5 Steps to Make your Healthy New Year’s Resolutions Come True
Do you see more health and wellness for yourself over the next few weeks or months? Some of the most common New Year’s resolutions involve improving health and wellness, such as enjoying a more nutritious diet/eating style and being more physically active(1). Maybe you envision yourself with more energy, more strength, less disease, lower risks, better weight management, that marathon completed.
New Year’s resolutions represent a fresh vision of an improved future. Having or renewing goals fueled with hope and intention are the first step toward a future with better health, wellness, and happiness.
Wondering how to make these resolutions come true? There are proven strategies that can help you accomplish what you resolve to do in the new year.
In this article, I share research-based advice on how to choose your goals/resolutions wisely. Then, I will walk you through a 5-step path to consistently work toward your goal, build healthier habits, and ultimately achieve what you set out to do.
Choosing the right goal for you
Intending to behave in a healthier way is the essential first step to achieving your health goal(1). In other words, creating a goal that you intend to achieve is essential. (Having a goal you have no intention of achieving is almost definitely not going to be achieved.)
Before setting a specific health goal (behavior intention), consider three factors that can help you be more successful at achieving it. Studies show that if you narrow your goals down using the following criteria, you are more likely to succeed.
First of all, choose just one or two goals. When we have too many goals, we underestimate the amount of effort required to reach each one(1). This means that it gets to a point where there are too many things going on and we must choose which to do and which not to do. So, by prioritizing just one or two goals, we’re more likely to accomplish them.
Secondly, make your goals short-term. Looking too far into the future makes us less likely to achieve them(1). I recommend focusing on what you can do over the next few weeks and months.
Thirdly, think back to a healthy [pattern/behavior] that you used to do and consider that first, rather than trying something altogether new. Familiarity with a behavior makes us more likely to stick to it(1).
What stops many health goals from being reached
Now that you have a healthy intention that works for you, you need a plan to carry it out (which we will go over in the next section). But, before you can make a successful plan that works, it’s important to understand why previous plans often don’t work so that you can use that wisdom and make it happen this time.
Many people find that it’s easy to set a goal or intention. The challenge comes when it’s time to follow through with the behavior and actually do the activity. This is known as the “intention-behavior gap”(1).
Many New Year’s resolutions/health goals are not achieved due to some of our natural tendencies. For example, from an evolutionary perspective, we tend to minimize energy output that’s not necessary for survival while maximizing energy storage when food is abundant(1). These tendencies naturally make us not want to always put in the effort to choose healthier meals (when food is abundant) or exercise more (when we’re not finding shelter, harvesting food, or being chased by a bear). But by acknowledging this common obstacle, we can design a plan that maximizes the enjoyment and minimizes the effort.
Research shows that one of the best ways to close the intention-behavior gap is to follow the five steps outlined below.
[Medical disclaimer: Before making any significant changes to your nutrition or fitness habits, please see your healthcare professional or book an appointment with me to discuss your concerns, needs, and goals.]
Your 5-step plan to reach those healthy goals
Once you’ve decided on a health goal that you intend to keep (whether it’s a New Year’s resolution or not), following these five steps will set you up for success in achieving your goal.
Step 1: Make the activity fun
There are a lot of ways to reach a health goal, and research shows that the process of doing an activity matters the most. As humans, we tend to lean into activities that we’re attracted to and find pleasant, enjoyable, and meaningful, while we often avoid doing things we dislike(1,2).
In fact, when looking back on an activity that was completed (cooking a certain dish or doing a certain exercise), we’re more likely to do it again if we enjoyed the process of doing it in the moment(1). I mean actually enjoying ourselves while we were grocery shopping, preparing food, exercising, or otherwise doing the [activity/behavior].
Note that this is different from looking back on an activity and feeling positive after finishing it (eating the delicious food or the “runner’s high” at the end of a workout). If we don’t enjoy the process of doing it, we’re less likely to do it again (regardless of whether we enjoyed the rewards of completing it)(1).
This makes it really important to choose an activity that is meaningful to you, and that you enjoy doing. Avoid looking at the activity as a reward or punishment. When you truly find it pleasant, you’re more likely to do it regularly.
Practical tip: [As an example/Sometimes I tell my clients that] focusing on adding something to their diets or lifestyle regimens is much more appealing than taking something away. For example, adding a handful of nuts as a snack or a vegetable side dish to a meal is much more appealing than taking away a dessert. Choose what you find more pleasant and fun.
Step 2: Make a detailed plan
You are much more likely to reach goals by breaking them down into smaller, more achievable steps that can be done consistently so they become habits. Create a detailed plan on how you’re going to achieve it(1). Consider making a checklist or writing down the specific things you’re going to need to do for each step.
Practical tip: As part of your plan, answer these questions:
- What you’re going to do (What is the specific activity that you will enjoy?)
- When you’re going to do it (When do you have the most energy and ability to do it?)
- Where you’re going to do it (Home? Work? School? Neighbourhood?)
- How you’re going to do it (What are potential obstacles to doing it and what strategies will help you overcome those obstacles?)(3,4).
Step 3: Track your progress
Tracking your progress can help you to do your daily or weekly activities so that you can reach your overall health goal. According to Dr. Ryan Rhodes from the Behavioural Medicine Lab at the University of Victoria, tracking your behavior makes you more likely to follow through(3).
Practical tip: You can enter your progress into an app, spreadsheet, notebook, or calendar(3).
Step 4: Be consistent
Scheduling your health activities on a regular basis helps to ingrain them into habits. Over time, consistent practices become habitual, and habits are easier to accomplish(3,5). You don’t need as much determination and motivation as new tasks become regular habits. They start becoming a fundamental part of your day or week.
Plus, as you’re being consistent over time, you will see progress that you can be proud of. [Maybe you are starting to feel more energetic, stronger, etc.]
Ideally, over time, your new health behavior will start becoming part of your identity, making it even easier to continue to do it regularly. For example, according to a 2024 study published in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), “when individuals identify as a physically active person or as an exerciser, they are more likely to engage in physical activity behavior”(4).
Having your healthy habits (be they nutritious eating, physical fitness, etc.) become part of your identity means that you start seeing your goal and behaviors as being part of yourself. For example, you may go from, “I want to eat healthier” (I have a goal) to “[I am a healthy eater/I am a great cook]” (part of your identity).
Practical tip: What can you do to be as consistent as possible until your healthy new behavior becomes a habit (or even part of your identity)? How can you make this activity a priority and start seeing yourself as a “healthy person who eats nutritiously”?
Step 5: Be kind to yourself
When reaching a health goal is time consuming and takes effort, it’s not going to always come easily. Especially if this goal requires regular (daily or weekly) activities there may be times when we can’t do it exactly as hoped (or planned). When this happens, think of it as a minor setback, not an overwhelming failure(3). Doing something—even a small step—is going to be better than doing nothing.
Practical tip: When something doesn’t go as planned, acknowledge what happened and refresh yourself to keep moving in the direction of your goal.
[If you have specific recommendations, techniques, tips, recipes, or meal plans add them here. If you have affiliate links for any of these, add them here, too (with the proper FTC disclaimer).]
Bottom line
New Year’s resolutions to a healthier you are [absolutely] worth making. Using the insight in this article will help you to make the right goals that are realistically achievable for you and the five steps to reach them.
Day by day and week by week, keep doing the fun activities that keep you moving toward better health. If you consistently go in the same direction, you will eventually make it to your destination(5).
Are you looking forward to embarking on a newer, healthier you this year? Do you want help implementing sustainable, healthy lifestyle improvements that stick? As a Registered Nurse and DPP Group Lifestyle Balance™ Lifestyle Coach, I’d love to help.
Need help making health goals that you can achieve? Want support to consistently implement healthy behaviors to turn them into easy-to-accomplish habits? Sign up for our email list and feel free to email me to set up a one-on-one appointment,
References
1 – Rhodes, R. (2022, January 2). Got health goals? Research-based tips for adopting and sticking to new healthy lifestyle behaviours. The Conversation.
2 – Kim, J., Eys, M., & Robertson-Wilson, J. (2023). Attraction toward physical activity as a moderator of socio-cognitive predictors of physical activity. Psychology of sport and exercise, 68, 102463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102463
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37665905
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1469029223000870
3 – UVic. (2022, February 9). Ryan Rhodes, fitness researcher, shares five tips on keeping motivated with your fitness goals [Video]. YouTube.
4 – Wierts, C. M., Kroc, E., & Rhodes, R. E. (2024). The Role of Intention, Behavioral Regulation, and Physical Activity Behavior in the Prediction of Physical Activity Identity across Time. Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 14(10), 886. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14100886
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39457757
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11505567
5 – Zehr, E. P. (2022, September 15). How Much Work Is Needed to Maintain a Positive Health Habit? Psychology Today.
