It's that time again, when everyone is making New Year's resolutions they may find difficult to keep.

A goal to save more money may get scuttled by the siren call of a no-down-payment offer at the local car dealership. Or perhaps a better diet will suffer when brown-bagging a lunch every day falls by the wayside in favour of eating out.

But fitness-related resolutions, the ones that are sometimes abandoned by Easter, if not Valentine's Day, may be saved by new apps and websites that aim to keep rookie gym rats on track.

GymPact, an iPhone app still in its infancy, will hit users where it hurts most if they miss workouts: their wallets.

After downloading the app, the user sets a "pact," or the number of times he or she plans to hit the gym. You then indicate how much money you're willing to pay for each missed workout.

For example, users could be dinged the minimum $5 for each day they sleep in rather than attend spin class.

This, of course, means a credit card has to be registered with the account, which gets dinged for every missed workout. But the upside is, you get rewarded when you do hit your fitness targets (the money comes from other users who, unlike you, are missing their goals).

And how exactly does the app know when you've been sleeping and know when you've worked out? You register your gym when you sign up and then check in via the app every time you go (your phone's GPS will confirm where you are). You also have to be there for a minimum of 30 minutes, so you can't just walk by, check in and then head to the mall.

The app's developers say it had a 90 per cent success rate during a trial in Boston.

Cause Celeb

If you're the type to look to celebrities for inspiration or motivation, there's an online tool purportedly based on a motivational technique used by none other than Jerry Seinfeld. And really, you can use the online version or go old school with this one.

At dontbreakthechain.com, users check off days on a calendar that they have worked toward a set goal. Checking off every day creates a "chain" of marked-off days that can serve as a motivator. The thinking goes that the user won't want to break the chain and will keep working toward his or her goal.

While the site allows users to take their "chain" with them wherever they go on a web-connected smartphone or tablet, this particular technique also works the old-fashioned way: with a calendar stuck to a fridge or tacked on a wall. Or both if you need that extra motivation.

Burn, baby burn

If you want help with both fitness and nutrition resolutions, and want professionals to guide you, DailyBurn customizes workout and diet plans based on a questionnaire about your goals and lifestyle.

The personalized plans are updated to get more challenging as the user gets in better shape, and as the service learns more about how, why and when you like to work out.

If you're the type to use going on vacation or a work trip as an excuse to skip a workout, DailyBurn will follow you on your smartphone or tablet.

There are apps for the iPhone and iPad, as well as for the Android platform, so you can keep up with your workouts wherever you are.

Mondo Workout

If paying for missed workouts doesn't jive with your New Year's financial resolutions, rookies and veterans alike can turn to other apps that offer different types of motivation.

One of the most popular fitness apps for the Android platform, Endomondo, which is also available for iPhone and BlackBerry, tracks a user's progress with cardio activities such as running, cycling and hiking.

In addition to tracking time, distance, speed and calories burned, the app helps users design their workout, including building route maps and creating music playlists.

To keep users motivated through a workout, the app offers audio feedback at various intervals. Friends can also follow your workout in real time and offer a pep talk (or heckle you, in which case you might be in the market for new friends).

The app is free, but a Pro version that costs about $4 offers extra services to help set goals. The paid app lets you set a previous workout as a benchmark or a calorie-burn goal, and then the audio coach spurs you toward that target.

The Pro version also contains more graphics, including an interactive chart that allows you to sync specific music with different stages of your workout.

With so much help at your fingertips, there's really no excuse now, is there?

Follow Andrea Janus on Twitter at @AndreaJanus