New Year’s resolution: lose weight, run more, maybe just stop eating Chinese food at 1 a.m. every Saturday night.

But where to start?

Whether the resolution involves weight loss or trying to maintain a healthier and more active lifestyle, Northeastern has fitness facilities and staff available to help students reach their goals.

The first step to achieving the goal of staying fit is getting up and getting out, said Kristen Miller, the director of fitness for campus recreation.

“Honestly, just be as physically active as possible,” she said. “Simple things to stay fit are important, like taking the stairs instead of an escalator. Also just walking makes a difference.”

But Miller refrained from suggesting anything more, saying a physical evaluation is pertinent in figuring out an individualized fitness plan that is best.

“People have medical histories and previous injuries and I can’t really recommend anything that might harm someone. That’s why our evaluations are so important,” Miller said.

It may be simple to get started, but there is still a cost.

“Personal training evaluations and sessions cost more because they are specialized features,” Miller said.

Considering Boston Sports Clubs and other fitness centers charge hundreds of dollars for a single personal training session, Northeastern students have a discount at the Marino Center with comparable advice and quality staff catering to their physical fitness needs, Miller said.

Another important factor to remember when embarking on a New Year’s resolution fitness venture is having a proper trainer can ensure people are working on balance, flexibility and strength, not just weight loss, she said.

The latest trends from the past few years are still a mainstay in fitness news. The mind-and-body theory involved with Yoga and Pilates is a prominent idea mentioned in magazines like Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health and others. Classes in these programs and more are offered at the Marino Center for $50 a semester. Students can take a class a day.

Funk aerobics, cardio kickboxing, Latin rhythm and mat Pilates are just a few of the numerous group classes offered. Still, senior Melissa Daly said she just wants to stick with the gym.

“This is my first year to have fitness be part of my resolution,” the education and spanish major said. “My goal is honestly to just get to the gym once a week. I’m also looking into taking a dance class.”

Daly said although the concept seems relatively easy, it’s easier to say you are heading for the gym than actually physically going there and working out for a half hour or more.

“I hope I can do this. I just want to stay in shape and be healthier,” Daly said.

For some, the idea of fitness as a New Year’s resolution is something they just started to think about.

“I don’t really have a resolution to get in shape, but I really should do that,” sophomore Ashley Bear said. The journalism major said she hadn’t thought about it since she just started her first co-op this semester.

“I’m always so busy and I don’t like the gym. But I would go to Marino. It’s just that I don’t like people watching me,” she said.

Bear, like others, finds herself with many options to exercise but not a lot of space in her apartments or time to get to the gym.

“I have a Pilates DVD but no room in my apartment to actually use it,” she said. “If I get to the gym, I just run; that’s all I like to do. And maybe the stairs.”

The Marino Center is open from 5 a.m. until 1 a.m. daily. In addition to the Marino Center, there is also Squashbusters, which is open at 6 a.m. (closing times vary by day), located near the Columbus Parking Lot on Columbus Avenue.

To ask about changes to operating hours call the campus recreation hotline at 617-373-2667.