The New Year is a time for resolutions. If your resolution for 2025 is to be more active, eat healthier, lose weight or simply focus on your health, here’s how to stick to your resolutions, even if you’ve struggled in the past.
The New Year is a chance for a new start. While you can adopt new habits any time of the year, something about setting a new goal in the new year can provide extra motivation for creating new habits or making lifestyle changes.
Pew Research Center reports that one-third of people set at least one New Year’s resolution, and 79% of these resolutions are around health. Losing weight, starting a gym routine, making homemade meals for your family or eating healthier are all common goals.
But keeping a New Year’s resolution can be challenging and many people fail to stick with it each year. If you’ve abandoned health plans in the past or are setting a health plan as a resolution for the first time, these tips will set you up for success.
Decide on your New Year’s health goal
Wanting to be healthier as you head into 2025 is a great way to start the new year. You may have even narrowed your goal down more. For instance, you may want to slim down or eat more vegetables. Knowing your resolution and why you want to keep it is the first step in preparing for the coming year.
Keep it simple and measurable
Vague resolutions are hard to keep. If your goal is too vague — such as being healthier, going to the gym or losing weight — it is difficult to make a plan. It’s also nearly impossible to track your progress.
Define your goal explicitly in a way that you can measure. For instance, plan to complete a workout at the gym four days a week, lose 20 pounds or eat five servings of vegetables a day. Whatever the goal, decide exactly what it is and give it numbers.
Keep the goal small as well. A huge goal can be overwhelming and trick your brain into thinking it’s impossible before you even start. A smaller and more attainable goal will keep you motivated. Once you reach it, you can always set another one.
Finally, treat your resolution as a lifestyle change rather than a short-term fix. Crash diets may work for a few weeks, but won’t work in the long term. Think of your resolution in terms of small changes.
Define the motivation for your goal
Knowing why you are pursuing your new health plan is also important. This will help drive you when you are feeling unmotivated or face setbacks. For instance, maybe you want to be healthier for your children and grandchildren. You might want to keep up with friends and family in their adventures. You may simply want to feel more self-confident and empowered.
In addition to defining your goal, know the why as well. Take a moment to name both of these for yourself, or even write them down somewhere you can reference throughout the New Year.
Set yourself up for success
Once you have your health goal, a little planning will help it stick. Lifestyle changes interrupt your routine by their nature. Building these changes into your routine as soon as possible will generate excitement and make incorporating your new health plan easier.
Plan your new routine
Consider how your health plan will fit into your schedule. If you want to eat healthier, meal prep can ensure your family has healthy meals even on busy days. Recipes like steel-cut overnight oats will give you a nutritious breakfast.
If your health plan involves more activity, add the time to your calendar. Let your family or work know how your schedule might change so they can be prepared.
Find recipes and activities you’re excited about
Being healthier is exciting, so don’t let it become a chore. Get ready for the change with activities you want to participate in or recipes that you want to make. You may want to look into appliances like a blender to make smoothies or an air fryer to cook delicious, crispy foods without oil.
Remove temptations
When starting a new habit, you want to make it as easy as possible to follow through. Set your gym bag in front of the door to help you avoid skipping out on the gym. Throwing out junk food will remove the temptation to snack. You can also replace snacks with healthier alternatives, like subbing fried plantains for potato chips.
You can make other swaps that let you enjoy your favorite foods in a healthier way. Opt for whole grains over white flour or use nutrient-dense white sweet potatoes in place of russet potatoes.
Get your family and friends on board
A support system can motivate you when sticking with your health plan gets tough. Family and friends can encourage you or even participate in your health plan. You can also look for virtual and in-person groups pursuing the same goals.
Plan for successes and setbacks
Although intrinsic motivation is best for keeping to a plan, small rewards can also help. Treat yourself when you hit milestones with new cooking equipment, workout equipment, self-care days or other favorite items.
There may also be setbacks. You may eat junk food one day or be too tired to cook a healthy dinner or go to the gym. If this happens, recognize that it does not mean you failed in your plan. Simply resolve to do better the next day and avoid those things that caused you to step away from your plan.
Meet your health goals in 2025
Building healthier habits as your New Year’s resolution can make you happier, more confident and ready to set more goals in the coming years. Whether you will be eating healthier or staying more active, planning for success now is the best way to ensure you meet all of your goals in 2025.
Gina Matsoukas is the writer, photographer and recipe creator of Running to the Kitchen. Focusing on healthy, seasonal, whole-food recipes, her work has been featured in various online and print publications including Food Network, Prevention Magazine and Women’s Health. Gina lives in central New York, where she enjoys an active outdoor life.