Broken resolutions cost millions

About 15m people invested in gym membership, fitness equipment or get fit videos, a survey by Norwich Union Healthcare found.

But half of those have already thrown in the towel and reneged on their promise to take regular exercise - and are just as fat as they were a month ago.

" It appears to be a tale of 'brave new year, same old story' for the weaker willed among us "
Dr Doug Wright

Nearly half of those who gave up said they lacked will-power. However, 42% said busy home and work lives left little time to get fit.

Four per cent of people blamed lack of support from family and friends.

Half of those surveyed said they wanted to lose at least a stone (14lbs) this year. But 13% were pragmatic enough to admit they did not expect their good intentions to last longer than a week.

A quarter of the 1,000 people surveyed spent up to £100 on trying to get fit.

Dr Doug Wright, clinical development manager at Norwich Union Healthcare, said: "It appears to be a tale of 'brave new year, same old story' for the weaker willed among us.

"Maybe that's to be expected. What's startling is the amount we now spend on trying to get healthy."

Pam Richardson, director of the UK College of Life Coaching, said people would only be properly motivated to get fit and lose weight if it was a top priority.

If not, it was inevitable that other demands on their time would see good intentions fall by the wayside.