You've been going to the gym for a while now. You'll get some momentum, get in a couple good weeks, maybe months, but then something happens. Life gets busier. You're not seeing the results. You just can't bear the thought of running for yet another 30 minutes on the treadmill, staring into the televised eyes of the cold, dark void that is Nancy Grace. You're getting burned out.

It's OK; it happens. There's a reason fitness routines are called "routines." It's easy to become complacent doing the same cardio set-up or weight-lifting regiment. But it's also a sure way to deprive yourself of results. City spoke to several local fitness professionals, and all of them said that mixing things up is essential for getting the most benefit out of your workout. Below are some additional tips for energizing your fitness routine in 2009.

1. Set some goals

It's easy to say, "I want to lose weight" or "I want to look good in those pants." It's a lot harder to evaluate whether or not you've been successful at meeting those goals, unless they're specifically quantified, and realistically set.

If you've been working out just to maintain your body shape, or have just been generally trying to exercise more, you might be losing sight of why you're exercising at all, says John Hutchings, owner of Downtown Fitness Club. "You can fall into the habit of going to the gym with no real purpose," he says. Solve that by setting a clear, reasonable goal for yourself. "It might be a weight-loss goal, or an accomplishment - you want bench press X amount of pounds, or want to run a 5K race, or a triathlon or marathon."

And don't just say what your goal is, write it down, says Eke Aiono, fitness/wellness/recreation director at the Jewish Community Center. "Studies show that if you write a goal down, you're much more likely to actually achieve it," he says.

2. Evaluate your lifestyle

Sometimes you can be doing everything right in the gym - the most efficient cardio exercises, a well balanced weight lifting program - but not see results. That may have something to do with what you're eating, and when and how you're eating it. "We try to get people to understand that if they truly want to make changes, they have to change their lifestyle," says Ron Sember, owner and personal trainer at World Gym. "Especially for people trying to lose weight or fat. People will do drastic things, but until you try to do it every day it's not going to take." Sember advises his clients to make sure all of their plans are RPM: realistic, palatable, and maintainable. "If you're doing any activities, or trying to eat in a way that doesn't meet those three adjectives, you're setting yourself for failure," he says.

Rocco Leone, general manager of Rochester Athletic Club, offers similar advice about eating well. "Diet is 65 percent of the program," he says. "Make sure you're checking your diet, eating three to four square meals per day, and increasing water intake," he says.

3. Try reading a book

If you're out of ideas for new exercises, head to the book shelves or magazine rack at a well-stocked bookstore, says Hutchings of Downtown Fitness. There are a plethora of books on the subject of exercise, and some extremely specialized magazines out there stocked with smart ideas. If you find an article with a suggestion that appeals to you, Hutchings says to stick with it. "Whatever it is, make a game plan for that, commit yourself to doing it for six to eight weeks. Follow it to the letter, see where it goes," he says.

4. Find a friend

Eke Aiono at the JCC says that one way to ensure you're getting the most out of your workout is to employ the time-tested buddy system. Find a friend and commit to working out together a certain number of times per week or month. "Working out with a buddy adds an accountability factor," he says. "If you have someone to be accountable to, you keep one another in check."

5. Take a class

Group exercises can be a great way to break out of an exercise rut, and they tend to be pretty fun. At this point most gyms offer some kinds of classes, and they're frequently included in the membership fee. Common classes include cycling/spinning, aerobics, yoga, and boot camp-style workouts, but can get much more creative, branching into Latin dance-inspired workouts or aquatic fitness.

DFC's Hutchings says that even if you've already been taking classes, now's a good time to try something new. "If you've been doing only cardio, try a weight-lifting class; if you've been doing weight-lifting, go to yoga or pilates. Variety is the spice of life, and your body responds better in a state of confusion. Confuse the muscles with different exercises," he says.

6. Seek professional help

"Lots of people know what exercise is, but they don't know HOW to exercise," says Rocco Leone, general manager of Rochester Athletic Club. Even fitness professionals have to seek out help from time to time, as Leone says he did after gaining weight after the birth of his first child. "When you're 45 you can't exercise the same way you can at 25," he says," and I had to find a professional to help change my program."

DFC's Hutchings adds that every trainer is different, and can bring something unique to a workout. "There are so many techniques and methodologies out there that one person can't possibly know them all," he says. "Investing in some training sessions, you're tapping into a knowledge base of someone who makes this their career. You'll see results in different muscles or areas you weren't seeing before. You'll reignite your interest. You'll pick up on the newest, hottest techniques."

"It's like going to the dentist," Hutchings says. "You already brush and floss regularly, but it's good to have an expert check to make sure everything's going alright."