New Year’s often brings lofty resolutions and goals related to physical activity, nutrition, and lifestyle changes. If you’re someone who feels like you’re making the same resolution every year to change your food and fitness habits but always fall short, here are some tips to help you craft resolutions that set you up for success—not frustration.
Be Realistic.
Start by evaluating your current baseline in the area you want to improve, then gently build from there. For example, if you currently go to the gym twice a week, setting a goal of going seven times a week might be unrealistic. A more achievable goal might be three times a week, which still provides a challenge, but is more manageable. Or, if you're a busy mom with three kids and only have 30 minutes to yourself each morning, you don’t need to aim for a rushed three-mile run every day. Perhaps your goal could be to use 20 of those minutes for some type of physical activity, leaving the other 10 minutes for either more activity or simply some much-needed quiet time.
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Evaluate the motivations behind the goal.
Understanding why you want to achieve a certain goal can help you determine if it's the right goal for you at this time. For example, weight loss is a common New Year’s resolution, but it’s important to dig deeper into why you want to lose weight. Is it because you’ve gained weight over the last couple years due to stress and poor nutrition, or maybe you’ve always struggled with body image? If it's the former, perhaps focusing on stress management and improving nutrition habits instead of the number on the scale. Or if it’s the latter, it might be worth considering working with a professional on body image issues instead of continually trying to change yourself.
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Focus on addition instead of restriction.
Restrictive goals often feel rigid and negative. Instead, consider framing your goals with an addition-based mindset, which can feel more positive and empowering. For example, instead of setting a goal to "stop snacking between meals," try reframing it as "adding a mindfulness practice between meals to assess whether I’m truly hungry before snacking." This approach allows you to build new habits and tools instead of simply imposing rules on yourself.
Lastly, it's not all or nothing. Life has fluctuations, and if you don’t meet all your goals all the time, it’s okay. You don’t have to throw your goals in the trash just because you didn’t meet them perfectly. A small, positive change—even if it's minor—is better than no change at all.
