backsliding is normal, and so is ambivalence. Be patient. And persistent. Measure your success by how many times you are willing to start over.

Change is just around the corner. Sometimes it's the change we want, and sometimes it's not. We call that dealing with calamity, and that, too, can be a healthy lifestyle goal during these tumultuous times.

Don't be distracted by the news. Instead, be inspired. There's never been a better time to take stock, take action, and set yourself up for success. No matter what direction our country goes in, you're in charge of making the changes you want to see. More energy? Less poundage? You are your own commander in chief.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! REAL CHANGE STARTS WITH YOU

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly." — R. Buckminster Fuller

Marilynn Preston — healthy lifestyle expert, well being coach and Emmy-winning producer — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, marilynnpreston.com, and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. She also produces EnExTV, a digital reincarnation of her award-winning TV series about sports, fitness and adventure, for kids of all ages, at youtube.com/EnExTV and facebook.com/EnExTV. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.