After celebrating Christmas and New Year’s Eve, it can be difficult to get motivated to make personal changes for the New Year. Maria de la Cruz of Oakland avoids the holiday roller-coaster by being motivated all of the time.

“Feeling good, feeling fit, feeling healthy is a resolution through all my year,” says de la Cruz, who leads a zumba exercise class in Oakland’s Fruitvale district. “Exercise changes your state of mind - it makes you feel healthy and good. It is something that we have to do all year not only at the start of every year.”

De la Cruz’s secret to regular motivation is to get it from the people who are around her.

“I get motivated when my youngest son asks me what healthy food he should be eating. I get motivated to see my family healthy. I get motivated when my doctor says that my health is well. I get motivated when people in my class share their weight achievements, or when they tell me how good they feel.”

Having fun when exercising is also important. “In my class we have a lot of laughs and fun, it is a great therapy. The music is great, at the end of the class you do not want to stop,” she says.

De la Cruz is happy to see the results people get from her class. “I have seen incredible positive changes with people who attend the class, they look fit and happier.”

De la Cruz also leads classes for elderly people. “I started because an elderly woman (about 70 years old) in my class told me that her doctor wanted to talk to me. The reason was because her doctor was cutting medication that she does not need any more. The doctor asks her what she was doing and she said ‘I am just going to my zumba class’.”

De la Cruz spoke with the doctor and then began giving low pace zumba class for elders.

De la Cruz is passionate about exercise and how it benefits people.

“We need to make a change, we need to eat healthy and to move, in any way but we need to move. Be constant; try for at least couple of months and you will see the difference.”

Tips for New Year’s resolutions in 2015

If you’re one of the millions of Americans who will make a promise to improve yourself this New Year, there’s bad news:

You’re 92 percent likely to fail in sticking to your resolutions, says a recent study from the University of Scranton. Here are some tips to keep your resolution.

• Get away from the instant-gratification mentality and avoid unrealistic goals. Don’t expect to go from zero to 60 – 60 being your ideal body image – in just a few months.

• Establish good habits! Establish new and good habits – it takes about 28 days to stick. Once you train your mind with good habits, achieving your goals becomes much easier.

• What you should expect from your “labor of love.” Frequency, intensity and time – these are the three investments you’ll need for losing weight or gaining muscle. Exercise at least 30 minutes three times a week.

• Solidify the gains with persistent positive reinforcement. Learn to reward yourself in a new way by paying attention to the gains in your body. Notice the improvement in stress levels, breathing, energy, sex life, mood and overall strength.