Less than one in 10 people stick to their new year’s resolutions, and by now the majority of us have already packed it in.

But according to experts, the key to success is to go with the flow, scrap Dry January and give up on giving up.

Research conducted by a sports social network has revealed January 12th to be the day where motivation is at its lowest, and most people are likely to give up on their resolutions.

Strava, a social network for athletes, analysed more than 31 million online global activities before pinpointing the day people are most likely to give up trying to stick to their goals.

While some experts say writing goals down, focusing on one thing at a time or constantly reflecting on your progress is the key to success, Scots mindfulness expert Martin Stepek has suggested that re-phrasing negative resolutions may be what people are missing.

Martin, who runs Hamilton-based firm Ten For Zen said gimmicks such as Veganuary and Dry January may do more harm than good when it comes to changing people’s habits.

He said: “The way we live our lives now, whether it’s healthy or unhealthy, is just a series of habits we have picked up.

“Obviously we have genetic tendencies and some people are more prone to certain things than others, but if we pick up hundreds of habits in our life time then it shouldn’t be difficult to pick up new, good ones.

“If we mentally reframe things into the positive, it can help, for example, if we say ‘I will eat more healthily or more thoughtfully’ rather than ‘I’m going t5o stop eating junk food and sweets’.

“It also helps people to get their goals sounding more achievable and realistic.

“Most people nowadays have had the same resolutions year in year out, its usually about diet and exercise and enjoying life. I think how you frame it mentally is a big key to success.”

Martine explained that thinking about his own resolutions in a different way helped him to achieve a goal he set almost two decades ago.

He said: “I gave up drinking, more or less entirely. I didn’t have a problem or anything, other than being Scottish, I just thought I wanted to stop so I gave up in 19999 and I found it was easy.

“The way I managed it was to think about what I wanted to do, rather than what I don’t want to do.

“I knew I wanted to wake up in the morning feeling fresh and alert, and I knew that on a Sunday morning with a hangover that would be the opposite. The way I framed it was in terms of waking up feeling good, and I knew that not having alcohol in my system would help that process.”

Despite many people’s resolutions staying the same over the past few decades, the way people think about them has moved towards a more negative mindset, according to Martin. It mirrors scientific findings which have shown people have a negative brain bias, and negative thoughts are more easily settled on than positive ones.

According to American researcher Dr John Cacioppo, Ph.D, the brain reacts more strongly to negative stimuli, which is thought to be an evolutionary technique to help keep people out of harms way and protect them. Dr Cacioppo suggested the only way to counteract the negative bias is to have frequent, small positive experiences that will help shift the imbalance.

Martin said small changes may not only help achieve a more positive outlook on life but could be another way to smash new year’s resolution goals and change them in to lifelong habits.

The slow and steady approach is particular helpful, he said, when it comes to health-related goals as it gives the body time to adjust.

According not a variety of reports. Around 55% of people’s bew years’ resolutions are health-related, while

Schemes like Dry January, where people are encouraged to give up all alcohol for a month, or Veganuary, where people eat vegan meals in January, don’t help people to change their lifestyle or habits in the long term, said Martin.

He said: “If you try and make new year’s resolutions practical and achievable, in small steps it should help you to stick to them, but I know that tends to go against the grain.

“We are seeing more and more things like Veganuary and Dry January that encourage you to do something that you may not be used to, straight away.

“It’s better if you just say ‘I’m going to do this for the next few weeks.’ And start small. It could be something as small as adding a spoonful of salad to whatever you are eating, to get more nutrition that way.

“You can then start to build that up gradually. It’s better than making these sweeping changes.

“What you want to achieve is a lifelong habit, in most cases. The way people live should be an ongoing continuous thing so they don’t have to stop and start, make a new resolution and then lapse.

“You are trying to make a smooth adjustment from one way of living, so it’s better to see it as a long sweeping turn of a road.

“You need to ease your way round and not make instant bending changes. Take little steps, keep it moving and I tend to find that’s a much easier route.”

Along with slow, steady changes and positive thinking, not being too harsh on yourself if you fail is another vital step to success.

“Self compassion is so important.” Martin said.

“That is a really key principal of mindfulness but it is also important if people want to achieve their goals

“Don’t beat yourself up. If you are going on a diet, and you see a caramel wafer and you eat It, don’t think ‘oh no I’ve ruined the diet and eat another 10 caramel wafers to compensate.

“This happens often, but what people should really be trying to do is be kind to themselves.

“Everybody lapses and makes judgement errors and things like that."