I actually upheld my New Years resolution for all 12 months of 2015 thanks to a barebones fitness app

Business Insider/Erin Brodwin

Thinking about splurging on a new gym membership for the new year? 

Hold that thought.

There's an at-home fitness app called the 7 Minute Workout that allegedly gives you the benefits of a sweaty bike ride and a trip to the weight room — so long as you commit to it. It sounded perfect for me last January, when I made a resolution: to get more fit and feel less stressed.

Twelve months later, I'm still using it weekly. In fact, this is the only year I've ever actually upheld a New Years resolution through to December.

The small time requirement (each workout is just 7 minutes) really helps on the weekends when I have plans with friends and I can’t make it to the gym, or on weekdays when I stay up late and don’t get a chance to wake up bright and early to hit up a yoga class.

Here's how the app works:

First thing's first: The entire workout takes just seven minutes to complete and it looks super simple. Initially, I was skeptical I could accomplish this much in such a narrow time frame.

The workout consists of 12 standard exercises like jumping jacks, sit-ups, and push-ups. Ten of them require nothing but your own body (you’ll need a chair that can support your weight for the others). The New York Times' version of the app shows proper positioning for each, which you do for 30 seconds:

The idea of a workout you can do in minutes was originally envisioned by personal trainer Brett Klika and exercise physiologist Chris Jordan of the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Florida. Here's Klika demonstrating one of his workouts:

American College of Sports Medicine Health & Fitness Journal; YouTube