43 Healthy New Year’s Resolutions + How To Stick To Them

It is the time of year for New Year’s Resolutions! As this year closes out, we begin to reflect on the year; the good, the bad and the things we wish we had done. Then, we think about how we can make the next year better and accomplish all of the things we want. This is where New Year’s Resolutions step in. We make promises to ourselves to get things done or make habits that will better us. Not only do you want to make a resolution that is healthy and will improve your wellbeing, but you want to be able to stick to it for the entire year. 

Why have a resolution?

I am the type of person that believes if you want to make a change then you shouldn’t set a date for it to start. There’s no reason to wait until the next month or year to start something. One thing that sets apart New Year’s Resolutions, are that we have an entire year to reflect on and think of small things we want to change throughout the year.

Every year when New Years comes around, so does the topic of resolutions. And every year I make one. I make one because it is something little that can hold me accountable, at least for a little while until I need to use a few other tricks to keep me motivated. 

At the beginning of 2019, I made a lofty resolution- to travel once a month to a place I had not yet been to that was at least 3 hours drive away. I was young enough that this goal was attainable, and I had recently moved to California, so there were tons of new places to explore. This resolution was important to me because I all too often found myself making excuses to not travel, despite it being something I loved to do. But, whether the weekend was too short, I didn’t want to take time off work, or I had no one to travel with, my list of excuses easily added up. This resolution took those excuses away from me. 

My first month I traveled to Texas with my friend and her friends, then I took another trip with my stepdad to San Diego. Both of these trips I likely wouldn’t have gone on if I didn’t have this resolution pushing me to do so.

Sometimes I traveled the 3 hours away, and other times I went to faraway cities like Paris and Cinque Terre, Italy. This resolution brought me to way more places than I would have gone that year without it and I learned that I am the one that creates excuses not to travel (with exception to covid travel restrictions in 2020). 

Resolutions can teach you a lot about yourself, the excuses you make and how you are able to stick to your goals.

Healthy Resolution Topics For the New Year

How to pick a healthy resolution that is attainable

New Year’s Resolutions are usually easy to keep… for the first month or two. But then, they begin to trail off and we forget that we even made the resolution in the first place. Usually resolutions do not work because they are either not attainable or not specific enough to hold you accountable. 

One of the frameworks often used in goal setting is the SMART framework. This framework should also be used when setting resolutions. The easy part about it is some of the framework is already set due to it being a New Year’s Resolution. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. 

You want to make sure your resolution is specific. If it is too broad, then you can make excuses that other things you are doing satisfy your resolution when they really do not. 

Measurable goes along with specific. You want to be detailed and have something that shows exactly how much you need to do your resolution. Is it something you want to do daily, 3 times a week, once a week, or once a month? Is there a certain amount of pounds you want to weigh, instead of just saying I want to lose weight? Get into specific numbers to know if you are meeting your resolution or not.

Having a goal that is attainable will determine if you complete your resolution or not. My goal of traveling one new place a month wouldn’t work for everyone. Just like losing 60 pounds is a year might also be a stretch. You know yourself best. What are you able to attain this year, if you didn’t hold yourself back?

The last two, relevant and time-bound, are more easily defined because it is a New Year’s Resolution. These resolutions are usually to do something you’ve been wanting to do and doing something to better yourself, and the duration is that calendar year. This makes setting these resolutions or goals that much easier. 

How to stick to your new year’s resolution

Now that you have an idea of what you want your resolution to be, how are you going to stick to it? There are many things you can do to help make sure you complete your resolution.

#1. Write it down

This seems super easy, because it is! Writing down goals makes them more real, and seeing this written down will be a daily reminder of what your resolution is. There is also a sense of accountability with writing down your resolution, and revisiting that goal very day. It turns out that if you write down your goal, you are 42% more likely to achieve it. 

#2. Find an accountability partner

Accountability partners are great for resolutions just as they are for goal setting. Once you take the step to tell someone else of your resolution, it makes the goal that much more real, as you cannot go back and change your resolution. When you tell others what your resolutions are, they will check if you are keeping them and point out when you get off track.

#3. Reward Yourself

Creating milestones to receive certain rewards is a form of positive reinforcement. The trick with rewards is to not set them too often and to have small ones throughout, and a big one when you achieve your resolution. Space the rewards out to points in time you think you will be struggling the most to accomplish your resolution, so they can act as a motivator at that moment in time. 

#4. Visualize achieving your resolution 

Visualization is a type of manifestation, which is probably new to you. When you visualize your life the way you want it, you begin thinking about your goals (and in this case resolutions) more often and your mind begins thinking about how to get there. For your resolution, begin to visualize how your life will be positively impacted if you are able to fulfill your resolution. You will look forward to that end state and be motivated to stick to your resolution.

What is your New Year’s Resolution?

My resolution will be to meditate 3 times per week. I personally have only meditated a few times, so this cadence will be good for me. Hopefully, once I get into the habit of meditating, I will be able to do even more. This resolution is measurable and attainable for me. Find a resolution that is attainable for yourself, and let us know in the comments or on Instagram what it is!

Cara Armstrong

Hi, my name is Cara! My personal journey with cancer and weight loss has led me to developing a passion for helping others with nutrition, fitness, and self care.